Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Applying Ethological And Health Indicators To Practical Animal Welfare Assessment, F. Wemelsfelder, S. Mullan

Animal Welfare Collection

There is a growing effort worldwide to develop objective indicators for animal welfare assessment, which provide information on an animal’s quality of life, are scientifically trustworthy, and can readily be used in practice by professionals. Animals are sentient beings capable of positive and negative emotion, and so these indicators should be sensitive not only to their physical health, but also to their experience of the conditions in which they live. This paper provides an outline of ethological research aimed at developing practical welfare assessment protocols. The first section focuses on the development and validation of welfare indicators generally, in terms …

Qualitative Behavioural Assessment Of The Motivation For Feed In Sheep In Response To Altered Body Condition Score, C. A. Stockman, T. Collins, A. L. Barnes, D. Miller, S. L. Wickham, E. Verbeek, L. Matthews, D. Ferguson, F. Wemelsfelder, P. A. Fleming

Sentience Collection

Qualitative behavioural assessment (QBA) has been used to quantify the expressive behaviour of animals, and operant tests have been used to quantify measures of behavioural need. In this study we compared measures of behavioural expression and behaviour in operant tests. We examined the behavioural expression of pregnant ewes of body condition score (BCS) 2 and 3. The ewes were exposed to a feed motivation test in which they received a food reward. Pregnant ewes (48–70 days gestation) were assessed during a food motivation test after they had been maintained at BCS 3 (n = 7) or given a decreasing plane …

Population Genetic Structure Of Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In A Marine Archipelago Suggests Island-Mainland Differentiation Consistent With Dietary Niche, Astrid V. Stronen, Erin L. Navid, Michael S. Quinn, Paul C. Paquet, Heather M. Bryan, Chris T. Darimont

Population Distribution and Habitat Collection

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that ecological heterogeneity across space can influence the genetic structure of populations, including that of long-distance dispersers such as large carnivores. On the central coast of British Columbia, Canada, wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) dietary niche and parasite prevalence data indicate strong ecological divergence between marine-oriented wolves inhabiting islands and individuals on the coastal mainland that interact primarily with terrestrial prey. Local holders of traditional ecological knowledge, who distinguish between mainland and island wolf forms, also informed our hypothesis that genetic differentiation might occur between wolves from these adjacent environments.

Results: We used microsatellite genetic markers …

Grizzly Bear Monitoring By The Heiltsuk People As A Crucible For First Nation Conservation Practice, William G. Housty, Anna Noson, Gerald W. Scoville, John Boulanger, Richard M. Jeo, Chris T. Darimont, Christopher E. Filardi

Wildlife Population Management Collection

Guided by deeply held cultural values, First Nations in Canada are rapidly regaining legal authority to manage natural resources. We present a research collaboration among academics, tribal government, provincial and federal government, resource managers, conservation practitioners, and community leaders supporting First Nation resource authority and stewardship. First, we present results from a molecular genetics study of grizzly bears inhabiting an important conservation area within the territory of the Heiltsuk First Nation in coastal British Columbia. Noninvasive hair sampling occurred between 2006 and 2009 in the Koeye watershed, a stronghold for grizzly bears, salmon, and Heiltsuk people. Molecular demographic analyses revealed …

Filarial Nematode Infection In Ixodes Scapularis Ticks Collected From Southern Connecticut, Pabbati Namrata, Jamie M. Miller, Madari Shilpa, Patlolla Raghavender Reddy, Cheryl Bandoski,, Michael J. Rossi, Eva Sapi

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

It was recently demonstrated that the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum could harbor filarial nematodes within the genus Acanthocheilonema. In this study, Ixodes scapularis (deer) ticks collected from Southern Connecticut were evaluated for their potential to harbor filarial nematodes. Non-engorged nymphal and adult stage Ixodes scapularis ticks were collected in Southern Connecticut using the standard drag method. In situ hybridization with filarial nematode specific sequences demonstrated the presence of filarial nematodes in Ixodes ticks. Filarial nematode specific DNA sequences were amplified and confirmed by direct sequencing in Ixodes nymphal and adult ticks using either general filarial nematode or Onchocercidae family …

Quantitative Analysis Of Woodpecker Habitat Using High-Resolution Airborne Lidar Estimates Of Forest Structure And Composition, James E. Garabedian, Robert Mcgaughey, Stephen E. Reutebuch, Bernard R. Parresol, John C. Kilgo, Christopher E. Moorman, M. Nils Peterson

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology has the potential to radically alter theway researchers and managers collect data onwildlife–habitat relationships. To date, the technology has fostered several novel approaches to characterizing avian habitat, but has been limited by the lack of detailed LiDAR-habitat attributes relevant to species across a continuum of spatial grain sizes and habitat requirements. We demonstrate a novel three-step approach for using LiDAR data to evaluate habitat based on multiple habitat attributes and accounting for their influence at multiple grain sizes using federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW; Picoides borealis) foraging habitat data fromthe Savannah River Site (SRS) …

An Introduction To Marine Invasive Species, Teresa Berndt, Natasha Bourdon, Rebecca Buchanan, Abigail Doane, Laura Doyle, Jacob Farrell, Angela Henrich, Blaise Jenner, Christopher Lockwood, Ashleigh Novak, Kiera O'Donnell, Hanna Pultorak, Wyler Scamman, Alec Strohmeyer, Keenan Tilsley, Markus Frederich

Marine Sciences Student Projects

Countless marine species are invading new environments with devastating effects on the ecosystem, the local and global economy, and on human health. The frequency of marine invasions has been increasing in recent decades with a respective raised interest of invasive species in the scientific community, and the general public. The Aquatic Invasive Species class (MAR442) at the University of New England offers an informative overview of invasive species, targeting educated readers with a general interest in invasive species biology. Students in the MAR 442 class have worked on identifying the most important topics on marine invasive species, have reviewed the …

Research Notes On Big Lagoon Families, Susie Van Kirk

Susie Van Kirk Papers

Compilation of census information and newspaper references; bulk dates 1880-1940 but includes information through 2013.

Botanists In The Canyonlands Of The Colorado Plateau – 1950–1983 & Prior, Stanley L. Welsh, Glen Moore

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of botanical investigations in southeastern Utah, but is not so-restricted geographically. It grew out of the discovery of decades-old manuscripts on the flora of what became Canyonlands National Park in 1964, but from those typescript copies the coverage grew outward geographically and backward in time to the earliest inhabitants of what is today known as the Four Corners Region of the American Southwest. Reviewed is the account of utilization of the region and its natural resources by aboriginal inhabitants who were familiar with all of it. That early, and to an extent, continuous occupation …

Hanging Gardens Of The Colorado: Jewels In The Crown—Canyonlands Versus Zion Canyon, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

Descriptions and types of Utah’s hanging gardens. This work includes a comparison of hanging gardens in Canyonlands versus Zion Canyon, as well as the plant and animal assemblages found there. Five types of gardens and alcoves are defined and the different types found in both national parks are described. Maps of hanging garden locations and extensive photographs of the flora and fauna are provided.

Table of Contents (abridged)

Prolog

Canyonlands Gardens

Geomorphology

Types of Gardens and Alcoves

Zion Canyon Gardens

Terrace-type Gardens

Plant Communities

Stream Courses

Geographic Affinities of Hanging Gardens

Restricted or Unusual Plants

Plant Succession

Appendix I: …

Plum Run And Its Watershed: A Short Course In Stream Ecology, Winfield Fairchild, Tim Lutz, Joan Welch, Danielle Difederico, Mike Mcgeehin, Katherine Broadbent, Danielle Varnes

Plum Run Stream Organism Survey Documents

No abstract provided.

Abstracts From Proceedings Of The Twelfth North American Crane Workshop, 13–16 March 2011, Grand Island, Nebraska, Usa (Published 2014)

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

ASSESSMENT OF THE EASTERN POPULATION GREATER SANDHILL CRANE FALL SURVEY, 1979-2009 Courtney Amundson, Douglas Johnson, Sean Kelly, and Tom Cooper 80

FACTORS INFLUENCING GREATER SANDHILL CRANE NEST SUCCESS IN NEVADA .Chad August, James Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 80

INFLUENCE OF FOOD AND PREDATOR ABUNDANCE ON STRESS LEVELS OF SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN NORTHERN MEXICO Ingrid Barcelo and Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 81

A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR CROP DAMAGE BY CRANES AND OTHER BIRD SPECIES TO PLANTED SEED Jeb Barzen and Anne Lacy 81

MODELLING THE EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON SANDHILL CRANE DISTRIBUTION IN THE CENTRAL PLATTE RIVER VALLEY OF …

The History And Reintroduction Of Whooping Cranes At White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area, Louisiana, Gay M. Gomez

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

On 16 February 2011, whooping cranes (Grus americana) were reintroduced in the wetlands of southwest Louisiana, after an absence of 61 years. This brief communication provides background on the historical presence of whooping cranes in this region, describes the long road to reintroduction, presents observations from the reintroduction’s first day, and offers thoughts on its future prospects.

On 15 May 1939, biologist John J. Lynch of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service observed 13 whooping cranes in the remote freshwater marsh north of White Lake in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. He not only confirmed what local residents and trappers had long …

Piscataqua Region Environmental Planning Assessment 2015, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

This is the second assessment of land use regulations and planning practices in our watershed, and provides an important understanding of how we are managing our community’s natural resources. Although progress in protecting water quality has been made, management actions are inconsistent across the watershed and even within sub watersheds. In order to protect the places we live, and accommodate growth. It is clear that purposeful coordination and consistency is critical to success in improving water quality and minimizing community costs associated with pollution and impacts from intensifying weather events.

Identifying Priority Conservation Areas For The American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus Americanus (Coleoptera: Silphidae), A Habitat Generalist, Jessica D. Jurzenski, Christopher F. Jorgensen, Andy Bishop, Roger Grosse, John Riens, W. Wyatt Hoback

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Conservation efforts leading to the recovery of the federally endangered American burying beetle (ABB), Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, have been challenging because of the unknown causes of its decline, difficulty in establishing habitat requirements, and unclear population distribution across the species’ range. Extant populations of this widespread generalist species occur in broadly separated regions of North America with varying habitat characteristics. A habitat suitability model for ABB in the Nebraska Sandhills was developed over the course of 3 years resulting in a final cross-validated spatial model. The succession of models from 2009 to 2011 indicated that most of the predictive variables …

Root Growth Of Two Perennial Grass Types And Musk Thistle (Carduus Nutans) In Temperate Grasslands Of North America, Chengchou Han, Stephen L. Young

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Root architecture of prairie grasslands, which depends on plant phenology and edaphic conditions, strongly influences susceptibility to invasion by nonindigenous plant species. Field studies were conducted to compare in situ root growth patterns of warm-season (WS) and cool-season (CS) perennial grasses and musk thistle during a 2-yr period that included a drought in the second year. In 2 yr, CS grasses had the highest amount of roots (1,296 m roots m^–2 [395 ft roots ft^–2]) across shallow (0 to 28 cm [0 to 11 in.]), medium (28 to 56 cm), and deep (56 to 98 cm) depths …

Bioeconomic Factors Of Beef Heifer Maturity To Consider When Establishing Criteria To Optimally Select And/Or Retain Herd Replacements, M. C. Stockton, R. K. Wilson, D. M. Feuz, L. A. Stalker, R. N. Funston

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Understanding the biology of heifer maturity and its relationship to calving difficulty and subsequent breeding success is a vital step in building a bioeconomic model to identify optimal production and profitability. A limited dependent variable probit model is used to quantify the responses among heifer maturities, measured by a maturity index (MI), on dystocia and second pregnancy. The MI account for heifer age, birth BW, prebreeding BW, nutrition level, and dam size and age and is found to be inversely related to dystocia occurrence. On average there is a 2.2% increase in the probability of dystocia with every 1 point …

Effects Of River Current Inflow On Dissolved Oxygen And Temperature Of Refuge Zones For Cisco In Lake Bemidji, Bryant C. Swenson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The objectives of this study were to (1) determine if the inflow current from the Mississippi River affects temperature and dissolved oxygen in Lake Bemidji, (2) determine how the amount of suitable cisco Coregonus artedi habitat changes over the summer in Lake Bemidji, and (3) predict how much cisco habitat would be available under a climate warming scenario. Summer fish kill of cisco occurs in most years on Lake Bemidji resulting from low dissolved oxygen in the hypolimnion and high water temperatures in the epilimnion. Dissolved oxygen and temperature profiles provided evidence to suggest the north basin is more suitable …

The Effect Of Barometric Pressure On Feeding Activity Of Yellow Perch, Daniel Vanderweyst

Journal of Earth and Life Science

This is the first study to our knowledge that has attempted to relate feeding activity of fish to barometric pressure. This study was conducted with the expectation that a difference in food ingestion would occur in a game fish species at different barometric pressures. The overall objective of this study is to determine if barometric pressure influences the feeding activity of a popular game fish. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were collected by seine and trap net from Lake Bemidji 12 September through 24 October 2013. The range in size and weight of yellow perch used for this study …

Use Of Cast Nets And Seine Hauls To Estimate Abundance Of Age-0 Yellow Perch, Michael Vaske

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Knowledge about fish population dynamics is essential for developing management plans and evaluating management success. In many lakes, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are the main forage for many upper level predators and recreational fish species. To better manage recreational fisheries, an accurate estimate of prey abundance is necessary. The objectives of the study were to sample the littoral and limnetic zone to better estimate population of age-0 yellow perch, and obtain an estimate of the proportion of yellow perch being missed by traditional littoral seining methods. Littoral seines were conducted at three randomly selected locations in the south …

Fall 2014, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Spring 2014, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Changing Body Condition In Walleye With Reference To Ideal Sample Size Requirements, Kevin Longtin

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The objective of this study was to determine if walleye Sander vitreus percent dry weight, a measure of condition, differed among summer months of 2014 on Maple Lake, Minnesota. A second objective was to determine if there was a relationship between condition and body temperature, total length, or wet weight. Between three and six walleyes were collected per month by hook and line methods. All fish had internal body temperatures taken at the time of capture and were oven dried in the laboratory at 80 °C in order to measure percent dry weight. There was no relationship between condition and …

Investigating The Photosynthesis Of Symbiodinium In Caribbean Gorgonian Corals, Blake Ramsby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Symbiodinium photosynthesis fuels the growth of an array of marine invertebrates, including scleractinian corals and octocorals. Studies examining the symbiosis between Caribbean octocorals and Symbiodinium are sparse, even though octocorals blanket the landscape of Caribbean coral reefs. Here, I compared the photosynthetic characteristics of Symbiodinium in four comCaribbean octocoral species (Pseudoplexaura porosa, Pseudoplexaura wagenaari, Eunicea tourneforti, and Pterogorgia anceps) in outdoor aquaria at ambient temperature. The four octocoral species exhibited similar photochemical efficiencies despite significant differences in Symbiodinium density, chlorophyll a per cell, light absorption by chlorophyll a, and rates of photosynthetic oxygen evolution. Differences in photosynthetic performance between octocoral …

Bacon's Swamp- Ghost Of A Central Indiana Natural Area Past, Rebecca W. Dolan

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Bacon’s Swamp was identified in the 1920s as a ca. 12 ha glacial kettle lake bog system at the southernmost limits of these habitats in Indiana. Located just 9.6 km from the center of Indianapolis, the site was all but destroyed in the mid-20th century by urban expansion. Prior to habitat conversion at the site, Bacon’s Swamp was a frequent location for Butler University ecology class field trips and student research projects. Herbarium specimens and published inventory records allow for analysis of the historical vegetation of Bacon’s Swamp using modern techniques. Floristic Quality Assessment applied to these historical records reveals …

Progress Towards A Molecular Phylogeny Of Tachinidae, Year Two, Isaac S. Winkler, John O. Stireman Iii, John K. Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Jeremy D. Blaschke

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We reported last year (Stireman et al. 2013) in The Tachinid Times on our collaborative project, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, to study the phylogeny of Tachinidae on a worldwide scale. Since that report, we have made some significant progress towards our goal of assembling a robust phylogenetic tree for Tachinidae. Notably, Cerretti et al. (in press) completed a phylogenetic study using 135 morphological characters from 180 tachinid genera. Results from this study largely reflect, with some interesting exceptions, what we are finding from preliminary analyses of our molecular data. Although sampling of taxa and genes for the …

Nocturnal Homing In The Tropical Amblypygid Phrynus Pseudoparvulus (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi), Eileen Hebets, E.J. Gering, Verner P. Bingman, Daniel D. Wiegmann

Eileen Hebets Publications

Arthropods are renowned for their navigational capabilities, with numerous examples known from insects and crustaceans. Early studies of amblypygids (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi) also suggest complex nocturnal navigation, despite their apparent lack of visual adaptations to the low-light conditions of a tropical understory. In a series of two studies, we use the tropical amblypygid, Phrynus pseudoparvulus, to assess their nocturnal homing ability. Our first experiment displaced and tracked resident and nonresident individuals. Resident individuals, displaced up to 4.5 m from their home refuges and released onto their home tree, were more likely to return to their previously occupied refuge than …

Variation In The Local Population Dynamics Of The Short-Lived Opuntia Macrorhiza (Cactaceae), Chirakkal V. Haridas, Kathleen H. Keeler, Brigitte Tenhumberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Spatio-temporal variation in demographic rates can have profound effects for population persistence, especially for dispersal-limited species living in fragmented landscapes. Long-term studies of plants in such habitats help with understanding the impacts of fragmentation on population persistence but such studies are rare. In this work we reanalyzed demographic data from seven years of the short-lived cactus Opuntia macrorhiza var. macrorhiza at five plots in Boulder, Colorado. Previous work combining data from all years and all plots predicted a stable population (deterministic log λ ≈ 0). This approach assumed that all five plots were part of a single population. Since the …

Effects Of Virus On Plant Fecundity And Population Dynamics, Holly R. Prendeville, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Diana Pilson

Brigitte Tenhumberg Papers

Microorganisms are ubiquitous and thought to regulate host populations. Although microorganisms can be pathogenic and affect components of fitness, few studies have examined their effects on wild plant populations. As individual traits might not contribute equally to changes in population growth rate, it is essential to examine the entire life cycle to determine how microorganisms affect host population dynamics. In this study, we used data from common garden experiments with plants from three Cucurbita pepo populations exposed to three virus treatments. These data were used to parameterize a deterministic matrix model, which allowed us to estimate the effect of virus …

The Complete Plastid Genome Sequence Of Iris Gatesii (Section Oncocyclus), A Bearded Species From Southeastern Turkey, Carol A. Wilson

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Iris gatesii is a rare bearded species in subgenus Iris section Oncocyclus that occurs in steppe communities of southeastern Turkey. This species is not commonly cultivated, but related species in section Iris are economically important horticultural plants. The complete plastid genome is reported for I. gatesii based on data generated using the Illumina HiSeq platform and is compared to genomes of 16 species selected from across the monocotyledons. This Iris genome is the only known plastid genome available for order Asparagales that is not from Orchidaceae. The I. gatesii plastid genome, unlike orchid genomes, has little gene loss and rearrangement …