Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Wild Pig Removal Reduces Pathogenic Bacteria In Low-Order Streams, Sara A. Bolds, B. Graeme Lockaby, Latif Kalin, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Mark D. Smith, Kurt Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive wild pig populations have undergone enormous increases in the United States and particularly across the southern U.S. in recent years. High fecundity rates and abilities to adapt quickly to varied habitats have enabled pig populations to become entrenched and difficult to eliminate. The pigs cause many negative impacts on ecosystems including degradation of water quality through infusion of fecal contamination and other non-point source pollutants. Our goal was to determine the effects of pig removal on water quality in streams that were known to be significantly polluted by pig activity Bolds (J Environ Qual 50: 441–453, 2021). We compared …

Relationship Between Reproductive Hormones And Migration Distance In A Polygynous Songbird, The Red‑Winged Blackbird (Agelaius Phoeniceus), Michelle A. Eshleman, Page E. Klug, Esther Morales‑Vega, Björn Wissel, Timothy J. Grelves

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many bird species migrate to southern overwintering locations to avoid harsh conditions at their breeding grounds, but at the cost of an energetically demanding migration that may delay their spring reproductive development. Previous work on the relationship between migration distance and reproductive readiness has primarily focused on early season baseline testosterone in both males and females. However, for females, testosterone alone may not be the appropriate measurement of reproductive development. Estradiol, a metabolite of testosterone that is essential for breeding behaviors and reproduction, should also be measured. Furthermore, baseline testosterone varies throughout the day and may change due to social …

A Model For Leveraging Animal Movement To Understand Spatio-Temporal Disease Dynamics, Mark Q. Wilber, Anni Yang, Raoul Boughton, Kezia R. Manlove, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin, George Wittemyer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The ongoing explosion of fine-resolution movement data in animal systems provides a unique opportunity to empirically quantify spatial, temporal and individual variation in transmission risk and improve our ability to forecast disease outbreaks. However, we lack a generalizable model that can leverage movement data to quantify transmission risk and how it affects pathogen invasion and persistence on heterogeneous landscapes. We developed a flexible model ‘Movement-driven modelling of spatio-temporal infection risk’ (MoveSTIR) that leverages diverse data on animal movement to derive metrics of direct and indirect contact by decomposing transmission into constituent processes of contact formation and duration and pathogen deposition …

Accounting For Animal Movement Improves Vaccination Strategies Against Wildlife Disease In Heterogeneous Landscapes, Katherine M. Mcclure, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Amy J. Davis, Carolyn A. Stengel, Kathleen M. Nelson, Richard B. Chipman, George Wittemyer, Zaid Abdo, Amy Gilbert, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Oral baiting is used to deliver vaccines to wildlife to prevent, control, and eliminate infectious diseases. A central challenge is how to spatially distribute baits to maximize encounters by target animal populations, particularly in urban and suburban areas where wildlife such as raccoons (Procyon lotor) are abundant and baits are delivered along roads. Methods from movement ecology that quantify movement and habitat selection could help to optimize baiting strategies by more effectively targeting wildlife populations across space. We developed a spatially explicit, individual-based model of raccoon movement and oral rabies vaccine seroconversion to examine whether and when baiting …

Concentration-Response Of An Anthraquinone-Based Repellent For Raccoons (Procyon Lotor), Shylo Johnson, Shelagh T. Deliberto, Kathleen Urchek, Amy T. Gilbert, Scott J. Werner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife repellents can be part of non-lethal management strategies to reduce the negative impacts of wildlife to property, agricultural production, and human health and safety. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are associated with negative impacts in all three of these areas. Anthraquinone is a useful avian repellent and its utility as a mammalian repellent is still being explored. Our objective was to evaluate laboratory efficacy of an anthraquinone-based repellent for raccoons using different concentrations. We fed captive raccoons whole corn treated at 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% anthraquinone and examined their behavioral response related to feeding repellency including consumption and change in …

Using Noninvasive Genetics For Estimating Density And Assessing Diet Of Urban And Rural Coyotes In Florida, Usa, Bryan M. Kluever, Martin B. Main, Stewart W. Breck, Robert C. Lonsinger, John H. Humphrey, Justin W. Fischer, Michael P. Milleson Usda Aphis Wildlife Services, Gainesville, Antionette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are expanding their range and due to conflicts with the public and concerns of Coyotes affecting natural resources such as game or sensitive species, there is interest and often a demand to monitor Coyote populations. A challenge to monitoring is that traditional invasive methods involving live-capture of individual animals are costly and can be controversial. Natural resource management agencies can benefit from contemporary noninvasive genetic sampling approaches aimed at determining key aspects of Coyote ecology (e.g., population density and food habits). However, the efficacy of such approaches under different environmental conditions is poorly understood. Our …

Spatial Risk Modeling Of Cattle Depredation By Black Vultures In The Midwestern United States, Brandon M. Quinby, Bryan M. Kluever, Grant N. Burcham, Lee Humberg, Landon R. Jones, Marian L. Wahl, Patrick A. Zollner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

ock operations through depredation of stock are a cause of human‐wildlife conflict. Management of such conflict requires identifying environmental and non‐environmental factors specific to a wildlife species' biology and ecology that influence the potential for livestock depredation to occur. Identification of such factors can improve understanding of the conditions placing livestock at risk. Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) have expanded their historical range northward into the midwestern United States. Concomitantly, an increase in concern among agricultural producers regarding potential black vulture attacks on livestock has occurred. We estimated area with greater or lesser potential for depredation of domestic cattle by black …

Invasive Predators Affect Community-Wide Pollinator Visitation, Christina T. Liang, Aaron B. Shiels, William P. Haines, Manette E. Sandor, Clare E. Aslan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Disruption of plant–pollinator interactions by invasive predators is poorly understood but may pose a critical threat for native ecosystems. In a multiyear field experiment in Hawai’i, we suppressed abundances of globally invasive predators and then observed insect visitation to flowers of six native plant species. Three plant species are federally endangered (Haplostachys haplostachya, Silene lanceolata, Tetramolopium arenarium) and three are common throughout their range (Bidens menziesii, Dubautia linearis, Sida fallax). Insect visitors were primarily generalist pollinators, including taxa that occur worldwide such as solitary bees (e.g., Lasioglossum impavidum), social bees (e.g., …

Rodents In Agriculture: A Broad Perspective, Gary Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The largest taxonomic group of mammals is rodents, with over 2200 species known around the world [1]. More recently, it was stated that over 2500 species exist [2]. Many species exist on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. Rodents have adapted to all ecosystems of the world, including tundra, alpine, temperate forests, grasslands, arid regions, and aquatic systems. They provide many ecosystem functions, including soil aeration and mixing, seed and spore dispersal, vegetation succession, and being an important food source for predatory animals. Some species of rodents are even consumed by people in some parts of the world. Most …

Transmission Of Antibiotic Resistance At The Wildlife-Livestock Interface, Shinyoung Lee, Peixin Fan, Ting Liu, Anni Yang, Raoul K. Boughton, Kim M. Pepin, Ryan S. Miller, Kwangcheol Casey Jeong

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms (ARMs) are widespread in natural environments, animals (wildlife and livestock), and humans, which has reduced our capacity to control life threatening infectious disease. Yet, little is known about their transmission pathways, especially at the wildlife-livestock interface. This study investigated the potential transmission of ARMs and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) between cattle and wildlife by comparing gut microbiota and ARG profiles of feral swine (Sus scrofa), coyotes (Canis latrans), cattle (Bos taurus), and environmental microbiota. Unexpectedly, wild animals harbored more abundant ARMs and ARGs compared to grazing cattle. Gut microbiota of cattle was …

Economic Damages Of Wild Pigs In Non-Traditional Areas: From The Fairway To The After Life, Sophie Mckee, Julie Elser, Maryfrances Miller, Lirong Liu, Ryan Miller, Steven S. Shwiff, Stephanie A. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive wild pigs are widely known to cause damage to agricultural properties and commodities, but less has been reported about damages to other types of property. A survey was distributed to golf courses and cemeteries across Texas to explore the extent of damage these properties experience. While both property types reported significant damages, golf courses were found to experience more damage than cemeteries. Using average reported costs and predicted county-level damage, total costs for all golf courses and cemeteries across the state were estimated to exceed $1.6 million USD per year.

Sars-Cov-2 In Wildlife: Q & A With Alan B. Franklin, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Welcome Dr Franklin and thank you for joining us to help social workers increase their knowledge about the interconnectedness of humans, other mammals, and the environment. Let's begin with zoonosis.

Viruses can be transferred from wild and domestic animals to humans in a process called zoonosis.

Strength In Numbers: Avian Influenza A Virus Transmission To Poultry From A Flocking Passerine, J. Jeffrey Root, Jeremy W. Ellis, Susan A. Shriner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The effects of flock size of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) was experimentally manipulated to assess the potential of influenza A virus (IAV; H4N6) transmission from a flocking passerine to bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) through shared food and water resources to mimic starling intrusions into free-range and backyard poultry operations. Of the three starling flock sizes tested (n = 30, n = 20 and n = 10), all successfully transmitted the virus to all or most of the quail in each animal room (6/6, 6/6 and 5/6) by the end of the experimental period, as determined by seroconversion and/or viral RNAshedding. …

Predicting Consistent Foraging Ecologies Of Migrating Waterbirds: Using Stable Isotope And Parasite Measurements As Indicators Of Landscape Use, Kate L. Sheehan, Brian S. Dorr, Stephen A. Clements, Terrel W. Christie, Katie Hanson-Dorr, Scott A. Rush, J. Brian Davis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The emergence of novel human pathogens is frequently linked with zoonotic events and human-wildlife interactions that promote disease transmission. Consequently, surveillance of wildlife populations for candidate diseases that could spread to humans is beneficial, but requires widespread collections of numerous samples. A legitimate means to acquire large sample sizes of waterfowl is through cooperation between researchers and hunters, who also work in concert with natural resource managers, landowners, and agricultural entities -e.g., aquaculture facilities. In addition to understanding the occurrence and spread of parasites and pathogens by birds, these samples can be used to answer questions about the ecology of …

Social Learning Of Avoidance Behaviors: Trap Aversion In Captive Coyotes, Julie Young, Jeffrey T. Schultz, Buck Jolley, Nekol Basili, John P. Draper

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Social learning can help animals gain knowledge rapidly and may enhance survival. In species that are subjected to capture in foothold traps and then lethally removed, such as the coyote (Canis latrans), learning to avoid traps is critical to survival. Here, we tested social learning of trap avoidance behavior in three experimental scenarios with captive coyotes. In the first experiment, coyotes observed an unfamiliar coyote get captured in a foothold trap (i.e., demonstrator) or did not observe a demonstrator and were therefore naïve to traps. The coyotes that observed a demonstrator showed similar latencies to approach the trap …

Integrating Data Types To Estimate Spatial Patterns Of Avian Migration Across The Western Hemisphere, Timothy D. Meehan, Sarah P. Saunders, William V. Deluca, Nicole L. Michel, Joanna Grand, Jill L. Deppe, Miguel F. Jimenez, Erika J. Knight, Nathaniel E. Seavy, Melanie A. Smith, Lotem Taylor, Chad Witko, Michael E. Akresh, David R. Barber, Erin M. Bayne, James C. Beasley, Jerrold L. Belant, Richard O. Bierregaard, Keith L. Bildstein, Than J. Boves, John N. Brzorad, Steven P. Campbell, Antonio Celis-Murillo, Hilary A. Cooke, Robert Domenech, Laurie Goodrich, Elizabeth A. Gow, Aaron Haines, Michael T. Hallworth, Jason M. Hill, Amanda E. Holland, Scott Jennings, Roland Kays, Tommy King, Stuart A. Mackenzie, Peter P. Marra, Rebecca A. Mccabe, Kent P. Mcfarland, Michael J. Mcgrady, Ron Melcer, D. Ryan Norris, Russell E. Norvell, Olin E. Rhodes, Christopher C. Rimmer, Amy L. Scarpignato, Adam Shreading, Jesse L. Watson, Chad R. Wilsey

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

For many avian species, spatial migration patterns remain largely undescribed, especially across hemispheric extents. Recent advancements in tracking technologies and high-resolution species distribution models (i.e., eBird Status and Trends products) provide new insights into migratory bird movements and offer a promising opportunity for integrating independent data sources to describe avian migration. Here, we present a three-stage modeling framework for estimating spatial patterns of avian migration. First, we integrate tracking and band re-encounter data to quantify migratory connectivity, defined as the relative proportions of individuals migrating between breeding and nonbreeding regions. Next, we use estimated connectivity proportions along with eBird occurrence …

Summer Habitat Use And Movements Of Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) In Canadian Agro-Ecosystems, Corey J. Kramer, Melanie R. Boudreau, Ryan S. Miller, Ryan Powers, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Ryan K. Brook

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Resource selection informs understanding of a species’ ecology and is especially pertinent for invasive species. Since introduced to Canada, wild pigs (Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1978) remain understudied despite recognized negative impacts on native and agricultural systems globally. Elsewhere in North America, pigs typically use forests and forage in agricultural crops. We hypothesized Canadian wild pigs would behave similarly, and using GPS locations from 15 individuals, we examined diel and seasonal resource selection and movement in the Canadian prairie region. Forests were predominately selected during the day, while corn (Zea mays L.), oilseeds, and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) …

Ontario’S Double-Crested Cormorant Hunting Season May Be Ineffective But That Doesn’T Mean There Are No Conflict Issues, Brian S. Dorr, David G. Fielder, James R. Jackson, James F. Farquhar, Douglas W. Schultz, Randall M. Claramunt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Managing Roof Rats In Citrus Orchards: Initial Efforts Toward Building An Integrated Pest Management Program, Roger A. Baldwin, Justine A. Smith, Ryan Meinerz, Aaron B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Roof rats cause extensive damage in orchards throughout the world. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems are the best option for managing rodents, yet few management systems have been developed and tested to control roof rats in agricultural settings. We initiated a study in 2020 to provide the foundation for an IPM program to manage roof rats in California citrus orchards. Our initial efforts centered on developing effective monitoring strategies for roof rats to determine when management actions are needed, assessing rat movement patterns to determine proper placement of management tools, and conducting initial tests of Goodnature A24 self-resetting traps and …

Development Of A Novel Vertebrate Pesticide For The Invasive Small Indian Mongoose, Carmen Antaky, Steven C. Hess, Israel Leinbach, Robert T. T. Sugihara, Emily W. Ruell, Shane Siers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Small Indian mongooses are detrimental introduced predators in the United States, where they depredate native species, serve as vector of disease, and threaten public safety. Due to the risk of accidental introduction to mongoose-free islands, high cost and limitations to trapping, and no national (Section 3) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered toxicants for mongoose control, there is a need for an efficacious toxic bait for mongooses for use in conservation areas and at points of entry in the United States. Over the last five years, the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) worked to develop a toxic bait for mongooses for registration …

Abert’S Squirrel Management In Support Of Endangered Mount Graham Red Squirrel Recovery In Arizona, Aaron R. Morehead, Christopher Carillo, Holly Hicks, Wade Sanders, David L. Bergman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Recovery of the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel (MGRS) will likely be long and challenging. Its limited habitat, isolation to Pinaleño Mountain range, and demographic characteristics restrict its ability to rebound quickly from threats that impact both the squirrel and its habitat. Currently, threats to the MGRS include habitat degradation and loss through high-severity wildfire, fire suppression activities, insect outbreaks, climate change, and human development, and predation, as well as competition with Abert’s squirrels. The most recent wildfire in 2017 impacted over 48,000 acres of already reduced habitat. A critical first step is to protect and manage the remaining population …

Migratory Movements And Home Ranges Of Geographically Distinct Wintering Populations Of A Soaring Bird, Ryo Ogawa, J. Brian Davis, D. Tommy King, L. Wes Burger, Bronson K. Strickland, Marsha A. Sovada, Guiming Wang, Fred L. Cunningham

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Migratory soaring birds exhibit spatiotemporal variation in their circannual movements. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain how different winter environments affect the circannual movement patterns of migratory soaring birds. Here, we investigated annual movement strategies of American white pelicans Pelecanus erythrorhynchos (hereafter, pelican) from two geographically distinct wintering grounds in the Southern and Northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM).We hypothesized that hourly movement distance and home range size of a soaring bird would differ between different geographic regions because of different thermals and wind conditions and resource availability. We calculated average and maximum hourly movement distances and seasonal home ranges of GPS-tracking pelicans. …

Susceptibility Of Wild Canids To Sars-Cov-2, Stephanie M. Porter, Aim E. Hartwig, Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We assessed 2 wild canid species, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and coyotes (Canis latrans), for susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. After experimental inoculation, red foxes became infected and shed infectious virus. Conversely, experimentally challenged coyotes did not become infected; therefore, coyotes are unlikely to be competent hosts for SARS-CoV-2.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple instances of natural infections with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in pet dogs, likely after exposure to an infected human (1–3). Domestic dogs appear to be minimally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, as indicated by experimental inoculations resulting in reverse transcription PCR–positive samples and low titer antibody responses but no clinical …

Exploring The Value Of A Global Gene Drive Project Registry, Riley I. Taitingfong, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Cinnamon S. Bloss, Et Al.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Recent calls to establish a global project registry before releasing any gene-drive-modified organisms (GDOs) have suggested a registry could be valuable to coordinate research, collect data to monitor and evaluate potential ecological impacts, and facilitate transparent communication with community stakeholders and the general public. Here, we report the results of a multidisciplinary expert workshop on GDO registries convened on 8–9 December 2020 involving 70 participants from 14 countries. Participants had expertise in gene drive design, conservation and population modeling, social science, stakeholder engagement, governance and regulation, international policy, and vector control; they represented 45 organizations, spanning national and local governmental …

The Evolution Of Quantitative Sensitivity, Margaret A H Bryer, Sarah E. Koopman, Jessica F. Cantlon, Steven T. Piantadosi, Evan L. Maclean, Joseph M. Baker, Michael J. Beran, Sarah M. Jones, Kerry E. Jordan, Salif Mahamane, Andreas Nieder, Bonnie M. Perdue, Friederike Range, Jeffrey R. Stevens, Masaki Tomonaga, Dorottya Ujfalussy, Jennifer Vonk

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

The ability to represent approximate quantities appears to be phylogenetically widespread, but the selective pressures and proximate mechanisms favouring this ability remain unknown. We analysed quantity discrimination data from 672 subjects across 33 bird and mammal species, using a novel Bayesian model that combined phylogenetic regression with a model of number psychophysics and random effect components. This allowed us to combine data from 49 studies and calculate the Weber fraction (a measure of quantity representation precision) for each species. We then examined which cognitive, socioecological and biological factors were related to variance in Weber fraction. We found contributions of phylogeny …

Second Twenty-Five Year Index: Volumes 26–50, 1994–2018, Jane E. Austin

The Prairie Naturalist

The first 50 years of the Prairie Naturalist reside on the shelves of libraries and personal collections. The articles and notes published over those years provide invaluable knowledge about Great Plains biota, communities, conservation, and landscape ecologies. Awareness of the wealth of information in those 50 print volumes has been limited, relying on references from other published papers or the limited number of articles that have been made available online by authors. This index serves as resource for individuals to digitally tap into the information published since 1994. This index, together with the first 25-year index, serves to complement the …

Review Of Loon Lessons: Uncommon Encounters With The Great Northern Diver, By James D. Paruk, Kristin Bianchini

The Prairie Naturalist

Gavia immer Brunnich (Common Loon) is a bird that has captivated bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts, campers, cottagers, and others interested in the natural world for centuries. The loon also features prominently in Native American mythology. For many, the loon symbolizes the wildness of the north, and it is often used as a sentinel of lake health. Indeed, the Common Loon has inspired a wealth of literature, both scientific and popular, describing this species’ ecology, behavior, and fitness in the face of environmental changes. To this literature, Loon Lessons: Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver adds a complete and accurate …

Circling The Drain: The Extinction Crisis And The Future Of Humanity, Rodolfo Dirzo, Gerardo Ceballos, Paul R. Ehrlich

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Humanity has triggered the sixth mass extinction episode since the beginning of the Phanerozoic. The complexity of this extinction crisis is centered on the intersection of two complex adaptive systems: human culture and ecosystem functioning, although the significance of this intersection is not properly appreciated. Human beings are part of biodiversity and elements in a global ecosystem. Civilization, and perhaps even the fate of our species, is utterly dependent on that ecosystem’s proper functioning, which society is increasingly degrading. The crisis seems rooted in three factors. First, relatively few people globally are aware of its existence. Second, most people who …

Fish Communities Respond To Hydrology And Elevation In Restored Western Kentucky Wetlands, Lucas Zuklic

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is designed to restore wetland ecological function and wildlife benefits; however, these projects rarely monitor biological responses. The objectives of our study were to (1) identify environmental factors that were the most important in determining wetland fish community composition, (2) examine the influence of the environment on specific groups of fish (large-river fishes and Kentucky Species of Greatest Conservation Need (KY-SGCN) wetland fishes), and (3) compare fish community composition and diversity in wetlands of different condition (e.g., degraded, restored, and reference). From April 2019 to August 2020, monthly electrofishing surveys were performed in degraded …

Editorial: Fire Regimes In Desert Ecosystems: Drivers, Impacts And Changes, Eddie J. B. Van Etten, Matthew L. Brooks, Aaron C. Greenville, Glenda M. Wardle

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Although not commonly associated with fire, many desert ecosystems across the globe do occasionally burn, and there is evidence that fire incidences are increasing, leading to altered fire regimes in this biome. The increased prevalence of megafires (wildfires > 10,000 ha in size and typically damaging) in most global biomes is linked to climate change, although those occurring in deserts have received far less attention, from both a research and policy perspective, than that of forested ecosystems (Linley et al., 2022). Understanding the drivers of desert fires, from climate to landscape patterns of hydrology and soil, and how these may be …