Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Reconstructing Cetacean Brain Evolution Using Computed Tomography, Lori Marino, Mark D. Uhen, Nicholas D. Pyenson, Bruno Frohlich

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Until recently, there have been relatively few studies of brain mass and morphology in fossil cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) because of difficulty accessing the matrix that fills the endocranial cavity of fossil cetacean skulls. As a result, our knowledge about cetacean brain evolution has been quite limited. By applying the noninvasive technique of computed tomography (CT) to visualize, measure, and reconstruct the endocranial morphology of fossil cetacean skulls, we can gain vastly more information at an unprecedented rate about cetacean brain evolution. Here, we discuss our method and demonstrate it with several examples from our fossil cetacean database. This …

Incorporating Local Knowledge Into Population And Habitat Viability Assessments: Landowners And Tree Kangaroos In Papua New Guinea, Philip J. Nyhus, J Williams, J Borovansky, O Byers, P Miller

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Dangerous Animals In Captivity: Ex Situ Tiger Conflict And Implication For Private Ownership Of Exotic Animals, Philip J. Nyhus, Ronald L. Tilson, J L. Tomlinson

Faculty Scholarship

The risks associated with tiger attacks on people in the wild are well documented. There may currently be more tigers in captivity than in the wild, but relatively little is known about the risks of injury or death associated with owning and managing captive tigers and other large carnivores. The purpose of this study was to conduct a global assessment of attacks by captive tigers on people, with particular emphasis on cases in the United States. Our analysis of 30 international media sources and additional documents uncovered 59 unique incidents in 1998-2001 in which people were reportedly injured or killed …

Bats Of Nevis, Northern Lesser Antilles, Scott C. Pedersen, Hugh H. Genoways, Matthew N. Morton, James W. Johnson, Siân E. Courts

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Only one species of bat, Molossus molossus, previously has been documented as occurring on the northern Lesser Antillean island of Nevis. Field research and reviews of existing museum collections have provided documentation based on voucher specimens for an additional seven species occurring on the island — Noctilio leporinus, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Monophyllus plethodon, Ardops nichollsi, Artibeus jamaicensis, Natalus stramineus, and Tadarida brasiliensis. The biological diversity of the chiropteran fauna on Nevis is similar to that found on other islands in the northern Lesser Antilles. Ecologically, this is a simple chiropteran fauna, including one …

Discounting And Reciprocity In An Iterated Prisoner’S Dilemma, David W. Stephens, Colleen M. Mclinn, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

The Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma (IPD) is a central paradigm in the study of animal cooperation. According to the IPD framework, repeated play (repetition) and reciprocity combine to maintain a cooperative equilibrium. However, experimental studies with animals suggest that cooperative behavior in IPDs is unstable, and some have suggested that strong preferences for immediate benefits (that is, temporal discounting) might explain the fragility of cooperative equilibria. We studied the effects of discounting and strategic reciprocity on cooperation in captive blue jays. Our results demonstrate an interaction between discounting and reciprocity. Blue jays show high stable levels of cooperation in treatments with …

Tiger Restoration In Asia: Ecological Theory Vs. Sociological Reality, Ronald Tilson, Philip J. Nyhus, Neil Franklin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Salinity And Shade Preferences Result In Ovipositional Differences Between Sympatric Tiger Beetle Species, W. Wyatt Hoback, Douglas A. Golick, Tina Marie Svatos, Stephen M. Spomer, Leon G. Higley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

1. Adult tiger beetles of the genus Cicindela often co-occur within a habitat but larvae do not. Larvae are sedentary and form usually permanent burrows at the site of oviposition where they require 1-3 years for development.

2. To test niche partitioning based on ovipositional preference, the behavior of two sympatric salt marsh tiger beetles, Cicindela circumpicta and C. togata (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), were examined.

3. In laboratory studies, female C. circumpicta and C. togata distinguished between experimental salinities, with the former preferring 4 parts per thousand (ppt) and the latter preferring 12 ppt. In the field, C. circumpicta larvae were …

Grassland Birds And Habitat Structure In Sandhills Prairie Managed Using Cattle Or Bison Plus Fire, Randall Griebel, Stephen L. Winter, Allen Steuter

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Grassland birds are known to respond to specific changes in habitat structure, such as plant height and density. However, the response of grassland bird communities to management induced changes in the regional habitat mosaic are less well understood. Grazing by ungulates and fire regimes play an important role in defining the habitat mosaic in the Great Plains. We provide information on bird abundance, distribution, and habitat structure from similar sandhill prairie landscapes managed traditionally with grazing by cattle (Bos taurus) and by a dynamic bison (Bos bison)-plus-fire regime. Although the two management regimes are dissimilar, only …

Bats Of The Antillean Island Of Grenada: A New Zoogeographic Perspective, Hugh H. Genoways, Carleton J. Phillips, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The island of Grenada is the southernmost of the Lesser Antilles, lying 130 km north of Trinidad and 135 km north of the Venezuelan mainland. It measures 34 km north to south and 19 km east to west and has an area of 312 square km. Grenada and the Grenadines northward to Bequia stand on the large submarine Grenada Bank. At 183 m depth, the bank is 179 km long. The Grenadines cover the bank to its northern end, but the bank extends for 39 km south of Grenada with no islands. During the last Ice Age, Grenada and the …

A Comparison Of Encephalization Between Odontocete Cetaceans And Anthropoid Primates, L. Marino

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

There have been very few studies of brain size and encephalization in cetaceans and essentially none that have made direct quantitative comparisons of cetaceans and another mammalian group using large normative samples. In the present study two different measures of encephalization were calculated and used to rank and compare 21 odontocete species and 60 anthropoid primate species. Comparisons were made both within and between the two groups. Results show that the encephalization level of Homo sapiens is still extraordinary relative to that of nonhuman species. Nevertheless, a subset of delphinid odontocetes are significantly more highly encephalized than the most highly …

Effects Of Fertilization On Water Quality In Grayson Lake, Kentucky., Albert W. Remley Ii

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Albert W. Remley II on January 15, 1998.

Ecology And Natural History Of The Cow Knob Salamander, Plethodon Punctatus Highton, In West Virginia, Robert B. Tucker

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Very little has been written on the ecology and natural history of the Cow Knob salamander, Plethodon punctatus Highton, since it was described by Highton (1971). Plethodon punctatus is known only from the higher elevations of Great North (above 2,800 ft) and Shenandoah (above 3,000 ft.) Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia (Highton, 1972; Conant and Collins, 1991). The type locality is Cow Knob, Pendleton County, West Virginia. Plethodon punctatus is a large (up to 75 mm snout-to-vent length) dorso-ventrally flattened salamander with creamish iridiophore spots on the back and sides, webbed feet for a fossorial lifestyle, and large …

An Assessment Of The Prevalence Of The Bass Tapeworm, Proteocephalus Ambloplitis, And Other Parasites In Five Species Of Basses From River And Lake Ecosystems In West Virginia, J. Alyce Bradbury

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Two-hundred and fifteen basses were collected from four river sites (Racine Locks and Dam, Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam; Ashland, KY—Ohio River; London Locks and Dam—Kanawha River) and five reservoir sites (Beech Fork Lake, East Lynn Lake, Summersville Lake, Burnsville Lake, and Stonewall Jackson Lake,). The five species of bass caught were: largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides; smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieui; spotted bass, Micropterus punctulatus; white bass, Morone chrysops; and hybrid bass, Morone chyrsops x Morone saxatilis. Basses were collected by three methods: 1) local anglers (hook and line), 2) gill netting surveys; and 3) …

Metazoan Parasites And Other Symbionts Of Cetaceans In The Caribbean, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Eric P. Hoberg, Doug Siegel-Causey, Ernest H. Williams Jr.

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The parasite fauna in cetaceans from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the larger Caribbean region is poorly known. We provide the first records for parasite biodiversity among a diverse assemblage of cetaceans from the Caribbean Sea. Internal and external parasites and commensals were collected from stranded whales and dolphins salvaged in Puerto Rico, the United States and British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and Venezuela between 1989 and 1997. A total of 47 individuals of 16 species of whales and dolphins (15 odontocetes and one mysticete) were examined. Overall, parasites and commensals were found in 34 (72.3%) animals, representing 13 species …

Natural History Of The Four-Toed Salamander, Hemidactylium Scutatum, In West Virginia, Sandra L. Kilpatrick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A 2-year study was conducted to determine the reproductive and nesting habits, embryonic and larval development, and tolerance to acid conditions of Hemidactylium scutatum in West Virginia. Five study sites located in or adjacent to the Otter Creek National Wilderness Area, Monongahela National Forest, Randolph County, West Virginia, were monitored to determine nesting habits and length of incubation and larval periods in Hemidactylium Time of breeding was determined by spermatogenic wave analysis and time of egg deposition was determined by examination of ovarian follicles and field observations of gravid females migrating to nest sites. Breeding occurred in autumn and again …

Ecological Life History Of Crangonyx Pseudogracilis Bousfield (Crustacea: Amphipoda) In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Andrea Leigh Henry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Although the genus Crangonyx has been studied in the Appalachian area, most of this work has concentrated on subterranean species. A Crangonyx pseudogracilis population from the Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area (GBWMA), Cabell County, West Virginia was sampled weekly from March 1995 through July 1996 to investigate the ecological life history of the amphipod. A total of 1508 amphipods were collected. Amphipods were present in the study sites from November through July, at which time they migrated to deeper waters. Crangonyx pseudogracilis had a one year life cycle and bred from November to May. Adult amphipods began to die off …

A Lighter Shade Of Green: Reproducing Nature In Central Florida, Kevin Archer

All Faculty Scholarship for the School of Graduate Studies and Research

No abstract provided.

A New Species Of The Genus Rhogeessa, With Comments On Geographic Distribution And Speciation In The Genus, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

A new species of Rhogeessa is described from southern Suriname. The new species is characterized by a karyotype that possesses a diploid number of 52 and a fundamental number of 52 and by its relatively large overall size compared to other South American Rhogeessa. Tenspecies are now recognized within the genus. Seven of these species, including the one described herein, are members of R. tumida complex. Two of these species--R. io and R. minutilla--also occur in South America and the remaining four species are confined to Mexico and Central America.

Reproductive Biology Of The Grass Pickerel Esox Americanus Vermiculatus Lesueur, From The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Ronald Clifton Tipton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The grass pickerel, Esox american us vermiculatus LeSueur, is listed as Undetermined on the Vertebrate Species List of Concern in West Virginia. The reason for the West Virginia status is that lentic, vegetated habitats required for spawning by the grass pickerel are limited within the state and are being reduced by agricultural, residential, and industrial developments. Green Bottom Swamp, a naturally occurring wetland of 58 hectares, provides habitat for the grass pickerel. A proposed habitat alteration to add marshland by building dykes prompted this study. Information from this investigation will establish a baseline for reproductive activities of the grass pickerel …

Larids, Scolopacids, And Passerines Exploiting Ephemeral Prey At Talan Island, Russia, Eric P. Hoberg, Alexander I. Kondratiev, Alexander S. Kitaysky

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

We report an unusual multispecies foraging assemblage that included larids, shorebirds and passerines which exploited a highly concentrated and ephemeral prey source over a period of three days in July and August 1988. During studies of breeding biology, food-habits and host-parasite ecology among a diverse colonial avifauna at Talan Island in the northern Sea of Okhotsk (59°18'N; 149°02'E) we observed the formation of mixed-species flocks during extreme high tides of July 31, August 1, and August 13, 1988.

Eumeces Septentrionalis (Prairie Skink): Piscivory., Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

The prairie skink is a North American lizard characterized by a diet that is primarily insectivorous (Breckenridge 1943. Amer. MidI. Nat. 29:591-606). Fish have not been previously recorded as a food item (reviewed in Somma and Cochran 1989. Great Basin Nat. 49:525-534). On 3 June 1990 between 0930 and 1030 h, six Eumeces septentrionalis (three gravid females, one male, and two juveniles) were captured from amongst riprap and beneath stone slabs on the earthen dam forming the windward shoreline of Burchard lake, Pawnee Co., Nebraska (T.12N., R.10E., Sec. 4). The three females and one juvenile were placed in the …

Estuarine Studies : An Activities Text For Maine Schools, Education Division - Department Of Marine Resources

Maine Collection

Estuarine Studies : An Activities Text for Maine Schools

Fisheries Education Unit #16 - Produced by The Education Division, Department of Marine Resources, State House Station 21, Augusta, Maine 04333-0021.

Revised 1990. Printed Under Appropriation No. 3140.3260.

Pflanzengesellchaften Der Mongolei, Werner Hilbig

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

First paragraphs of the introduction:

In Fortführung der Forschungsreisen der russischen Floristen und Pflanzengeouraphen im vorigen und Anfang dieses Jahrhunderts wurden erste Expeditionen zur systematischen Erforschung der Naturressourcen der Mongolei in den 20er und 30er Jahren durchgeführt. Sie wurden von der Akademie der Wissenschaften der UdSSR und der Akademie der Wissenschaften der MVR (vorher Wissenschaftliches Komitee der MVR) organisiert. Auch die von der Geographischen GeselIschaft und der Akademie der Wissenschaften der UdSSR durchgeführten Expeditionen zur Erforschung der natürlichen Bedingungen und der Landwirtschaft in der Mongolei schufen Möglichkeiten zur Entwicklung der geobotanischen Forschungsrichtung (vgl. GUBANOV u. HILBIG 1989).

Als erste eigenständi"e …

Geographic Distribution: Tropidoclonion Lineatum (Lined Snake). Usa: Nebraska: Douglas Co., Louis A. Somma, James D. Fawcett

Papers in Herpetology

TROPIDOCLONION LINEATUM (Lined Snake). USA: NEBRASKA: Douglas Co. Omaha. jct. of 156th & F Streets (NE corner Sec. 3, T14N, R11E). 3 June 1980. J.J. Krupa. UNO 102-03680. Adult killed by lawnmower (J. Krupa. pers. comm.) at relict tallgrass prairie site (Beottcher 1981, Master's Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha). ca. 82.5 km SE of record in Cuming County and 75 km NE of record in Lancaster County (Lynch 1985, Trans. Nebraska Acad. Sci. 13: 33-57). Fills gap between easternmost records in central Nebraska and Westernmost records in Iowa (Christiansen 1981, Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 88: 24-26; Christiansen & Bailey, …

Survey And Reconnaissance Of Sea Turtles In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Larry Ogren

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

This is a report on the results of an aerial survey of nesting beaches conducted during the period from May 16, 1977 to August 11, 1977. The area covered included the barrier beaches and offshore islands from the Florida-Alabama state line to the Rio Grande, Texas. Additional historical information is provided in order to compare current nesting activity with previous years as well as anecdotal observations on the occurrence of sea turtles in this region.

Geographic Distribution: Lampropeltis C. Calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake). Usa: Nebraska: Thayer Co., Louis A. Somma, John F. Lokke

Papers in Herpetology

LAMPROPELT/S C. CALL/GASTER (Prairie Kingsnake). USA: NEBRASKA: Thayer Co.: Hubbell: unmarked section road ca. 0.4km S of State Hwy 8 (T1N. R1W, SW corner S29). 11 June 1988. L. A. Somma and J. F. Lokke. Verified by J. F. Lokke and L. A. Somma. University of Nebraska at Omaha Herpetological Collection c/o J. D. Fawcett (101-11-688). Road killed adult. New county record, extends range ca. 18.5km W of record in adjacent Jefferson Co. (lynch 1985. Trans. Nebraska Acad. Sci. 13:33-57). Represents most northwesterly record in USA (Blaney 1979. Cat. Amer. Amph. Rept (229):1-2).

Elaphe Bairdi (Baird’S Rat Snake): Drinking Behavior., Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

On 13 February 1988. at 1600 h. a captive-bred (hatched July 1985) male Elaphe bairdi (TL.136.9 cm, SVL .. 89.54 cm). maintained in a 50.5 x 25 x 30 cm terrerium was accidently splashed with water. As beads of water on the snake's head rolled down to the upper labial sceles. swallowing was observed. The water on the labial scales was drawn Into the mouth while It was closed. This behavior lasted 42 sec. This behavior was repeated 23 out of 24 trials conducted during the next 24 days. The duration of swallowing wes 9-62 sec (avg 35.8, N = …

The Bats Of Fountain Cavern, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

First paragraph:

During May 1988, two species of bats--Brachyphylla cavernarum (Antillean cave bat) and Natalus stramineus (funnel-eared bat)--were captured at the opening of Fountain Cavern. Only Brachyphylla cavernarum was captured inside of the cave. The weather was extremely wet during our visit to Anguilla so our work in Fountain Cavern was limited by hazardous conditions. Nevertheless, we did make a thorough survey of the bats inside the cave. There is only one other species on Anguilla--Monophyllus redmani (Antillean long-tongued bat)--that might be expected to utilize Fountain Cavern as a roosting site.

Includes the author's recommendations about conservation for …

Caribbean Island Zoogeography: A New Approach Using Mitochondrial Dna To Study Neotropical Bats, Carleton J. Phillips, Dorothy E. Pumo, Hugh H. Genoways, Phillip E. Ray

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Genetic analysis of animal mitochondrial DNA is a new and valuable addition to the battery of techniques available to zoogeographers. This paper describes characteristics of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that make it applicable for the study of island zoogeography.

Some traditional zoogeographic questions are examined using mtDNA from the Neotropical fruit bat, Artibeus jamaicensis. The specific questions are: 1) To what extent are island populations isolated (that is, does interbreeding occur between the insular subspecies)? 2) Can a single founding female account for the mitochondrial genomes on specific islands in the Antilles? 3) Is there a correlation between the genomic …

Lasiurus Blossevilli (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) In Texas, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

First paragraph:

A bat netted in the ZH Canyon in the Sierra Vieja Mountains, 9 mi. W Valentine, Presidio Co., Texas, appears to be the first record of the western red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii teliotis) from the state of Texas. The specimen is an adult female that was taken on the night of 15 July 1969 by T. R. Mollhagen. The vegetation in ZH Canyon is typical low desert scrub but permanent water is present. Nets were placed in such positions as to catch bats attempting to drink at this water source.