Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Influence Of Structural Disturbance On Stream Function And Macroinvertebrate Communities In Upper Coastal Plain Headwater Streams, Richard Andrew Biemiller

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Freshwater is a resource under threat due to anthropogenic actions. Stream restoration is a common method for mitigating disturbance. Inconsistent methodologies used for evaluating restorations have drawn criticism. Limited use of baseline data for guiding stream restoration activities is of particular concern. This study was developed to elucidate metrics that differentiate reference and disturbed sites in Upper Coastal Plain streams. This information could improve resource use and successes of restorations. Structural and functional variables were examined in 10 reference and 10 streams that meet the traditional definition of disturbance and would be restoration priorities. Disturbed streams were classified into two …

From Museum Cases To The Classroom: Emerging Opportunities For Specimen-Based Education, Joseph Cook, Eileen Lacey, Steffi Ickert-Bond, Eric Hoberg, Kurt Galbreath, Kayce Bell, Stephen Greiman, Bryan Mclean, Scott Edwards

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Network Governance For Large‐Scale Natural Resource Conservation And The Challenge Of Capture, R. P. Bixler, D. M. Wald, L. A. Ogden, K. M. Leong, Michele Romolini

Center for Urban Resilience Scholarship

Large‐scale natural resource conservation initiatives are increasingly adopting a network governance framework to respond to the ecological, social, and political challenges of contemporary environmental governance. A network approach offers new modes of management that allow resource managers and others to transcend a single institution, organization, resource, or landscape and engage in conservation that is multi‐species and multi‐jurisdictional. However, there are challenges to network governance in large‐scale conservation efforts, which we address by focusing on how special interests can capture networks and shape the goals, objectives, and outcomes of initiatives. The term “network capture” is used here to describe an array …

Characteristics Of Sandhill Crane Roosts In The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta Of California, Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, Joseph P. Fleskes

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) region of California is an important wintering region for 2 subspecies of Pacific Flyway sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis): the Central Valley Population of the greater sandhill crane (G. c. tabida) and the Pacific Flyway Population of the lesser sandhill crane (G. c. canadensis). During the winters of 2007-08 and 2008-09 we conducted roost counts, roadside surveys, aerial surveys, and tracked radio-marked birds to locate and assess important habitats for roosting cranes in the Delta. Of the 69 crane night roosts we identified, 35 were flooded cropland sites and 34 were wetland sites. We found that …

Ten-Year Status Of The Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane Reintroduction, Richard P. Urbanek, Sara E. Zimorski, Eva K. Szyskoski, Marianne M. Wellington

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

From 2001 to 2010, 132 costume-reared juvenile whooping cranes (Grus americana) were led by ultralight aircraft from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in central Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast of Florida on their first autumn migration (ultralight-led or UL), and 46 juveniles were released directly on Necedah NWR during autumn of the hatch year (direct autumn release or DAR). Return rate in spring was 90.5% for UL and 69.2% for DAR, the lower value of the latter attributable to 1 cohort with migration problems. Overall population survival 1 year and from 1 to 3 years post-release was 81% and 84%, …

Observations Of Molt In Reintroduced Whooping Cranes, Anne Lacy, Dan Mcelwee

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana, WHCR) complete a full flightless molt of primary flight feathers every 2-3 years. The flightless period may represent an important component of the annual cycle; however, molt patterns in WHCR are poorly understood. WHCR undergo a flightless period following ecdysis (feather loss) making them more vulnerable to predation threats, and likely changing their habitat selection from open wetlands to areas with a higher concentration of cover. Studies of molt in wild birds can then be compared to associated habitat needs at that critical time and inform the selection of future release sites elsewhere.

selection of future …

Chromic And Iron Oxides As Fecal Markers To Identify Individual Whooping Cranes, Megan E. Brown, Robert C. Doyle, Jane N. Chandler, Glenn H. Olsen, John B. French Jr., David E. Wildt, Sarah J. Converse, Carol L. Keefer, Nucharin Songsasen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The whooping crane (Grus americana) is listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List, the United States Endangered Species Act, and the Canadian Species at Risk Act (BirdLife International 2012, CWS and USFWS 2007). A major focus of recovery efforts for this endangered species is reintroduction to establish new populations (CWS and USFWS 2007). Captive populations are critical as a source of individuals for reintroduction efforts and also serve as insurance populations. Currently, there are a total of 157 whooping cranes held in captive breeding centers across North America, with the largest at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) …

Sandhill Crane Collisions With Wind Turbines In Texas, Laura Navarrete, Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The High Plains of the United States have been experiencing a large increase in wind energy generation sites with the American Wind Energy Association reporting an increase across America from 10 total installed gigawatts in 2006 to 60 total installed gigawatts in 2012. (American Wind Energy Association 2012). The High Plains also coincides with the Central Flyway in North America which is used by numerous bird species during migration, some with large bodies and high wing loading including the sandhill cranes (Grus canandensis), whooping cranes (G. americana), and waterfowl. Species such as these tend to be more vulnerable to mortality …

Proceedings Of The Thirteenth North American Crane Workshop Frontmatter, David A. Aborn, Richard Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

List of previous Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshops

Suggested citation formats

PREFACE: The North American Crane Working Group (NACWG) is an organization of professional biologists, aviculturists, land managers, non-professional crane enthusiasts, and others interested in and dedicated to the conservation of cranes and crane habitats in North America. Our group meets approximately every 3 years to exchange information pertaining to sandhill cranes and whooping cranes and occasionally reports about some of the other cranes species. Our meeting in Lafayette, Louisiana, 14-17 April 2014, celebrated the return of whooping cranes to Louisiana for the first time in 60 years. …

Winter And Migratory Habitat Use Of Six Eastern Greater Sandhill Cranes, Hillary L. Thompson, Anne E. Lacy

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To better understand non-breeding ecology of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida), we harnessed 6 satellite GPS transmitters to adult cranes from 1 central Wisconsin breeding area. Using location data from these transmitters, we investigated non-breeding movements, including the routes and timing of migration. By combining satellite GPS data with a national land cover dataset, we also described habitat use on stopovers and wintering areas. Sandhill cranes tended to use larger home ranges on long stopovers (>3 days) than on short stopovers (3 days or less). The durations of northward migrations were longer and had more stopovers than …

The Utility Of Census Or Survey For Monitoring Whooping Cranes In Winter, Bruce H. Pugesek, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We discuss recent changes in the monitoring program for endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) on their winter habitat in Texas. A 61-year annual census was replaced in the winter of 2011-2012 with a distance sampling procedure. Justification for the change was, in part, based on criticism of the previous methods of counting cranes and the assessment of crane mortality on the wintering grounds. We argue here that the arguments, methods, and analyses employed to discount the census procedure and mortality estimates were applied incorrectly or with flawed logic and assertions. We provide analysis and logical arguments to show …

Protocol And Results From The First Season Of Captive-Rearing Whooping Cranes For A Non-Migratory Release In Louisiana, Glenn H. Olsen, Jane N. Chandler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The principal historic range of the whooping crane (Grus americana) consisted of the tall grass prairies and wetlands of southwest Louisiana, Texas, and parts of Mexico (Allen 1952). Whooping cranes migrated there from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Dakotas, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and breeding grounds of the remnant flock in and near Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada.

Habitat Selection By Breeding Sandhill Cranes In Central Wisconsin, Tamara P. Miller, Jeb A. Barzen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We used compositional analysis to describe habitat use for a dense population of breeding sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) in central Wisconsin at 2 spatial scales: selection of home range within a study area and selection of habitats within the home range. Habitat use and home range size were estimated from radio-telemetry data from 12 breeding sandhill crane pairs. Research in Wisconsin that was performed on the landscape level suggests that breeding cranes depend on wetlands and do not select upland habitats. Evaluating habitat selection at different spatial levels, such as during different stages of the breeding season, …

Historic And Recent Winter Sandhill Crane Distribution In California, Gary L. Ivey, Caroline P. Herziger, David A. Hardt, Gregory H. Golet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Understanding the geographic distribution and long-term dynamics of winter foraging areas and night roost sites of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) is important to their conservation and management. We studied sandhill crane distribution in California’s Central Valley from December 2012 through February 2013. We mapped observed flock and night roost locations. Flock locations occurred between Tehama County in the north and Kern County in the south. Flocks were concentrated in the northern Sacramento Valley, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the northern San Joaquin Valley south of Tracy to Mendota (including the lower Stanislaus and Tuolumne River floodplains and the Grasslands …

A Review Of Fall Sandhill Crane Migration Through Indiana, Allisyn-Marie T. Y. Gillet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife conducts surveys from October to December to collect long-term data on greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida). Results from these censuses contribute to a fall index of the Eastern Population, which informs wildlife management decisions and research priorities. Recent findings from the annual U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fall Sandhill Crane Migration Survey demonstrate a decline in the number of cranes observed at fall staging areas throughout Indiana since 1979. However, nationwide data exhibit a trend of population increase. I provide evidence to show that the apparent decline in the …

A Guide To The Freshwater Mussels Of Nebraska, Steven C. Schainost

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

This print-ready pdf includes information on the anatomy, life history, identification of and threats to Nebraska's freshwater mussels. Species accounts include maps and photos.

Addendum To Encomia And Reflections, Clyde Jones (1935-2015): Encomium, Robert J. Baker, Carleton J. Phillips, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

This is the authors' collective attempt to provide an encomium (an honest song of praise) for Clyde Jones. After some urging from the editors of this volume, the authors conspired to share some memories of Clyde.

Editors’ note: Due to various factors, this encomium was submitted too late to be included in the published memorial volume. However, in consideration of the relationship of the authors to Clyde Jones, we agreed to make this encomium available via electronic format as a supplement to the printed volume.

Cattle Grazing Effects On Phragmites Australis In Nebraska, Jerry D. Volesky, Stephen L. Young, Karla H. Jenkins Pas

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Phragmites australis (common reed) is one of the most widely distributed flowering plants in North America. The introduced lineage occurs in wetland and riparian areas covering a range of climatic types. In Nebraska, an abundance of livestock could help to reduce P. australis with proper timing and grazing intensities. In 2011, a 3-yr study was initiated to evaluate targeted cattle grazing and herbicide effects and the nutritive value of this species. Treatments included a single application of imazapyr (Habitatt, BASF Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC) herbicide applied in the first year, grazing, and a control. Grazing was applied for up …

Competitive Effects Of Increased Plant Species Richness And Increased Endemic Versus Native Generalist Species Dominance On The Invasive Grass Microstegium Vimineum During Oak Woodland Restoration, Sean Anthony Moyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The hypothesis that species-rich assemblages are resistant to invasion by non-native species has generated considerable research and controversy. However, the relevance of such research to the conservation of biodiversity is questionable, given that local species richness often does not correlate with regional or global species richness, two metrics undoubtedly important to conservation. Furthermore, species of greater conservation interest (i.e. endemics) and widespread generalist species may compete differentially with non-native invasive species. To test whether plant species richness or species fidelity to a regionally rare habitat were more important in competitively suppressing an invasive species, I established a field competition experiment …

Community Ecology Of Soil Microbes In Southeast Usa Oak-Pine Woodlands, Ann L. Rasmussen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil microbial communities can have important effects on plant growth and plant community ecology; however, the relationships between trees and soil microbial communities are still relatively poorly understood. Here i examine several of these relationships. Chapter 1 examines how ecological restoration and environmental conditions affect the community composition and enzyme activities of Ectomycorrhizal fungi (emf). Chapter 2 considers whether host specificity in emf structures taxa occurrence on oaks and pines, and chapter 3 investigates how ash addition affects oak seedling growth and the soil bacterial community. I found that while wildfire lowered emf diversity, prescribed burning did not. Ectomycorrhizal root …

Genetic And Temporal Variation In Resource Exchange Between An Ectomycorrhizal Fungus, Rhizopogon Occidentalis, And Seedlings Of Pinus Radiata, Mariah Meachum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Various economic theories have been adapted to explain the evolutionary persistence of resource exchange mutualisms such as mycorrhizae. The ratio of resources exchanged is an important variable comto all these models. Measuring resource exchange ratios is the first step in testing the hypotheses predicted by these models and will provide insight into resource dynamics of mutualisms. We examined how the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus resource exchange dynamics between Pinus radiata and an ectomycorrhizal fungus, Rhizopogon occidentalis, varied between native populations of Pinus radiata and over the first 64 weeks of the mycorrhizal mutualism. Using a mycocosm approach, the C:N and …

Cortex Necessary For Pain — But Not In Sense That Matters, Adam J. Shriver

Animal Sentience

Certain cortical regions are necessary for pain in humans in the sense that, at particular times, they play a direct role in pain. However, it is not true that they are necessary in the more important sense that pain is never possible in humans without them. There are additional details from human lesion studies concerning functional plasticity that undermine Key’s (2016) interpretation. Moreover, no one has yet identified any specific behaviors that mammalian cortical pain regions make possible that are absent in fish.

Accelerating Tropicalization And The Transformation Of Temperate Seagrass Meadows, Glenn A. Hyndes, Kenneth L. Heck, Jnr, Adriana Verges, Euan S. Harvey, Gary A. Kendrick, Paul Lavery, Kathryn Mcmahon, Robert J. Orth, Alan Pearce, Mathew Vanderklift, Thomas Wernberg, Scott Whiting, Shaun Wilson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Climate-driven changes are altering production and functioning of biotic assemblages in terrestrial and aquatic environments. In temperate coastal waters, rising sea temperatures, warm water anomalies and poleward shifts in the distribution of tropical herbivores have had a detrimental effect on algal forests. We develop generalized scenarios of this form of tropicalization and its potential effects on the structure and functioning of globally significant and threatened seagrass ecosystems, through poleward shifts in tropical seagrasses and herbivores. Initially, we expect tropical herbivorous fishes to establish in temperate seagrass meadows, followed later by megafauna. Tropical seagrasses are likely to establish later, delayed by …

Coastal Connectivity And Spatial Subsidy From A Microbial Perspective, Christin Säwström, Glenn A. Hyndes, Bradley D. Eyre, Megan J. Huggett, Matthew W. Fraser, Paul S. Lavery, Paul G. Thomson, Flavia Tarquinio, P. D. Steinberg, Bonnie Laverock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The transfer of organic material from one coastal environment to another can increase production in recipient habitats in a process known as spatial subsidy. Microorganisms drive the generation, transformation, and uptake of organic material in shallow coastal environments, but their significance in connecting coastal habitats through spatial subsidies has received limited attention. We address this by presenting a conceptual model of coastal connectivity that focuses on the flow of microbially mediated organic material in key coastal habitats. Our model suggests that it is not the difference in generation rates of organic material between coastal habitats but the amount of organic …

Asal Usul Formasi Savana: Tinjauan Dari Nusa Tenggara Timur Dan Hasil Penelitian Di Baluran Jawa Timur [Origin Of Savanna Formation: Literature Review From East Nusa Tenggara And Research Results From Baluran East Java Indonesia], Sutomo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Savannas are ecosystems mostly confined to tropical and subtropical regions that are characterized by a continuous cover of C₄ grasses that have different characteristics based on seasonality and where woody plants are also an important feature, but with sparse cover and no closed canopy. This is common formation in the driest part of Indonesia such as East Nusa Tenggara, however savana can also be found in Java Island: Baluran Savanna in East Java. There has been considerable amount of debat among scientists, botanists in Indonesia regarding the origin of Indonesian savanna. Using literature study and also field observation at …

Evolutionary Ecotoxicology Of Salinity Tolerance In Daphnia Pulex: Interactive Effects Of Clonal Variation, Salinity Stress, And Predation, Xinwu Liu

Wayne State University Theses

Evolutionary ecotoxicology addresses effects of toxic chemicals in an ecological context and considers the potential evolutionary responses of organisms following exposure to toxins. Despite decades of research, the effects of salinity stress in freshwater systems, partly from road salt pollution, on a keystone species, Daphnia pulex, in its interaction with predators have received very limited attention. In this study, I quantified D. pulex clonal variation in response to salinity stress and the lethal and non-lethal effects of Chaoborus (a dominant planktivore in fishless ponds). Behavioral, morphological, and life history responses of two D. pulex clones, known to differ in salinity …

An Analysis Of Blue Ash (Fraxinus Quadrangulata) Regeneration In Southeastern Michigan In The Presence Of Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis), Benjamin Adam Spei

Wayne State University Theses

Abstract

AN ANALYSIS OF BLUE ASH (FRAXINUS QUADRANGULATA) REGENERATION IN SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN IN THE PRESENCE OF EMERALD ASH BORER (AGRILUS PLANIPENNIS)

by

BENJAMIN A. SPEI

May 2016

Advisor: Dr. Daniel M. Kashian

Major: Biological Sciences

Degree: Master of Science

Since the introduction of the invasive bark beetle emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) to southeastern Michigan, most native ash species (Fraxinus spp.) such as white ash (F. Americana), black ash (F. nigra), and green ash (F. pensylvanica) have suffered mortality rates exceeding 99% after infestation. This has led to the loss of seed sources resulting in a …

Comparative Phylogeography Of Ethiopian Anurans: Impact Of The Great Rift Valley And Pleistocene Climate Change, Xenia Freilich, Jose D. Anadon, Jolanta Bukala, Ordaliza Calderon, Ronveer Chakraborty, Stephanie Boissinot

Publications and Research

Background: The Ethiopian highlands are a biodiversity hotspot, split by the Great Rift Valley into two distinct systems of plateaus and mountains. The Rift Valley is currently hot and dry and acts as a barrier to gene flow for highland-adapted species. It is however unlikely that the conditions in the Rift were inhospitable to highland species during the entire Pleistocene. To assess the significance of the Ethiopian Rift as a biogeographic barrier as well as the impact Pleistocene climatic changes have had on the evolution of Ethiopian organisms, we performed phylogeographic analyses and developed present and past niche models on …

Effects Of Turbidity On The Vision And Behavior Of Longear Sunfish, Lindsey Denea Caudle

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fish are known to use vision in many essential behaviors, including foraging, intraspecific communication and predator avoidance. Turbidity is one of the many environmental factors potentially affecting vision quality. I examined the behavior of interacting conspecific fish in varying levels of turbidity to determine how this environmental variable affects vision and behavior. Experiments were designed to observe how longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, reacted to visual cues - in this case a conspecific fish in a glass jar - in the presence or absence of turbidity. My hypothesis is that sunfish will display territorial behavior when introduced to another fish …

Tachinid Collecting In Temperate South America. Expeditions Of The Phylogeny Of World Tachinide Project. Part Iii. Chile, John O. Stireman Iii, James E. O'Hara, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Diego J. Inclán

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

As readers of this newsletter are likely familiar, we and our collaborators have been working for the past several years on a family-wide phylogeny of the Tachinidae of the world (see Stireman et al. 2013, Winkler et al. 2014). We have already published a morphological analysis of tachinid phylogenetics (Cerretti et al. 2014), as well as an initial molecular phylogenetic framework for the family (Winkler et al. 2015). An in-depth molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Phasiinae led by Jeremy Blaschke (originally at University of Tennessee and now at Union University, TN) and Kevin Moulton (U. of Tenn.) is currently being …