Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Analysis Of Intraguild Predation With A Consideration Of Adaptive Foraging, Toshinori Okuyama

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Identification of interactive units in food webs is particularly important in population and community ecology. Intraguild predation has gained much attention recently with the recognition of its prevalence in the field, although its significance has not been fully studied. Nature contains much more complex interactions than a simple food chain. Yet, much theory still focuses on the trophic levels connected in a single linear chain. In this thesis, I study intraguild predation including the consideration of animal behavior whose importance is also often neglected in population and community ecology.

First, the concepts of intraguild predation and animal behavior are introduced. …

The Ecology And Life History Of The Mexican Tetra, Astyanax Mexicanus, (Teleostei: Characidae) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Mario Estrada

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Mexican tetra has been found to migrate from shallow waters in the spring and summer months into deeper waters during the winter months when temperatures are too cold for their survival. This fish is omnivorous with insect material being the major source of food. Its food types include green algae, nematoceran larvae, hemipterans, coleopterans, hymenopterans, dipterans, ostracods, fish eggs and amphipods. Furthermore, size classes showed that the Mexican tetras reached their largest size at the River site and smaller sizes at the Bridge and Gate sites and apparently breed year round. They are capable of producing from 300 to …

Conservation Status Of The Southern Appalachian Herpetofauna, Joseph C. Mitchell, Thomas K. Pauley, David I. Withers, Steven M. Roble, Brian T. Miller, Alvin L. Braswell, Paul V. Cupp Jr., Christopher S. Hobson

Virginia Journal of Science

Seventy one species of amphibians (55 salamanders, 16 anurans) and 46 species of reptiles (15 turtles, 8 lizards, 23 snakes) inhabit a five state area (Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia) in the southern Appalachian region bordered by the Potomac River, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the western margin of the Appalachian Plateau. Of these, 47.9 % of the amphibian fauna and 52.2 % of the reptilian fauna are listed as being of conservation concern by federal, state, and Natural Heritage programs in all or a portion of their ranges of this region. The Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon Shenandoah …

The Relative Importance Of Patch Area And Perimeter–Area Ratio To Grassland Breeding Birds, Christopher J. Helzer, Dennis E. Jelinski

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Habitat fragmentation has been implicated as a major cause of population decline in grassland birds. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of area and shape determines the use of grassland patches by breeding birds. We compared both species richness and individual species presence in 45 wet meadow grasslands in the floodplain of the central Platte River, Nebraska. Bird data were collected through the use of belt transects and supplemented by walking and listening outside transects. Our data supported our primary hypothesis that perimeter–area ratio, which reflects both the area and shape of a patch, is the strongest predictor of …

Natural History Of The Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma Opacum (Gravenhorst), In West Virginia, With Special Notes On Reproduction And Larval Development, Jason J. Watkins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study observed a population of Ambystoma opacum in Kanawha State Forest, Kanawha County, five miles south of Charleston, West Virginia. Data were collected from September 1995 to November 1997. Reproductive biology and salamander development were examined. Predation of A. opacum and potential predators were also noted. Like other species in the genus Ambystoma, adult A. opacum are mostly fossorial and rarely seen above ground outside of the breeding season. During the breeding season, adults make their way to the breeding pools. Males ventured to the breeding pool first in early September and ranged in size from 49 to 75mm …

The Relationship Between Ohio River Bass Tournament Success Rates, Forage Fish Abundance And Environmental Conditions, Jeffrey V. Ginger

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Due to increasing pressure from Ohio River bass anglers with regard to decreasing catch rates in 1981,1990, and 1997, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) initiated a study of black bass populations. The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), in conjunction with state and Federal agencies, has collected population data on Ohio River fishes at lock chambers and has measured various water quality parameters since 1957. That data coupled with Ohio River bass tournament data collected by the DNR since 1975 and other fishery data sets provided a historic look into the variability of angler success. These …

Food Habits Of Salmo Trutta And Salvelinus Fontinalis (Pisces: Salmonidae) In Relation To Seasonal Changes And Mitigative Liming Effects In Dogway Fork Of The Cranberry River, West Virginia., Jason A. Morgan

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Dogway Fork, a tributary of the Cranberry River in West Virginia, is acidic due to acid precipitation and poorly buffered soils. This study is part of a long-term investigation involving the effects of continuous limestone neutralization on the fishes and benthos of an acid stream. Prior to treatment in 1988, the stream had a pH of 4.5 and there were no fish present. Since treatment began, the pH of the stream has risen to 6.8. Nine species of fish have been collected and six species have reproduced following the improvement in water quality. Densities of specific acid-sensitive benthic macroinvertebrates have …

Natural History Of The Northern Spring Salamander Gyrinophilus Porphyriticus Porphyriticus At The Westvaco Wildlife And Ecosystem Research Forest In Randolph County, West Virginia, Brian A. Lindley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this thesis research was to study the natural history of the northern spring salamander Gyrinophilus p. porphyriticus in West Virginia. The objectives of this study were to determine the environmental characteristics of the habitat of Gyrinophilus p. porphyriticus, to determine its reproductive biology, and then examine non-reproductive aspects of the natural history of the species. Study sites were located at the Westvaco Wildlife and Ecosystem Research Forest (WWERF) in Randolph County, West Virginia. Four sites on three streams were divided into two 25m transects. All sites were examined once each month from August 1997 through November 1998 …

Avian Prey-Dropping Behavior. I. The Effects Of Prey Characteristics And Prey Loss, Paul V. Switzer, Daniel A. Cristol

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Avian Prey-Dropping Behavior. I. The Effects Of Prey Characteristics And Prey Loss, Paul Switzer, Daniel Cristol

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Occurrence And Reproduction Of The Alabama Shad, Alosa Alabamae Jordan And Evermann, In The Ouachita River System Of Arkansas, Thomas M. Buchanan, Josh Nichols, Don Turman, Colton Dennis, Stuart Woolridge, Brett Hobbs

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The anadromous Alabama shad, Alosa alabamae, has drastically declined in abundance in recent decades throughout its historic range and has previously been reported in Arkansas from only five localities. Three of those locality records are pre- 1900. Sampling by seine in the Ouachita River drainage system of southern Arkansas in July and August of 1997 and 1998 produced more than 300 juvenile A. alabamae from two localities on the Little Missouri River and four localities on the Ouachita River. One record of an adult Alabama shad, taken on 4 April1997 by an angler below Remmel Dam on the Ouachita River, …

Alpha Status, Dominance, And Division Of Labor In Wolf Packs, L. David Mech

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

The prevailing view of a wolf (Canis lupus) pack is that of a group of individuals ever vying for dominance but held in check by the “alpha” pair, the alpha male and alpha female. Most research on the social dynamics of wolf packs, however, has been conducted on non-natural assortments of captive wolves. Here I describe the wolf-pack social order as it occurs in nature, discuss the alpha concept and social dominance and submission, and present data on the precise relationships among members in free-living packs, based on a literature review and 13 summers of observations of wolves …

Plant And Breeding Bird Communities Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Colonies And Non-Colonized Areas In Southwest Kansas And Southeast Colorado, Stephen L. Winter

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research was initiated to determine if plant and bird communities on black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus Ord) colonies in southwest Kansas and southeast Colorado differed from those found on associated non-colonized areas. Vegetation height and density, and the cover and frequency of numerous plant species differed between prairie dog colonies and non-colonized areas that were co-dominated by mid-height grasses and shortgrasses. A comparison of prairie dog colonies with non-colonized areas that were dominated solely by shortgrasses did not reveal a difference in vegetation height and density. The number of species that differed in cover or frequency between prairie dog …

The Effect Of Proximity On Landmark Use In Clark’S Nutcrackers, Kristy L. Gould-Beierle, Alan Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

Clark’s nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana, store thousands of pine seeds during the autumn and retrieve them throughout the winter. It has been shown that these birds are able to use visual cues to relocate hidden food in the laboratory. In this set of experiments, we trained three groups of Clark’s nutcrackers to find a hidden food goal that was placed in the same spatial location relative to the testing room. During training, the location of two local cues in relation to the goal differed between the three groups. Group 1 learned the task with the cues closest to the goal, group …

Patterns Of Movement And Orientation During Caching And Recovery By Clark’S Nutcrackers, Nucifraga Columbiana, Alan Kamil, Russell P. Balda, Sally Good

Avian Cognition Papers

Clark’s nutcrackers regularly store large numbers of pine seeds and remember the locations of the cached seeds. Although they are very accurate, they do make some errors during recovery. In an attempt to determine whether any behaviours during caching predicted the occurrence of errors during recovery, we videotaped Clark’s nutcrackers while they cached and recovered seeds under laboratory conditions. We used the videotapes to develop complete, quantitative descriptions of caching and recovery behaviour, with an emphasis on body orientation and directions of movement. During caching, the birds showed the greatest change in their orientation and direction following cache creation. During …

How Do They, Indeed? A Reply To Biegler Et Al., Alan Kamil, Juli E. Jones

Avian Cognition Papers

We trained Clark’s nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana, to search halfway between two landmarks while varying the distance between the landmarks (Kamil & Jones 1997). We found that the birds learned the problem readily and generalized to novel interlandmark distances within the range of distances used during training. Unlike some other studies in which responses to proportional distance were obtained (e.g. O’Keefe & Burgess 1996; Tommasi et al. 1997), the nutcrackers showed very precise search and maintained this precision during the transfer test. The distributions of digging locations around the central position were concentrated within ±1–2 cm of the central location …

Status Of Three Plethodontid Salamanders (Genus Plethodon) From The Ouachita National Forest Of Southwest Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, J. D. Wilhide

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A three-year field investigation was initiated in 1996 to update previous information on the local abundance and distribution of three salamanders of the genus Plethodon (P. caddoensis, P.fourchensis, and P. ouachitae); these salamanders are found within a five-county area of the Ouachita National Forest in southwestern Arkansas. Plethodon fourchensis was most numerous at three sites in Polk County; a total of 18 specimens was found. Searching for Plethodon fourchensis was successful following moderate-to-heavy precipitation but only in selected habitats on Fourche and Irons Forks mountains. The preferred habitats of P. caddoensis were talus-covered slopes and wet ravines consisting of mostly …

Influences Of Relative Humidity, Soil And Air Temperatures, And Lunar Phase On Occurrence Of Terrestrial Plethodontid Salamanders At High Elevation Sites, Jo Santiago

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Microhabitat environments and occurrences of terrestrial plethodontid salamanders including Plethodon nettingi Green, Plethodon cinereus (Green), Plethodon wehrlei Fowler and Dunn, Plethodon glutinosus (Green), and Desmognathus ochrophaeus Cope were monitored over a 15 month period at high elevation sites in the Stuart Knob area of the Monongahela National Forest in eastern West Virginia. Environmental data collected for eight equal-sized study plots (8m² ) included relative humidity, air and soil temperatures, and lunar phase. Five hundred and twenty-five salamanders were captured in diurnal and nocturnal searches, and an additional 52 individuals were observed. It was found that the most common occurring …

Reproductive Biology, Food Habits, And Forage Ratios Of The Candy Darter, Etheostoma Osburni, In The Cherry River, West Virginia, With An Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna, Ann Elizabeth Schoolcraft

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Etheostoma osburni, the candy darter, is endemic to the lower New River drainage of West Virginia and Virginia and Gauley River drainage of West Virginia. As a result of its endemism and evidence of declining population numbers, the species has been given the status of Special Concern in both states. Candy darters occur in the Appalachian Plateau and Ridge and Valley provinces, and are influenced by different environmental selective pressures. In this study, candy darters were collected in the summer and fall of 1998 and spring of 1999 by backpack electroshocking for determination of their seasonal reproductive biology, food …

Survey Of Medium And Large Mammals In An Urban Park (Murray Park), Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, Josie H. Dickins, David W. Clark, Steffany C. White, Gary A. Heidt

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Because of increased environmental awareness by city planning commissions, there are more urban parks and greenbelt areas. These areas often result in increased human and wildlife contacts, thus resulting in the need for management plans regarding urban wildlife. From September 1998 to March 1999, we conducted mammal surveys of the urban greenspace Murray Park, Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Surveys were conducted using five methods: direct observations; spot lighting; live trapping; animal sign; and scent posts. Species recorded included, opossum (Didelphis virginiana), nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), beaver (Castor canadensis), woodchuck (Marmota monax), …

Effects Of Predation On Two Species Of Stream-Dwelling Crayfish (Orconectes Marchandi And Cambarus Hubbsi) In Pool And Riffle Microhabitats, Heidi Dukat, Daniel D. Magoulick

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Community structure may be governed by many abiotic and biotic factors. Of the biotic factors, predation is often considered to be critical in structuring freshwater stream communities. In the Warm Fork of the Spring River, the crayfish Cambarus hubbsi is found mainly in riffles, whereas the crayfish Orconectes marchandi is found in high numbers in pools. We hypothesized that predation, mainly by fish, is a factor causing this segregation. Higher predation rates for C. hubbsi than 0. marchandi in the pools and higher predation rates for 0. marchandi than C. hubbsi in the riffles were expected. A transplant tethering experiment …

Post-Metomorphic Growth And Reproduction In The Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne Carolinensis) From Northeastern Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, Walter E. Meshaka Jr., Robert L. Cox Jr.

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Post-metamorphic growth and the reproductive cycle of the eastern narrowmouth toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis) were studied from 204 individuals collected during the April August 1989 activity season in a two-county area of northeastern Arkansas near the northwestern edge of the species' geographic range. Late summer metamorphs require a full growing season before they can reproduce as they approach their second year of life. The oldest individuals may be at least five years old. By late April, gonadal cycles of adults had commenced; the males were producing sperm, and some of the females were gravid. Fertility of both sexes increased during the …

Alpha Status, Dominance, And Division Of Labor In Wolf Packs, L. David Mech

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

The prevailing view of a wolf (Canis lupus) pack is that of a group of individuals ever vying for dominance but held in check by the “alpha” pair, the alpha male and alpha female. Most research on the social dynamics of wolf packs, however, has been conducted on non-natural assortments of captive wolves. Here I describe the wolf-pack social order as it occurs in nature, discuss the alpha concept and social dominance and submission, and present data on the precise relationships among members in free-living packs, based on a literature review and 13 summers of observations of wolves …

Experimental Infections Of Muskoxen (Ovibos Moschatus) And Domestic Sheep With Umingmakstrongylus Pallikuukensis (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae): Parasite Development, Population Structure, And Pathology, Susan J. Kutz, Eric P. Hoberg, Lydden Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Three captive muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) were successfully infected with third-stage larvae of Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis digested or emerged from the slugs Deroceras reticulatum and D. laeve, for the first time completing the life cycle of this parasite under experimental conditions. The course of parasite development and patency was followed for 26 months post infection (p.i.) using fecal examinations and radiography. The prepatent periods in two of the muskoxen were 91 and 95 days and the patent period in one extended for 23 months. Larval production peaked 13–14 months p.i. On postmortem of two of the muskoxen at months …

The Chondrocranium Of The Mexican Burrowing Toad, Rhinophrynus Dorsalis, Charles C. Swart, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The chondrocranium of Rhinophrynus dorsalis is described and illustrated. Autapomorphies of R. dorsalis are the presence of the symplectic cartilage and a cartilaginous process on the ascending process of the palatoquadrate. Synapomorphies of Rhinophrynus shared with the Pipidae are: (1) early formation of the lower jaw and (2) presence of a suprarostral plate. Alternative developmental pathways for the formation of the suprarostral plate are considered. Histological data indicates that the suprarostral plate forms from: (1) the early fusion of the cornua trabeculae with the suprarostral cartilages, (2) an anterior growth of the ethmold plate, and (3) subsequent fusion …

Unidad De Los Anfibios Modernos Como Grupo Natural, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

RESUMEN

La monofilia de la infraclase Lissamphibia ha sido cuestionada. Algunos autores sugieren un origen independiente del Orden Gymnophiona basados en la condición compacta (= estegocrotafía) del cráneo de la cecilias. La presente revisión indica la irrelevancia del estegocrotafismo para establecer las relaciones filogenéticas del grupo. Los datos disponibles sugieren: 1) el estegocrotafismo es secundariamente derivado en cecilias, y 2) Lissamphibia representa un grupo monofilético.

SUMMARY

Unity of modern Amphibians as a natural group

The monophyly of Lissamphibia has been previously questioned. Some authors suggested an independent origin of Gymnophiona based on the solid condition (= stegokrotaphy) of the caecilian …

Regurgitative Food Transfer Among Wild Wolves, L. David Mech, Paul C. Wolf, Jane M. Packard

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

Few studies of monogamous canids have addressed regurgitation in the context of extended parental care and alloparental care within family groups. We studied food transfer by regurgitation in a pack of wolves on Ellesmere Island, North West Territories, Canada, during 6 summers from 1988 through 1996. All adult wolves, including yearlings and a post-reproductive female, regurgitated food. Although individuals regurgitated up to five times per bout, the overall ratio of regurgitations per bout was 1.5. Pups were more likely to receive regurgitations (81%) than the breeding female (14%) or auxiliaries (6%). The breeding male regurgitated mostly to the breeding female …

Twenty-Year Home-Range Dynamics Of A White-Tailed Deer Matriline, Michael E. Nelson, L. D. Mech

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

We examined the seasonal migration and home-range dynamics of a multigeneration white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) matriline comprising six females from four generations spanning a 20-year period in northeastern Minnesota. All, from the matriarch to her great-granddaughter, migrated to the same summer and winter ranges, the longest individual record being 14.5 years. Three maternal females concurrently occupied exclusive fawning sites within their ancestral matriarch’s summer range, while two nonmaternal females explored new areas and ranged near their mothers. One great-granddaughter expanded her summer range 1 km beyond the matriarch’s summer range while essentially vacating half of her ancestors’ range …

Growth And Yield-Per-Recruit Modeling Of Spot (Leiostomus Xanthurus) In The Chesapeake Bay, And A Comparison Of Biological Reference Points, Kevin Ray Piner

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Spot were sampled from the Chesapeake Bay commercial fishery from 1993–1995 to determine if spot are overfished. Transversely sectioned otoliths were determined to be the most appropriate structure for ageing spot. It was determined that spot have a high natural mortality rate (M = 0.9) and fast growth (K = 0.6). This combination of M and K makes spot relatively impervious to growth overfishing as determined by yield-per-recruit modeling. Because spot are nearly impervious to growth overfishing, management thresholds based on yield-per-recruit modeling may be inappropriate. In addition, the combination of high M and fast K makes it possible to …

Grassland Birds And Habitat Structure In Sandhills Prairie Managed Using Cattle Or Bison Plus Fire, Randall Griebel, Stephen L. Winter, Allen Steuter

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Grassland birds are known to respond to specific changes in habitat structure, such as plant height and density. However, the response of grassland bird communities to management induced changes in the regional habitat mosaic are less well understood. Grazing by ungulates and fire regimes play an important role in defining the habitat mosaic in the Great Plains. We provide information on bird abundance, distribution, and habitat structure from similar sandhill prairie landscapes managed traditionally with grazing by cattle (Bos taurus) and by a dynamic bison (Bos bison)-plus-fire regime. Although the two management regimes are dissimilar, only …