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In The News, Meredith Purintun, Rosanna M. Vail

Human–Wildlife Interactions

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Quantifying Wildlife Use Of Escape Ramps Along A Fenced Highway, Alex J. Jensen, John D. Perrine, Andrew A. Schaffner, Robert A. Brewster, Anthony J. Giordano, Morgan Robertson, Nancy R. Siepel

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife exclusion fencing can significantly reduce wildlife–vehicle collisions. However, some animals breach the fence and become trapped in the highway corridor, thereby increasing risk of a wildlife–vehicle collision. An emerging solution to this problem is the installation of earthen escape ramps (i.e., jumpouts), which allow trapped animals to escape the highway corridor. Few studies have quantified wildlife use of jumpouts, and none have investigated intraspecific differences in use. We used camera traps to document wildlife use of 4 2m-high jumpouts associated with wildlife exclusion fencing along Highway 101 near San Luis Obispo, California, USA, from 2012 to 2017. We surveyed …

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Efforts In Human–Wildlife Interactions, Rosanna M. Vail

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The managing editor interviews the editor-in-chief about the journal's current efforts and next steps toward increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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Table Of Contents

Human–Wildlife Interactions

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It’S Time For The Next Step, S. Nicole Frey

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the letter from the editor-in-chief of Volume 16, Issue 2.

Re-Storying Grant Creek: A Case Study Of Relational Dynamics On A Degraded Montana Stream, Seamus Rucci Land

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration began in 2021, and after a history of contentious ethical debates, ecological restoration is increasingly portrayed as a viable framework for combating environmental degradation and supporting more healthy and stable social-ecological systems. The proposed ecological restoration of Grant Creek, a degraded stream near Missoula, Montana, offers an opportunity to connect a restoration site to the broader, rapidly growing field of restoration practice. It also allows the opportunity to forward the ‘relational turn’ proposed by many in the sustainability sciences as an ontological and methodological means to move beyond positivist portrayals of social-ecological systems, which …

A Post-Pneumonia Epizootic Evaluation Of The Rapid City, South Dakota Bighorn Sheep Herd, Amanda N. Ensrud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pneumonia is a major factor affecting populations of free-ranging bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) across western North America. Pneumonia can occur in large-scale epizootics, during which greater than half of the population typically dies. After these epizootics, surviving ewes continue to conceive and bear lambs. However, lamb recruitment may remain low due to periodic or annual pneumonia outbreaks causing high lamb mortality rates, sometimes greater than 90%. Our study focused on the Rapid City, South Dakota bighorn sheep (BHS) herd that has recorded pneumonia-induced population decline since 2009. The first objective was to improve lamb health and survival by identifying and …

Post-Fledging Habitat Selection And Movements Of Juvenile Mallards In The Prairie Pothole Region, Cynthia E. Anchor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America provides critical habitat for waterfowl across life stages, but anthropogenic changes to the landscape have negatively impacted habitat quality for waterfowl. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is abundant and socioeconomically valuable in the PPR, as it is a preferred target species of waterfowl hunters. Extensive research has evaluated breeding ecology of mallards in the PPR, but the period between juvenile mallards fledging and migrating has rarely been studied. The post-fledging ecology of juvenile mallards is a vital consideration for comprehensive waterfowl management. Further, juvenile mallards are a significant portion of hunter harvest at …

Invasive Earthworms In The Crown Of The Continent System And Implications For Land Management, Meghan Elizabeth Scott

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The United States contains invasive earthworms originating from Europe and Asia; the majority are European lumbricids. Direct introduction occurs primarily through human activity and, once established, earthworm populations are difficult to address. When exotic earthworms engage in bioturbation, they negatively alter subterranean food webs and nutrient cycling by disrupting soil layering systems. The most prominent form of physical alteration is the change and removal of the topmost organic layer. This disruption is associated with altered nitrogen and carbon cycling, as well as altered forest floor plant communities.

The Crown of the Continent ecosystem is located in southwestern Alberta, southeastern British …

An Integrative Investigation Of The Synechococcus A/B Clade During Adaptive Radiation At The Upper Thermal Limit Of Phototrophy, Christopher L. Pierpont

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Thermophilic microorganisms have been scientifically observed since the early nineteenth century and have spurred many questions about the limits of life and the capacity of organisms to survive extreme conditions. Decades of research on thermophile proteins and genomes have yielded several proposed correlates of temperature that may contribute to adaptation of bacteria and archaea to high temperature. However, many of the generalizations reported are drawn from analyses of deeply divergent taxa or from individual case studies in isolation from mesophilic relatives. Members of the Synechococcus A/B (SynAB) group are the only cyanobacteria with members able to grow above 65 °C …

Evaluating The Use Of Camera Traps To Monitor Populations Of Ungulate Prey In The Russian Far East, Scott Johnston Waller

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Efforts to recover endangered carnivore populations are often limited by insufficient populations of prey. When recovering prey populations, estimates of population density are invaluable metrics to monitor recovery efforts. In Russia, wildlife managers use the Formozov-Malyushev-Pereleshin (FMP) snow tracking method to estimate densities of ungulate prey of the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris). Yet, increasing variability in snow conditions and other challenges have limited its reliability. Camera traps offer a promising alternative approach since managers already use cameras to monitor tigers. However, the assumptions and study design necessary to implement capture-recapture models for tigers are different from those needed …

Degradation And Nitrogen Cycling In The Context Of Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Relationships In The Inquiline Bacterial Community Of Darlingtonia Californica, Megan Teigen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF) research aims to explain how species and their environments interact with each other. Microbial communities engage in vital biogeochemical pathways in a variety of natural ecosystems, and yet there are large knowledge gaps about the specific metabolic pathways in which they are involved. Degradation specifically contributes to nitrogen cycling globally through the breakdown of large organic nitrogen compounds into small inorganic nitrogen that is necessary for the survival of many other organisms. In this study, I focused on the degradative function of the inquiline microbial communities found within the carnivorous pitcher plant, Darlingtonia californica. Darlingtonia grows in …

Investigating The Genetic Diversity Of Immune Genes In Non-Native Populations Of American Bullfrogs (Rana Catesbeiana), Luisa Nereyda Segovia

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is a highly invasive species that has successfully colonized habitats around the world. The genetic variability of immune genes within invasive populations, like that of bullfrogs, may contribute to how resistant a population is to pathogens. The objective of this project was to characterize the genetic diversity of an immune gene in invasive bullfrog populations in California to better understand how persistent these populations might be over time. To characterize immune gene variability, I isolated exon 2 of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class II Beta chain gene and a neutral mitochondrial marker, …

Demographic Modeling Of Conservation Strategies For The Yosemite Toad (Anaxyrus Canorus), Corrina Rebecca Kamoroff

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus) is an anuran species endemic to the Sierra Nevada in California that, like many amphibians globally, has suffered population declines. The documented decline in A. canorus populations across their historic range highlights the need for an effective management strategy to protect the species from future extirpation. For this study, I estimated survival rates of A. canorus using a Cormack-Jolly-Seber model populated with data from a demographic study. I then used a female-only post-birth pulse stochastic Lefkovitch matrix model using vital rates I estimated and from the literature to simulate the effect of different …

Evaluating The Use Of Barn Owl Nest Boxes For Rodent Pest Control In Winegrape Vineyards In Napa Valley, Ashley N. Hansen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Attracting natural enemies to farms to reduce pests has long been a part of integrated pest management for insects, but knowledge of the impact of raptors on rodents and other vertebrate pests is comparatively sparse. In this study, I compared rodent prey on winegrape vineyards in Napa California with and without occupied barn owl nest boxes. We collected data before the breeding season, when hunting pressure should be light, and again when adult owls were hunting actively to feed their chicks. I used the open-hole method to quantify an index of gopher activity, and Sherman live traps to estimate the …

Phylogenetic And Geographic Relationships Of Cheilostome Bryozoans In The Eastern Pacific, Hannah E. Lee

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The phylum Bryozoa is an incredibly diverse group of marine invertebrates with a widespread global distribution that is well suited for evolutionary studies but whose phylogenetic relationships are still poorly understood. Although recent studies on bryozoan taxonomies and phylogenies have increased, there is still a lack of assessment of species found at shallow water (<1 m) to intertidal depths. In this study, I aimed to expand the taxonomic sampling and assessment of the phylogenetic diversity of cheilostome bryozoans along the California coastline by utilizing mitochondrial DNA as well as inferring potential correlations between species presence and dispersal range both within and between rocky outer coast and sheltered harbor habitats. Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to produce mitogenomes for cheilostome bryozoan samples collected off rocks from two rocky intertidal sites and off settlement panels from two harbor sites. Phylogenetic analyses generated evolutionary hypotheses of species relationships alongside geographic mapping of their distribution. This study identified 15 distinct species that represent 10 different families to form the first comprehensive phylogeny for multiple bryozoan families in California across a total range of approximately 973 km of coastline. Three genetically distinct species were found at multiple sites that are separated by a combination of rocky shores and sandy beaches, which indicates that the dispersal range of these species are not limited by geographic barriers along the coast of California. These results provide a future opportunity for further integration of this data with the phylogenies generated in this study to examine more robust evolutionary hypotheses for the phylogenetic and geographic relationships of Californian bryozoan species.

Activity Patterns Of The Del Norte Salamander (Plethodon Elongatus): Monitoring Plethodontid Behavior Using Pit Tag Surveys, Sabrina Horrack

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Semi-fossorial plethodontid salamanders exhibit behavioral plasticity to avoid desiccation, retreating underground to shelter from adverse conditions such as low precipitation and high temperatures. In this study, I used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag surveys to monitor this behavior in the Del Norte salamander (Plethodon elongatus), a small plethodontid native to northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. Within its range, a climatic gradient exists in which coastal areas experience milder temperatures and high precipitation, while inland areas tend to have colder winters, hotter summers, and lower precipitation. By monitoring the activity patterns of this species in inland and coastal areas, …

Reevaluation Of The Described Subspecies Of Euphydryas Phaeton (Drury, 1773) With A Replacement Name For Melitaea Phaeton Schausi (Clark, 1927), Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The present paper reevaluates the subspecific standing of the nominotypical and three described subspecies of Euphydryas phaeton (Drury, 1773). The nominotypical subspecies phaeton occupies the mid-Atlantic region, with undefined zones of contact with described subspecies borealis (F. Chermock & R. Chermock, 1940) to the north, and subspecies schausi (Clark, 1927) to the south. Nominotypical phaeton is an intermediate phenotype between borealis and schausi, which are each noticeably different from each other but both reasonably similar to intermediate (nominotypical) phaeton. Both borealis and schausi were synonymized under nominotypical phaeton since about time of their descriptions, by authors and list …

Nesting Behavior, Ecology, And Functional Morphology Of The Trapdoor Spider-Hunting Spider Wasp Aporus (Plectraporus) Hirsutus (Banks) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Alice J. Abela, Rick C. West

Insecta Mundi

Macrophotographs in series taken by Alice Abela on sandy coastal dunes in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, CA in 2010–2021 supplement and enhance F. X. Williams (1928) study of the ecol­ogy and nesting behavior of the trapdoor spider-hunting spider wasp Aporus (Plectraporus) hirsutus (Banks) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Aporini). Abela’s macrophotographs and observations provide new details of adult wasp feeding, functional morphology, hunting, digging and prey transport, and host spider trapdoor, entrance, burrow structure, host capture and escape activity. Newly reported host records from this study and online photographs expand A. hirsutus host selection in the large wafer-lid …

Micromentignatha Geberti, A New Tiger Beetle Species From Australia (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Jürgen Wiesner

Insecta Mundi

Micromentignatha geberti (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), new species, is described. It is distinguished from the other members of the genus by its larger body size and shape of elytral maculation.

Due to the kindness of Christian Kerkering, I was able to study specimens of a tiger beetle species he recently acquired. It proved to be new to science and is described herein. It is a member of Micromentignatha Sumlin, 1981, which raises the number of species in this genus to four (Wiesner 2020: 327). A key to distinguish these congeners as well as a catalog of the genus are given herein.

Ishtarella Thailandica Martens, New Genus, New Species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) Of Aphid Parasitoid From Thailand, With A Country Checklist Of Aphidiinae, Abigail P. Martens, Matthew L. Buffington, Donald L.J. Quicke, Marisa Raweearamwong, Buntika A. Butcher, Paul J. Johnson

Insecta Mundi

Ishtarella Martens new genus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) and I. thailandica Martens new species are described and illustrated from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan Province, Thailand. The genus is assigned to the tribe Aphidiini, subtribe Trioxina. Based on morphology, Ishtarella appears most closely related to Binodoxys Mackauer. An updated checklist of the aphidiine fauna of Thailand, based on published records, is presented.

Parasitoid wasps in the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) comprise about 60 genera and more than 650 species worldwide (Yu et al. 2016). The Aphidiinae of Thailand were all but unknown prior to a Thai­land Inventory Group for Entomological …

Ardella Magnaemirabilis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Ardellini), A New Scarabaeoid Species, Genus And Tribe From The Southwestern United States, M. J. Paulsen

Insecta Mundi

An interesting new taxon of scarabaeoid beetle is described from western Texas, USA. The remark­ably small chafer, Ardella magnaemirabilis new genus, new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Ardellini) is described and compared to other diminutive scarabaeoid genera from drier habitats of the southwestern USA. The tribe Ardellini, new tribe, is erected to accommodate the unusual genus.

After a few centuries with entomologists scouring the continent, the discovery of unknown Nearctic scarab gen­era is no longer commonplace. The western United States, in particular, is biogeographically diverse with pockets of endemism that makes such discoveries still possible, driving collectors to continue sampling …

Composition, Population Structure And Regeneration Potential Of Tree Species In Oak-Dominated Mixed Forests Of Rajouri District In Jammu And Kashmir, India, Mohd Junaid Jazib, Javed Manzoor

Journal of Bioresource Management

The study was carried out to explore the diversity and regeneration potential of trees species in mixed Oak forest of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir (India). A total of 20 tree species were recorded from the area dominated by various species of oak particularly Quercus leuchotrichophora. Quercus leuchotrichophora shows maximum values of density, basal cover and IVI. In different localities, it has different groups of associates like Q. floribunda, Q. semecarpifolia, Q. glauca, Buxux wallichiana, Pinus roxburghii, Aesculus indica, Rhododendron arboreum, etc. Majority of the species show very poor regeneration and thus demands for immediate implementation of appropriate conservation …

Improved Modified Ratio Estimation Of Population Mean Using Information On Size Of The Sample, Sikiru A Suleiman, Amos A Adewara

Tanzania Journal of Science

In sample surveys, auxiliary information is used for estimation to improve the efficiency of estimators. Increased precision can be obtained when the variable under study is highly correlated with auxiliary information. In this study, the sample size has been used as information for improved estimation of population mean of the main variable under study. A new modified generalized ratio type estimator of population mean has been proposed and the efficiency was examined using Murthy (1967) and Mukhopadhyay (2009) dataset. The large sample properties, the bias and the mean squared error of the newly proposed modified ratio estimator were obtained up …

Heavy Metal Contamination And Potential Ecological Risks In Surface Sediments Along Dar Es Salaam Harbour Channel, Benard Mwakisunga, Harishchandra B. Pratap, John F. Machiwa, Flora Stephano

Tanzania Journal of Science

Investigation of heavy metal contamination along Dar es Salaam harbour channel was carried out in order to determine their current concentrations, sources and potential ecological risks to benthic biota. Sampling was carried out from January to May 2019 and samples analysed using ICP-OES and C-H-N-S analyser. Analysis of heavy metal relationships showed that, Cu, Zn, Cr, As, Ni, Co, Fe, Cd had strong relationships with each other, while Pb only related to Zn. Principal component analysis partitioned metals into two groups; PC1: Ni, Cr, Fe, Co, As, Cu, Cd, and Zn explaining 73.6% variance and PC2: Pb, Zn, and Cd …

Assessment Of Seasonal Variations In Forage Quality In Saanane Island National Park, Mwanza, Tanzania, George M. Sangu, Cuthbert L. Nahonyo

Tanzania Journal of Science

Seasonal variations in proteins, vitamin A, vitamin C, carbohydrates and minerals (Ca, Fe, Na, K and P) for seven most grazed and four most browsed plant species were assessed using laboratory analysis to determine what nutrient resources were available to grazers and browsers inhabiting the Saanane Island. The results indicated great seasonal variations in proteins, vitamin A, vitamin C and carbohydrates which were statistically significant with P < 0.01, F 3.444 at DF 5. Similarly, the minerals (Ca, Fe, Na, K and P) showed greater seasonal variations with K and P being higher during wet season, while Na and Fe were higher in dry season. The levels of proteins, vitamins, fibres and minerals were well above daily dietary requirements for grazers and browsers. These results suggested that both grazers and browsers were benefiting from seasonal differences in terms of available resources at disposal as animal health is regulated by levels of proteins and vitamins available in grazing and browsing materials.  Keywords: Forage Quality, Minerals, Protein Saanane, Seasonality, Vitamin

Anticipating The Effects Of Increasing Rivers’ Water Salinity For Sustainable Conservation Of Tilapia Resources In Rural Coastal Zone Of Benin, West Africa, Toundji O. Amoussou, Ana F. Filipe, Chibuye F. , Kunda, Dorothé Y. Njé, Vinsoun Millogo, Elliot H. Alhassan

Tanzania Journal of Science

The current research aimed at using the application of multi-factor models to support fisheries management decisions for successful resources’ conservation. The study was based on the tilapia species Coptodon guineensis, which is among the most widely exploited in Benin coastal zone. In an attempt to suggest conservation strategies, the phenotypic variability of 356 accessions of this species was assessed in relation with water salinity, and several interactions. The fish were collected through small-scale experimental fishing using cast nets and gillnets. The findings indicated that the salinity observed in the sampled rivers is due, at proportions ranging from 0.13% to 47%, …