Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

A Mid-Continent Irruption Of Canada Lynx, 1962-63, Harvey L. Gunderson

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

There was a mid-continent irruption of the Canada lynx (Felis lynx) population and subsequent extensive movement into non-lynx habitats during the years 1962-1963. Lynx were found in the prairie provinces of Canada and the prairie areas of Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. They were also found in urban areas such as Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota: Winnipeg, Manitoba: and Calgary, Saskatchewan, Canada. Causes for the irruption remain unknown but speculations include primarily a change in snowshoe hare population, disease, extensive forest fires and extensive spraying. Unusual behavior seemed to be most often reflected by a lack of …

Experiments In Attempted Interspecific And Interpopulational Hybridzation Of Grass Shrimp Of The Genus Palaemonetes (Caridea Palaemonidae), Mark Andrew Boston

OES Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigates the interfertility of Palaemonetes populations, Interspecific crosses were attempted between representatives of sympatric :populations of P. pugio, P. vulgaris, and P. intermedius, Intraspecific crosses were undertaken between geographically separated :populations of P. pugio. Laboratory conditions of 25°c, 25°/oo, and 14.5 hour photoperiod per day were maintained for all breeding attempts, Under these conditions interspecific hybridization of Palaemonetes pugio and P. vulgaris was not feasible. P. intermedius could not be hybridized with P. pugio and P. vulgaris. At 40 days of age P. pugio juveniles were significantly larger than P. vulgaris juveniles of …

Bats From Southern Haiti, David Klingener, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

A collection of 450 specimens of bats from the Departement du Sud, Haiti, is described. Fifteen of the 17 species previously recorded from Hispaniola are represented, and Noctilio leporinus is reported from Haiti for the first time. Reproductive information for the months of January, May, June, August, and December is presented. Macrotus waterhousii is seasonally monoestrous, as on the mainland. The two species of stenodennines, Artibeus jamaicensis and Phyllops hailiensis, do not show bimodal seasonal polyestry as do stenodermines in Central America. Monophyllus redmani and the phyllonycterines may be seasonally monoestrous. Differences in reproductive biology between Haitian bats and …

Relating Wolf Scat Content To Prey Consumed, Theodore J. Floyd, L. David Mech, Peter A. Jordan

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

In 9 trials, captive wolves (Canis lupus) were fed prey varying in size from snowshoe (Lepus americanus) to adult deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and the resulting scats were counted. collectible scats were distinguished from liquid, noncollectible stools. In collectible scats, the small prey occurred in greater proportion relative to the prey's weight, and in lesser proportion to the prey's numbers, than did the remains of larger prey. A regression equation with an excellent the data (r² = 0.97) was derived to estimate the weight of prey eaten per collectible scat for With this information …

Zoogeography Of Antillean Bats, Robert J. Baker, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Analysis of the bat fauna of the Antillean Islands suggest that the most probable source of invasion of the islands by bats is by overwater dispersal. The bat fauna of ·the Greater Antilles is unique, a percentage of endemism on each island being over 50 percent except for the Virgin Islands which has 33 percent endemics.

The richest bat fauna in the Antilles is on Cuba (32 species) followed by Jamaica (23 species) then Hispaniola (17 species) and Puerto Rico (16 species). The number of species found on Cuba is probably the result of the island's proximity to Central and …

Productivity, Mortality, And Population Trends Of Wolves In Northeastern Minnesota, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Population parameters, mortality causes, and mechanisms of a population decline were studied in wolves (Canis lupus lycaon) from 1968 to 1976 in the Superior National Forest. The main method was aerial radio-tracking of 129 wolves and their packmates. Due to a decline in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), the wolf population decreased during most of the study. Average annual productivity varied from 1.5 to 3.3 pups per litter, and annual mortality rates from 7 to 65 percent. Malnutrition and intraspecific strife accounted equally for 58 percent of the mortality; human causes accounted for the remainder. As wolf …

Wolf-Pack Buffer Zones As Prey Reservoirs, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Abstract. In a declining herd, surviving deer inhabited overlapping edges of wolf- pack territories. There, wolves hunted little until desperate, in order to avoid fatal encounters with neighbors. Such encounters reduce wolf numbers and predation pressure and apparently allow surviving deer along territory edges to repopulate the area through dispersal of their prime, less vulnerable offspring into territory cores.

Comparison Of Coyote And Coyote × Dog Hybrid Food Habits In Southeastern Nebraska, Brian R. Mahan

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The recent taxonomic study by Mahan et al. (1978) documented the occurrence of coyote (Canis latrans) x dog (c. familiaris) hybrids in Nebraska. This study, and those by Freeman (1976) in Oklahoma and Gipson et al. (1974) in Arkansas show coyote x dog hybrids, though not abundant, to be numerous in some areas. The purpose of the present study was to compare the stomach contents of coyote x dog hybrids collected by Mahan et al. (1978) from southeastern Nebraska with those of contemporary coyotes.

Stomachs of 12 coyote x dog hybrids and 16 coyotes collected November 1975 …

Continuation Of Spider Research In Arkansas: Ouachita Mountain Area, Peggy Rae Dorris, Fred L. Burnside Jr.

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Addendum To "Fishes Of The Fourche River" In North Central Arkansas, Steve M. Bounds

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Distribution, Habitat Notes, And The Status Of The Ironcolor Shiner, Notropis Chalybaeus Cope, In Arkansas, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Field work throughout Arkansas since 1971 and a search of museum records have yielded 35 collections of the iron color shiner, Notropis chalybaeus Cope (Cyprinidae), not previously documented in Arkansas. From these data the iron color shiner is considered to be confined to the Coastal Plain physiographic province of Arkansas below the Fall Line, becoming most abundant in the Ouachita and Red River drainages of southern Arkansas. Notes on habitat preference, species associates, and current status of N. chalybaeus within Arkansas are presented.

Attraction Of Aerial Insects As A Fish Food Supplement, Andrew J. Merkowsky, Ambus J. Handcock, Scott H. Newton

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Insect populations over a 1.2 hectare southeast Arkansas livestock pond were sampled to consider the possibility of their use as a fish food supplement. A commercial insect attraction unit was suspended above the pond, and attracted insects were collected. Insect populations were sampled 3-4 nights each month, January-December, 1976. Insects collected were identified and analyses were performed to determine nutritional composition and pesticide content. Insect samples were variable, however, 62% of the insects identified were in the Order Diptera and 97% of these were in the Family Chironomidae. Nutritional analyses revealed insects were more than 60% crude protein. Pesticide analysis …

Cave Fauna Of Arkansas: Vertebrate Taxa, V. Rick Mcdaniel, James E. Gardner

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The second in a series of papers describing the fauna of Arkansas caves includes distributional records and ecological status (as a cavernicole) of 53 vertebrate taxa, including: 3 fishes, 7 salamanders, 6 frogs, 3 lizards, 7 snakes, one turtle, 3 birds, and 23 mammals. Several of the taxa occur on state lists of endangered species, but records accumulated during the past 5 years indicate the need for a reevaluation of the actual populational status of these organisms.

Growth, Mortality, Food Habits, And Fecundity Of The Buffalo River Smallmouth Bass, Raj V. Kilambi, Walter R. Robison, James C. Adams

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Total length-scale radius, and length-weight relationships were determined for smallmouth bass from the Buffalo River. The back calculated lengths were used in analyzing the age-length data by the Bertalanffy growth formula. Asymptotic length and weight were estimated as 58.3 cm and 4.6 lbs, respectively. Annual mortality of 36 percent was estimated by the catch curve method. Insects (54%), fishes (16%), and crayfish (14%) were the abundant food organisms by frequency of occurrence; while fishes (64%) and crayfish (29%) were the dominant food items by the gravimetric method. Based on the gonosomatic indices and frequency distribution of ovum diameter measurements, smallmouth …

Fishes Of The Eleven Point River Within Arkansas, Michael B. Johnson, John K. Beadles

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A survey of the fishes of the Eleven Point River and its tributaries was made between 31 January 1976 and 13 February 1977. Sixty-three collections, literature records and personal communications revealed 90 species distributed among 19 families. This study revealed 31 species previously not reported for this river system. The Eleven Point River is a clear, predominantly springfed Ozark stream which is located in western Randolph County. From the Arkansas-Missouri state line, the Eleven Point River flows south for approximately 64 km before joining the Spring River. Terrain in the Arkansas portion of this river is rugged as the river …

Fishes Of Crowley's Ridge In Arkansas, Robert F. Fulmer, George L. Harp

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Crowley's Ridge is one of the six natural geographic divisions of Arkansas which rises out of the Mississippi embayment as a relatively steep, uncultivated loessial mass. The ridge is drained by a network of headwater streams which are relatively clear with alkaline pH values and uniformly low alkalinity values. Carbon dioxide values were moderate and oxygen values were adequate. The fish species collected were basically headwater in composition. Isolated groups of characteristically upland species indicate that environmental quality of adjacent deltaic streams was better at one time.

Fishes Of Sylamore Creek, Stone County, Arkansas, George C. Frazier, John K. Beadles

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A survey of the fishes of Sylamore Creek in northcentral Arkansas yielded a total of 15,041 specimens representing 44 species, including one hybrid, distributed among 11 families. The three most abundant fishes collected were: Notropis pilsbryi Fowler, Dionda nubila (Forbes), and Notropis telescopus (Cope), respectively. Two species, Campostoma anomalum pullum (Agassiz), and N. pilsbryi, were collected at every station. Sylamore Creek is a clear predominantely spring-fed stream that originate in the Ozark Mountains of northcentral Arkansas and empties into the White River 72.3 km above Bates vilie. Sylamore Creek is composed of two branches, North and South Sylamore, which comprise …

Fishes Of Randolph County, Arkansas, Steve M. Bounds, John K. Beadles, Billy M. Johnson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A survey of the fishes of Randolph County in northcentral Arkansas was made between June 1973 and March 1977. Field collections, literature records, and museum specimens revealed the ichthyofauna of Randolph County to be composed of 128 species distributed among 24 families. Cyprinidae was the largest family, being represented by 34 species while Percidae was represented by 24 species. Randolph County is composed of Ozark Uplands and Coastal Plain areas. All of the stream systems flow into the Black River system with the exception of Village Creek in the southeastern corner of the county which flows into White River. The …

Aspects Of The Ecology Of Fish And Commercial Crustaceans Of The Blackwood River Estuary, Western Australia, R.C. J. Lenanton

Fisheries Research Bulletins

Beach seine nets, set or mesh nets, otter trawls and plankton nets were used to sample fish and commercial crustaceans every two months over the period March 1974 to March 1975, and again in July 1975 at a number of stations throughout the Blackwood River estuary, Western Australia.

The Food Habits Of Ictalurus Natalis, Centrarchus Macropterus And Perca Flavescens In Lake Drummond In The Dismal Swamp Of Virginia, Steven C. Russell

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The food habits of yellow bullhead catfish (Ictalurus natalis), yellow perch (Perea flavescens), and fliers (Centrarchus macropterus) in Lake Drummond in the Dismal Swamp were examined. Seventy yellow bullheads (42 mm to 255 mm), 136 yellow perch (41 mm to 280 mm), and 110 fliers (81 mm to 140 mm), were collected with gill nets, traps, seins, and electro-fishing gear from June through November of 1975. Frequency of occurrence and volumentric data were used to evaluate the relative importance of food items. Spearman's rank correlation coef­ficient was determined from the data to test differences …

Influence Of A Dry Wash Habitat On Distribution And Movement Of Heteromyid Rodents, Jeffrey S. Green

Theses and Dissertations

Three heteromyid rodent species were studied in relation to a large dry wash in Millard County, Utah, during the summer, 1974. Data were gathered with three trapping grids and analyzed to determine if the dry wash influenced rodent movement and distribution patterns. Dipodomys ordii and Dipodomys microps were distributed non-randomly in the dry wash and adjacent habitat, but Perognathus Zongimembris seemed to be randomly distributed. Dipodomys ordii was significantly correlated with wash habitat, but D. microps was found most frequently in upland areas. Soil and vegetative differences and competition were possible causes for the observed distribution. The wash was observed …

Macrobenthos Population Changes In Crystal Lake, Arkansas, Subsequent To Cage Culture Fish, James C. Adams, Raj V. Kilambi, William A. Wickizer, Arthur V. Brown

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A three-year study was conducted to determine the possible effects of cage culture of fish on the environment of Crystal Lake, Arkansas. The investigation consisted of three periods: pre- (November 1971-October 1972), during- (November 1972-October 1973), and post- (November 1973-October 1974) cage culture. Numbers and biomass of benthos per square meter for pre-, during-, and post-culture periods were 1353 (10.0g), 730 (8.8g), and 1028 (4.1g), respectively. Numerically, Chaoborus sp., Chironomidae, and Oligochaeta comprised more than 97%. Chaoborus was the most numerous organism before fish culture (>68%), but dominance shifted to the Oligochaeta (>58%) after culture.

Distributional Records Of Amphibians And Reptiles From Coastal Plain Of Arkansas, Edmond J. Bacon Jr., Zane M. Anderson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the West Gulf Coastal Plain and Mississippi Alluvial Plain is not well known because extensive collecting has not been done in these areas and data in museums have not been published. New distributional records for three salamanders (Desmognathus fuscus brimleyorum, Manculus quadridigitarus, Plethodon glutinosus glutinosus) , two anurans (Rana areolata circulosa, Scaphiopus holbrooki holbrooki), and one snake (Lampropeltis doliata amaura) are presented. Additional collecting will be necessary to determine the exact range and status of the secretive species.

Continuation Of Mourning Dove Studies In Clark County, Arkansas, With Emphasis On Cyclical Behavioral Patterns, Thurman Booth, Fred L. Burnside Jr., Jan Burnside, Peggy Rae Dorris

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, the Henderson State University Biology Department has continued a study of mourning doves in Clark County, Arkansas, with emphasis on cyclical behavioral patterns. Three hundred forty-three mourning doves were baited, trapped, and banded to obtain information concerning age, sex, populations, retraps, abnormalities, migrations, trap injuries, cyclical behavioral patterns, and other factors.

Land Snail Diversity At Rocky Branch Nature Preserve, Clark County, Illinois, Daniel J. Mott

Masters Theses

Terrestrial, shell-bearing gastropods were collected at Rocky Branch Nature Preserve, Clark County, Illinois. A total of three hundred nineteen specimens were collected representing five families and fifteen species. Two species of the family Endodontidae, eight species of the family Polygyridae, three species of the family Zonitidae, and one species in each of the families Pupillidae and Succineidae were collected.

In addition, an attempt was made to find the relationship between species diversity and dominant woody vegetation and soil quality. The land at Rocky Branch Nature Preserve ranges from lowland flood plain to high second growth forest. The dominant trees of …

Fishes Of The Fourche River In Northcentral Arkansas, Steve M. Bounds, John K. Beadles

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A survey of the fishes of Fourche River in northcentral Arkansas was made between June 1974 and March 1976. Field collections and literature records revealed that the river system was inhabited by 94 species of fish representing 21 families. The collected fishes represent both the Ozark and the lowland faunal groups. Fourteen species of Etheostoma and four species of Percina were collected. The records of Etheostoma asprigene and Elassoma zonatum represent extensions of the previously known ranges of these species within the state. Noturus gyrinus and Etheostoma histrio were recorded from the Black River system in Arkansas for the first …

Fishes Of The Cane Creek Watershed In Southeast Missouri And Northeast Arkansas, Bruce E. Yeager, John K. Beadles

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A survey of the fishes of Cane Creek in southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas was made between 25 August 1974 and 16 July 1975. Field collections, literature records, fisherman reports, and museum specimens showed the fishes of Cane Creek to be composed of 90 species distributed among 20 families. Records of Lampetra aepyptera (Abbott), Hiodon alosoides (Rafinesque), Etheostoma histrio Jordan and Gilbert, and Percina uranidea (Jordan and Gilbert) were either the first records of these species in this stream or reaffirmed their presence. The fish collected were common to the Ozark, Ozark lowland, lowland, and wide-ranging faunal groups of Pflieger …

Cave Fauna Of Arkansas: Selected Invertebrate Taxa, V. Rick Mcdaniel, Kenneth L. Smith

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

This report is the first in a series of reports describing the fauna of Arkansas caves. Included are notes accumulated during the past four years on nematomorphs, amphipods, isopods, diplopods, decapods, and a variety of insect taxa. In addition to indicated records of distribution, the ecological status of each species (as a cavernicole) is described as troglobitic, troglophilic, trogloxenic, or accidental. Several of the included species are reported for the first time from Arkansas.

Effect Of Salinity On Glycogen Content In The Brine Shrimp, Artemia Salinas, Of Great Salt Lake, Christon H. Merkley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The brine shrimp, Artemia salinas, is one of the few organisms to be found in the hostile environment of the Great Salt Lake. Salt concentrations in the lake are found to exceed those in the oceans. In such an environment, the utilization of energy, even after it has been procured, presents a problem. The life inhabiting the lake has developed extraordinary adaptations to this and similar problems.

Electron micrographs produced by Dr. Nabil Youssef of Utah State University have revealed that unusual quantities of glycogen can be found in the muscle of brine shrimp taken from the Great Salt Lake. …

A New Subspecies Of Geomys Bursarius (Mammalia: Geomyidae) From Texas And New Mexico, Robert J. Baker, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

As part of a study of the systematics and ecology of pocket gophers occurring on the high plains of Texas and eastern New Mexico, numerous populations of the plains pocket gopher, Geomys bursarius, were examined karyotypically. Four chromosomal races were described from this area by Baker et al. (1973). Additional studies lead us to believe that two of these races represent an undescribed subspecies of the plains pocket gopher. In addition to karyological evidence, specimens of this subspecies are morphologically distinct from those of all contiguous populations of Geomys bursarius major, the race to which they previously were assigned. …