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Full-Text Articles in Biology
The Annual Cycle For Whimbrel Populations Using The Western Atlantic Flyway, B. D. Watts, F. Smith, C. Hines, L. Duval, Et Al.
The Annual Cycle For Whimbrel Populations Using The Western Atlantic Flyway, B. D. Watts, F. Smith, C. Hines, L. Duval, Et Al.
Arts & Sciences Articles
Many long-distance migratory birds use habitats that are scattered across continents and confront hazards throughout the annual cycle that may be population-limiting. Identifying where and when populations spend their time is fundamental to effective management. We tracked 34 adult whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) from two breeding populations (Mackenzie Delta and Hudson Bay) with satellite transmitters to document the structure of their annual cycles. The two populations differed in their use of migratory pathways and their seasonal schedules. Mackenzie Delta whimbrels made long (22,800 km) loop migrations with different autumn and spring routes. Hudson Bay whimbrels made shorter (17,500 km) …
Intertidal Zonation Of Hemichordates In Soft Sediments, Kharis R. Schrage, Juselyn D. Tupik, Jonathan D. Allen
Intertidal Zonation Of Hemichordates In Soft Sediments, Kharis R. Schrage, Juselyn D. Tupik, Jonathan D. Allen
Arts & Sciences Articles
Intertidal zonation of organisms is well studied on rocky shores but less so in soft sediment communities. On rocky shores, communities are two dimensional, with biotic factors such as competition and predation setting the lower bound of a zone, whereas abiotic factors such as desiccation set the upper bound. In soft sediment communities, these patterns persist, but with a dynamic three-dimensional ecosystem occupied by mobile infaunal organisms, zonation can be more difficult to quantify and detect. Hemichordate worms, however, deposit fecal casts at the surface, which can be easily identified and counted, making them a potential model system for identifying …
Whimbrel Populations Differ In Trans-Atlantic Pathways And Cyclone Encounters, B. D. Watts, F. M. Smith, C. Hines, L. Duval, Et Al.
Whimbrel Populations Differ In Trans-Atlantic Pathways And Cyclone Encounters, B. D. Watts, F. M. Smith, C. Hines, L. Duval, Et Al.
Arts & Sciences Articles
Each year hundreds of millions of birds cross the Atlantic Ocean during the peak of tropical cyclone activity. The extent and consequences of migrant-storm interactions remain unknown. We tracked whimbrels from two populations (Mackenzie Delta; Hudson Bay) to examine overlap between migration routes and storm activity and both the frequency and consequence of storm encounters. Here we show that Mackenzie Delta and Hudson Bay whimbrels follow different routes across the ocean and experience dramatically different rates of storm encounters. Mackenzie Delta whimbrels departed North America from Atlantic Canada, made long (x¯" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline; line-height: normal; word-spacing: normal; …
Field Testing An "Acoustic Lighthouse": Combined Acoustic And Visual Cues Provide A Multimodal Solution That Reduces Avian Collision Risk With Tall Human-Made Structures, Timothy James Boycott, J. P. Swaddle, Sally Mullis, Brandon E. Jackson
Field Testing An "Acoustic Lighthouse": Combined Acoustic And Visual Cues Provide A Multimodal Solution That Reduces Avian Collision Risk With Tall Human-Made Structures, Timothy James Boycott, J. P. Swaddle, Sally Mullis, Brandon E. Jackson
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Billions of birds fatally collide with human-made structures each year. These mortalities have consequences for population viability and conservation of endangered species. This source of human-wildlife conflict also places constraints on various industries. Furthermore, with continued increases in urbanization, the incidence of collisions continues to increase. Efforts to reduce collisions have largely focused on making structures more visible to birds through visual stimuli but have shown limited success. We investigated the efficacy of a multimodal combination of acoustic signals with visual cues to reduce avian collisions with tall structures in open airspace. Previous work has demonstrated that a combination of …
The Regulatory Network For Petal Anthocyanin Pigmentation Is Shaped By The Myb5a/Negan Transcription Factor In Mimulus, Xingyu Zheng, Kuenzang Om, Kimmy A. Stanton, (...), Gregory D. Conradi Smith, Joshua R. Puzeyn, Et Al.
The Regulatory Network For Petal Anthocyanin Pigmentation Is Shaped By The Myb5a/Negan Transcription Factor In Mimulus, Xingyu Zheng, Kuenzang Om, Kimmy A. Stanton, (...), Gregory D. Conradi Smith, Joshua R. Puzeyn, Et Al.
Arts & Sciences Articles
Much of the visual diversity of angiosperms is due to the frequent evolution of novel pigmentation patterns in flowers. The gene network responsible for anthocyanin pigmentation, in particular, has become a model for investigating how genetic changes give rise to phenotypic innovation. In the monkeyflower genus Mimulus, an evolutionarily recent gain of petal lobe anthocyanin pigmentation in M. luteus var. variegatus was previously mapped to genomic region pla2. Here, we use sequence and expression analysis, followed by transgenic manipulation of gene expression, to identify MYB5a—orthologous to the NEGAN transcriptional activator from M. lewisii—as the gene responsible …
Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers Within The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge: 2020 Report, B. D. Watts, C. Hines, L. Duval, B. J. Paxton
Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers Within The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge: 2020 Report, B. D. Watts, C. Hines, L. Duval, B. J. Paxton
CCB Technical Reports
No abstract provided.
Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers In Virginia: Year 2020 Report, B. D. Watts, C. Hines, L. Duval, B. J. Paxton
Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers In Virginia: Year 2020 Report, B. D. Watts, C. Hines, L. Duval, B. J. Paxton
CCB Technical Reports
The Virginia population of red-cockaded woodpeckers is the northernmost throughout the species range and has been in eminent danger of extinction for more than 30 years. The Piney Grove Preserve represents a nucleus for recovery in the state and the focus of a multi-organizational partnership designed to increase the population to a sustainable level. The partnership has executed a program of aggressive habitat management, cavity-tree management and woodpecker population monitoring and management that has resulted in a quadrupling of the breeding population since the early 2000s. During the 2020 breeding season, Piney Grove Preserve supported 15 potential breeding groups (including …
Living Shorelines Achieve Functional Equivalence To Natural Fringe Marshes Across Multiple Ecological Metrics, Robert Isdell, Donna M. Bilkovic, Amanda Guthrie, Molly Mitchell, Randolph M. Chambers, Matthias Leu, Carl Hershner
Living Shorelines Achieve Functional Equivalence To Natural Fringe Marshes Across Multiple Ecological Metrics, Robert Isdell, Donna M. Bilkovic, Amanda Guthrie, Molly Mitchell, Randolph M. Chambers, Matthias Leu, Carl Hershner
VIMS Articles
Nature-based shoreline protection provides a welcome class of adaptations to promote ecological resilience in the face of climate change. Along coastlines, living shorelines are among the preferred adaptation strategies to both reduce erosion and provide ecological functions. As an alternative to shoreline armoring, living shorelines are viewed favorably among coastal managers and some private property owners, but they have yet to undergo a thorough examination of how their levels of ecosystem functions compare to their closest natural counterpart: fringing marshes. Here, we provide a synthesis of results from a multi-year, large-spatial-scale study in which we compared numerous ecological metrics (including …
Influence Of Introduced Peregrine Falcons On The Distribution Of Red Knots Within A Spring Staging Site, B. D. Watts, Barry R. Truitt
Influence Of Introduced Peregrine Falcons On The Distribution Of Red Knots Within A Spring Staging Site, B. D. Watts, Barry R. Truitt
Arts & Sciences Articles
Predator recovery driven by single-species management approaches may lead to conservation conflicts between recovered predators and prey species of conservation concern. As part of an aggressive recovery plan, the Eastern Peregrine Falcon Recovery Team released (1975–1985) 307 captive-reared peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) and successfully established a breeding population within the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, a physiographic region with no historic breeding population and a critical spring staging area for migratory shorebirds. We examined the influence of resident falcons on the distribution of foraging red knots during spring migration. We conducted weekly aerial surveys (2006–2009) along the Virginia barrier islands …
Comparison Of Nutrient Accrual In Constructed Living Shoreline And Natural Fringing Marshes, Randolph Chambers, A. L. Gorsky, Robert Isdell, Molly Mitchell, Donna Marie Bilkovic
Comparison Of Nutrient Accrual In Constructed Living Shoreline And Natural Fringing Marshes, Randolph Chambers, A. L. Gorsky, Robert Isdell, Molly Mitchell, Donna Marie Bilkovic
Arts & Sciences Articles
Living shoreline marshes are coastal wetlands constructed as alternatives to “hardened shorelines” (e.g., bulkheads, riprap) to mitigate erosion and to allow for landward migration of intertidal habitat as sea level rises. Living shorelines are designed to mimic natural fringing marshes and over time should be sinks for carbon and other nutrients. We collected soil cores and aboveground plant material from 13 pairs of natural fringing marshes and living shoreline marshes of different ages and degree of isolation from more extensive marsh shorescapes to compare nutrient pools and accrual. Although the nutrient content of plants was similar within and between marsh …