Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

An Additional Record Of The Ornate Box Turtle From Western South Dakota, Steven G. Platt, Jennifer I. Stover, Edward J. Stover Iii

The Prairie Naturalist

On June 11, 2003, one of us (EJS) found an ornate box turtle crossing BIA Highway 2, approximately 7.2 km north of Sharps Comer on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Shannon County, South Dakota. The air temperature at the time of collection was approximately 30°C and the substrate was moist from light rain the previous day. The turtle was an adult female with a straight-line carapace length of 118 mm. Other straight-line measurements were: maximum carapace width = 100 mm; plastron length = 122 mm; maximum plastron width = 82 mm; and maximum shell depth = 64 mm. We …

Fisheries Occasional Paper No. 20 - Management Of Western Rock Lobster Fishery - Advice To Stakeholders - Assessment Of Southern Zone Resource Sustainability Options, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The management options presented in this paper have been developed in close cooperation with the rock lobster industry to address the short-term sustainability and economic concerns regarding the level of exploitation and its impact on the breeding stock in the southern region. The main focus in the short-term is to consider options that reduce fishing effort during periods that may be economically inefficient to fish and at the same time reduce the level of exploitation.

The management package does not address the serious long-term sustainability or socioeconomic issues (e.g. cost pressures and related fleet capacity) facing the industry. If the …

A Comparison Of Population Sizes And Number Of Captures For The Desert Woodrat (Neotoma Lepida) In Two Microhabitats In The Las Vegas Wash, Nevada, Jayson Barangan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Planned removal and eradication of saltcedar in the Las Vegas Wash, Nevada could potentially generate adverse impacts on present desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida) populations inhabiting the area. Consequently, research was conducted investigating population sizes of N. lepida in two distinct microhabitat types, saltcedar (Tamarix sp.) and mesquite/quailbush (Prosopis sp./Atriplex lentiformis). The results of this study will aid in gauging the effects of the changes in vegetation once restoration work is completed and assist with logistical scheduling for implementation of control measures. Mark-recapture field techniques were utilized for data collection from July 2002 to June 2003. Population estimates were calculated using …

Observed Omnivory In The Herbivorous Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis Aureus), Stephen M. Oliveira Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Gila seminuda, a native endangered species, and Oreochromis aureus, a nonnative invasive species, share the same habitat in the form of the Reid Gardner Power Plant intake ponds. The purpose of this study is to characterize the feeding habits of Oreochromis aureus within the Reid Gardner Power Plant intake ponds and address the potential predation habits of Oreochromis aureus. Stomach contents of O. aureus were identified and analyzed using chi-square and log-likelihood ratio techniques, with respect to mass, length, girth, gender, or spatial distribution of samples. Results showed omnivorous behavior with a 7.00% predatory/prey relationship, and no difference of feeding …

Presentation To Mojave-Southern Great Basin Rac, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI)

University manages selected SNPLMA projects as determined by the four federal agencies. Projects must be:

• Compatible with UNLV’s mission.
• Enhance education and research.
• Draw upon expertise of faculty, staff, and students.

Spring 2005, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Catfish Anglers: Descriptions And Insights Derived From The 2002 Nebraska Licensed Angler Survey, Keith Hurley, Kristin Duppong-Hurley

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

Analyses in this report will refer to number of different groups. Catfish seeking anglers are defined as any angler who has spend at least 1 trip during 2002 in pursuit of a catfish species (channel, blue, flathead, or bullhead). This is the most general group included in the analyses and is also the least avid group of anglers in regards to their relationship to catfish angling. Catfish anglers are defined as those respondents who identified a catfish species as the species they most prefer to target. Catfish anglers represent a smaller group of respondents with a higher avidity for catfish …

Fisheries Research Contract Report No. 12 - Mitigation Of The Negative Impacts On Biodiversity And Fisheries Values Of The Refurbishment Of Waroona Dam, South-Western Australia (Final Report For The Water Corporation Of Western Australia), Brett Molony, Stephen Beatty, Chris Bird, Vinh Nguyen

Fisheries Research Contract Reports

In addition to the supply of water for agriculture, irrigation dams of south-western Australia are important systems for recreational activities, including fishing (Molony & Bird 2002, Molony et al. 2002a). Lake Navarino (the reservoir created by Waroona Dam, figures 1 and 2, approx. 115° 55 E 32° 51 S) is the first major public access reservoir south of the Perth Metropolitan Area and is an important component of the Recreational Marron (Cherax tenuimanus') Fishery (RMF) (Molony 2001a, 2002a, 2003a, Molony & Bird 2002, Beatty et al. 2003a). Further, it is the most northerly irrigation dam that is regularly stocked with …

Red Rock Desert Learning Center Core Group Meeting: March 15, 2005, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Introductions (5 min.)
2. Approval of Minutes from January 18, 2005 Meeting (5 min.)
3. Core Curriculum Development: Timeline and Progress Report – Jeannie Klockow (30 min.)
4. Update on Water Testing – Bob Boyd (15 min.)
5. A. Line and Space Architects – Les Wallach/Henry Tom
   B. UNLV/CESU – Nancy Flagg
   C. BLM – Michael Reiland
6. Committee Reports (5 min.)
7. Open Discussion / New Business (5 min.)

A Sustainable Future For Recreational Fishing In The Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Proposal For Discussion., Department Of Fisheries.

Fisheries Management Papers

Fishing activity on the Cocos is essentially unmanaged at present and there has been some condern by the local community that a number of species, such as coral trout, have declined in numbers over the last decade. This draft strategy was developed by the Western Australian Department of Fisheries who now has responsibility for managing recreational fishing on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services.

Fisheries Research Report No. 148 - Historical Distribution And Abundance Of The Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca Cinerea) On The West Coast Of Western Australia, Richard Campbell

Fisheries Research Reports

Analysis of historical patterns of abundance of the Australian sea lion on the west coast of Western Australia suggests that the population size was greater prior to the impacts of colonization and commercial sealing/whaling between the 18th and 20th centuries. In addition, it is evident that there has been a reduction in the number of breeding sites along the west coast, particularly around the greater Perth metropolitan area. There is limited evidence of the impact of indigenous hunting on the abundance and distribution of this species. The major impacts on Australian sea lion populations were a combination of subsistence and …

The Quintessential Companion For North American Birders: Review Of The Birdwatcher's Companion To North American Birdlife By Christopher W. Leahy, Lawrence Igl

The Prairie Naturalist

The Birdwatcher's Companion was revised in 2004 under a new title, The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlire, and by a new publisher, Princeton University Press. This substantial work builds on Leahy's previous edition published in 1982. Hailed by the publisher as the quintessential, alphabetically arranged guide to North American birdlife, the new edition of The Birdwatcher's Companion is over 100 pages longer than the first edition, but, overall, the style and format have not changed much between the two editions. The Companion begins with a brief chapter in which the author describes how to use the book, how it …

Factors Influencing Persistence Of White-Footed Mice, Brock R. Mcmillan, Glennis A. Kaufman, Donald W. Kaufman

The Prairie Naturalist

We examined factors that potentially influenced persistence of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) during 1981 to 1988 at Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas. We predicted that both abiotic (e.g., precipitation and temperature) and biotic (e.g., availability of food and density of conspecifics) factors would influence persisten~e of individuals at the study site. Persistence of individual white-footed mice on the study site differed among years and seasons. White-footed mice that were first captured in summer or in autumn persisted longer than those first captured in spring. Young females (less than 20 g) had greater persistence than young males, whereas …

Lack Of Brown-Headed Cowbird Nest Parasitism In A Short Grass Region, Stephen L. Winter, Jack F. Cully Jr.

The Prairie Naturalist

While conducting field work in Morton County, southwestern Kansas and Baca County, southeastern Colorado, during the period 27 May to 2 July 1997, we found 36 nests of seven bird species. Nests were not searched for systematically, but were found coincidentally as data were collected along transects during research investigating the breeding bird and plant communities of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies and noncolonized shortgrass prairie (Winter 1999).

Low densities of the brown-headed cowbird in our study region, which is characterized by a semi-arid climate, might be a consequence of host populations that exhibit extreme temporal and …

Comparison Of Microclimate At Grassland Bird Nests With Different Substrates, Kimberly M. Suedkamp Wells, Samuel D. Fuhlendore

The Prairie Naturalist

We compared the effects of two different nest placement strategies (shrubs vs. bunchgrasses) on microclimate conditions for grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) in Oklahoma. We predicted that the intensity and duration of extreme temperatures (greater than 39° C) and their variability would be reduced at shrub nests compared to bunchgrass nests. A verage maximum temperatures were similar at nests of grasshopper sparrow and lark sparrow, but confidence intervals were more variable and included biologically detrimental temperatures at grasshopper sparrow nests compared to lark sparrow nests. The proportion of time greater than 39° …

Daphnia Lumholtzi, An Exotic Zooplankton, Invading A Nebraska Reservoir, Brian C. Peterson, Nicolas J. Fryda, Keith D. Koupal, Wyatt Hoback

The Prairie Naturalist

A limnological assessment project by the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission collected weekly vertical zooplankton tows during May through September 2002 at Harlan County Reservoir in Nebraska. Beginning on 5 August 2002, the exotic Daphnia lumholtzi (Cladocera: Daphniidae) appeared at a density of 0.04 1.1 in one of fifteen standardized sampling stations. By 6 September 2002, D. lumholtzi was found in all fifteen stations at an average density of 2.17 ± 3.10 1.1 with a site maximum density of 11.43 1.1 • Length measurements of D. lumholtzi ranged from 0.80 mm to 5.66 …

Cesu Agreements: Beyond Traditional Science Applications, Margaret N. Rees

Presentations (PLI)

Partnering with four federal land-management agencies

• Bureau of Land Management
• National Park Service
• U.S. Forest Service
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Fisheries Occasional Publication No.15 - A Unit Register For Commercial Fisheries: An Issues Paper, Western Rock Lobster Council, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

This paper is designed to encourage stakeholder involvement in a review of the existing Department of Fisheries' Register, and development of a concept for a new Unit 1 Register, under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 (FRMA). It is not a fisheries management proposal but a proposal dealing with the facilitation of the fishing licence business. Comments are sought from all stakeholders, including commercial fishers, recreational fishers, banks, accountants, lawyers, third party investors and brokers.

The comments gathered through the responses to this 'issues paper' will form the basis for the Unit Register Working Group to develop the concept of …

Status And Trends In Water Quality And Living Resources In The Virginia Chesapeake Bay: James River (1985-2004), Daniel M. Dauer, Harold G. Marshall, John R. Donat, Michael F. Lane, Suzanne C. Doughten, Peter L. Morton, Frederick A. Hoffman

Status and Trends for Virginia Chesapeake Bay

A marked decline in the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay has occurred over the past several decades. The disappearance of submerged aquatic vegetation in certain regions of the Bay, declines in the abundance of some commercially and recreationally important species, increases in the incidence of low dissolved oxygen events, changes in the Bay's food web, and other ecological problems have been related to the deteriorating water quality. The results of concentrated research efforts in the late 1970s and early 1980s stimulated the establishment of Federal and state directives to better manage the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By way of the …

Status And Trends In Water Quality And Living Resources In The Virginia Chesapeake Bay: Rappahannock River (1985-2004), Daniel M. Dauer, Harold G. Marshall, John R. Donat, Michael F. Lane, Peter L. Morton, Suzanne C. Doughten, Frederick A. Hoffman

Status and Trends for Virginia Chesapeake Bay

A marked decline in the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay has occurred over the past several decades. The disappearance of submerged aquatic vegetation in certain regions of the Bay, declines in the abundance of some commercially and recreationally important species, increases in the incidence of low dissolved oxygen events, changes in the Bay's food web, and other ecological problems have been related to the deteriorating water quality. The results of concentrated research efforts in the late 1970s and early 1980s stimulated the establishment of Federal and state directives to better manage the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By way of the …

Status And Trends In Water Quality And Living Resources In The Virginia Chesapeake Bay: York River (1985-2004), Daniel M. Dauer, Harold G. Marshall, John R. Donat, Michael F. Lane, Suzanne C. Doughten, Frederick A. Hoffman

Status and Trends for Virginia Chesapeake Bay

A marked decline in the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay has occurred over the past several decades. The disappearance of submerged aquatic vegetation in certain regions of the Bay, declines in the abundance of some commercially and recreationally important species, increases in the incidence of low dissolved oxygen events, changes in the Bay's food web, and other ecological problems have been related to the deteriorating water quality. The results of concentrated research efforts in the late 1970s and early 1980s stimulated the establishment of Federal and state directives to better manage the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By way of the …

Continued Range Expansion Ny The Cave Myotis, Shauna R. Marquardt, Jerry R. Choate, Stanley D. Roth Jr.

The Prairie Naturalist

The cave myotis (Myotis velifer) is a cavernicolous bat that ranges northward from Honduras to the southern Great Plains and southwestern United States. Its known range in the United States includes the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and small, southern portions of Nevada and California (Fitch et al. 1981, Hayward 1970). The cave Myotis inhabits caves, mines, and buildings, depending on time of year and specific roost requirements (Fitch et al. 1981, Hayward 1970, Kunz 1973, Sparks and Choate 2000). Before European settlement of areas within the range of the cave Myotis, it likely …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 37, No. 1, March 2005

The Prairie Naturalist

LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN USE OF HARVESTED CORN FIELDS DURING FALL AND WINTER IN SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS, G. C. Salter, R. J. Robel, and K. E. Kemp 1

DAPHNIA LUMHOLTZI, AN EXOTIC ZOOPLANKTON, INVADING A NEBRASKA RESERVOIR B. C. Peterson, N. J. Fryda, K. D. Koupal, and W. W. Hoback 11

COMPARISON OF MICROCLIMATE AT GRASSLAND BIRD NESTS WITH DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES, K. M. Suedkamp Wells and S. D. Fuhlendorf 21

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERSISTENCE OF WHITEFOOTED MICE, B. R. McMillan, G. A. Kaufman, and D. W. Kaufman 29

NOTES

RECORDS OF THE EASTERN RED BAT ON THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE OF COLORADO, …

Lesser Prairie-Chicken Use Of Harvested Corn Fields During Fall And Winter In Southwestern Kansas, Gregory C. Salter, Robert J. Robel, Kenneth E. Kemp

The Prairie Naturalist

The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has declined in numbers in Kansas primarily due to the conversion of sand sagebrush (Artemisia .filifolia) prairie to cropland. The lesser prairie-chicken in Finney County, Kansas exists primarily in large fragments of sand sagebrush prairie, and it forages during fall and winter on waste grain in harvested com (Zea mays) fields adjacent to prairie fragments. We used radio-telemetry to monitor lesser prairie chicken locations and found no significant relationship between numbers of bird locations and amounts of waste grain on the ground in harvested com fields. Even the harvested …

Electrocution Of An Adult White-Tailed Deer, Christopher S. Deperno, Benjamin J. Bigalke, Jonathan A. Jenks, Brian S. Haroldson, Robert G. Osborn

The Prairie Naturalist

On 16 May 2002, an adult female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) died after becoming entangled in an electric fence in southeast Minnesota. The deer (#393) was captured 30 January 2000 as part of a cooperative, long-term deer mortality study being conducted in southern Minnesota (Bigalke et al. 2002, Brinkman 2003, Brinkman et al. 2002). Although fence entanglements occur, they do not account for significant losses in white-tailed deer populations (Matschke et al. 1984). Nixon et al. (1991) documented mortality of two fawns with broken cervical vertebrae that had collided with fences, but did not distinguish the type of …

Records Of The Eastern Red Bat On The Northern Front Range Of Colorado, Daniel J. Neubaum

The Prairie Naturalist

Although common in deciduous forest throughout the Midwest and east-central states, the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) is rare in Colorado (Armstrong et al. 1994, Fitzgerald et al. 1994). However, this species has the potential to extend its range because belts of eastern deciduous forest habitat have expanded across western prairies and reached the Front Range of Colorado over the last 100 years (Knopf 1986). The eastern red bat ranges from Canada southward across the United States to northeastern New Mexico with most records occurring east of the Continental Divide (Hall 1981, Shump and Shump 1982, Cryan 2003). …

The Sooner State Bird Atlas: Review Of Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas, Dan L. Reinking, Editor, Timothy J. O'Connell

The Prairie Naturalist

In Oklahoma, forest meets prairie, prairie meets mesa, and throughout, our native ecosystems are shaped by human land use. Across this shifting mosaic of habitats, animals find food, raise young, and disperse to find other members of their species. Management for these species is best informed when it springs from a common baseline of knowledge about distributions across the entire management area. For birds, that baseline can be effectively established with a breeding bird atlas. ... In sum, the Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas presents timely information on a fascinating statewide avifauna in a clear and attractive package. The text is …

Integrated Fisheries Management Report Western Rock Lobster Resource., Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

This report is the first in a series of Integrated Fisheries Management (IFM) reports required under the 2004 Government Policy on IFM. Under this policy, the Executive Director of Fisheries is required to approve a sustainability report for each fishery, which includes a clear statement on the harvest level. The sustainable harvest level is that total catch, or catch range, that is to be allocated among the various user groups identified for that particular fishery. These IFM reports will assist in the process of allocating explicit shares in the use of Western Australia’s fish resources. They do not establish the …

Red Rock Desert Learning Center Core Group Meeting: January 18, 2005, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Introductions (5 min.)
2. Approval of Minutes from November 16, 2004 Meeting (5 minutes)
3. Presentation of Science Curriculum – Paul Buck (30 min.)
4. Line and Space Architects
   Presentation of Schematic Designs– Les Wallach/Henry Tom (1 hour)
   Update on Design Timeline (10 min.)
5. Standing Reports (10 minutes)
   A. UNLV/CESU – Nancy Flagg
   B. BLM – Michael Reiland
6. Committee Reports (5 min.)
7. Committee Meeting Schedule for 2005 (5 min.)
8. Open Discussion / New Business (5 min.)

Optimizing Allocation Of Monitoring Effort Under Economic And Observational Constraints, Scott A. Field, Andrew J. Tyre, Hugh P. Possingham

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Efforts to design monitoring regimes capable of detecting population trends can be thwarted by observational and economic constraints inherent to most biological surveys. Ensuring that limited resources are allocated efficiently requires evaluation of statistical power for alternative survey designs. We simulated the process of data collection on a landscape, where we initiated declines over 3 sample periods in species of varying prevalence and detectability. Changing occupancy levels were estimated using a technique that accounted for effects of false-negative errors on survey data. Declines were identified within a frequentist statistical framework, but the significance level was set at an optimal level …