Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Deer Social Organization And Wolf Predation In Northeastern Minnesota, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech

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

The white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus has been subject to intensive research and management, yet we are just beginning to understand its social organization. Little is known about home range formation, migration, social bonds, and traditions in this deer, what functions they serve, and what selective forces have affected them.

Predation by wolves Canis lupus, in particular, has not been examined as a factor in deer evolution, yet the intimate interactions between deer and wolf through the millennia no doubt strongly influenced major morphological and behavioral adaptations in both species. It is a reasonable assumption that wolf predation has been …

Tornadoes West Of The Divide: A Climatology, Richard P. Mcnulty

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: Technical Reports and Related Materials

A climatology of tornado occurrence west of the Continental Divide is presented. These tornadoes are a small but significant part of severe weather occurrences over the United States. Data are examined from both the spatial and temporal point of view. The influence of population and topography is highly evident.

Die Erforschung Der Herpetofauna Der Mongolischen Volksrepublik: Situation Und Perspektiven, Günther Peters

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

First paragraph:

Die Landschaften der Mongolei sind arm an Reptilien- und Amphibienarten. Dieser Umstand mag die Frage aufwerfen, ob herpetologische Untersuchungen in Beschränkung auf das Territorium der MVR eine nennenswerte Perspektive haben könnten, nachdem Artenspektrum und Verbteitung der Species annähernd vollständig erkundet sind. Ein Herpetologe wird zweifellos für seine Arbeit auch in diesem Land eine Zukunft sehen, doch muß wohl von vornherein eingestanden werden, daß das Volumen der Probleme dieses Faches hinter denen der übrigen Disziplinen der Vertebratenzoologie und der Entomologie in einem bescheidenerem Rahmen verbleibt. Dies gilt sowohl im rein wissenschaftlichen als erst recht auch im angewandten Bereich ihrer …

Cover Of Plants With Extrafloral Nectaries At Four Northern California Sites, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Percent cover of plants with extrafloral nectaries was investigated in three California habitats with the same physiognomy as habitats previously studied in Nebraska (perennial native grassland, riparian forest, deciduous forest). In contrast to Nebraska where cover of plants with extrafloral nectaries reached 14 percent, no plants with extrafloral nectaries were found in any California transect. Chaparral was also studied; no plants with extrafloral nectaries were found.

Karyology And Morphometrics Of Three Species Of Akodon (Mammalia: Muridae) From Northwestern Argentina, Rubén M. Barquez, Daniel F. Williams, Michael A. Mares, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Chromosomal and morphometric studies were conducted on a sample from an assemblage of Akodon spp. occurring in various patterns of sympatry from the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, and Tucumán, Argentina. Results showed three distinct morphometric groups based upon size. Size also varied with age, but there were no significant differences in measurements of males and females. The three morphometric groups have distinct karyotypes. Akodon caenosus Thomas is the smallest of the three, and has a karyotype of 2n = 34, FN = 40. A. boliviensis tucumanensis J. A. Allen is intermediate in size and has 2n = 40, FN …

The Flora And Sandhills Prairie Communities Of Arapaho Prairie, Arthur County, Nebraska, Kathleen H. Keeler, A. T. Harrison, L.S. Vescio

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Arapaho Prairie is a 526-hectare (two-section) tract of upland Sandhills prairie located approximately nine miles southwest of the town of Arthur in Arthur Co., Nebraska (Sec. 31, 32 T18N R39W). The Prairie is at the extreme southwest edge of the 52,000-km² Nebraska Sandhills (see Kaul 1975) and is floristically and ecologically typical of the slightly drier, western part of this vegetation type. Sandhills prairie which stretches across much of north central Nebraska is a unique type of "mixed" grassland (Pool 1914, Rydberg 1931, Tolstead 1942, Weaver 1965) created by impact of the dry, continental climate on the extensive …

The Section Of Mammals Of Carnegie Museum Of Natural History, Hugh H. Genoways, Duane A. Schlitter

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The Section of Mammals at Carnegie Museum of Natural History is responsible for the care of the collections of Recent mammals, and research on these collections. "Recent mammals?!" The capitalized word "Recent" refers to the geological time period since the last ice age (about 10,000 years ago) until the present time. Mammals are that group of animals characterized by the presence of hair at least during some time of their lives, warm blood, and the production of milk. Therefore, our work really involves living mammals with which everyone is familiar; however, our work also does include study of such recently …

Demographic And Reproductive Parameters Of The Yellow-Cheeked Pocket Gopher (Pappogeomys Castanops), Michael J. Smolen, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

A population of Pappogeomys castanops simulans was live-trapped on a 3.5-ha study area in Lubbock, Texas, from September 1971 to September 1973. Seasonal and annual differences in population size were observed, with the population fluctuating between 20 and 25 gophers. Female reproductive activity began in January and continued until October, with an obvious period of recruitment lacking; however, a peak was observed in March and April. Females produced as many as three litters per reproductive season. Females born early in the year were sexually mature within the reproductive season of their birth. Females had an average survival rate of 56 …

Notes On The Natural History Of Bats From Badlands National Monument, South Dakota, John P. Farney, J. Knox Jones Jr.

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Little has been published on the mammalian fauna of Badlands National Monument, a unique ecological area that encompasses parts of Jackson and Pennington counties in South Dakota. By way of example, although five species of bats are herein recorded from the Monument, only one has been reported previously - see Jones and Choate (1978), who listed two specimens of Myotis thysanodes pahasapensis from the Cliff Shelf area. Jones and Genoways (1976b), however, did report several other species from badland areas not far distant from the boundary of the Monument.

In 1970, under sponsorship of the Badlands Natural History Association and …

Population Regulation In Wolves, Jane M. Packard, L. David Mech

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

The possibility of social regulation of wolf populations has been discussed in the literature for several years. Some of the first ecological studies of wolves indicated that their populations did not increase as rapidly as was theoretically possible, and that they reached a saturation point apparently not set by food. Subsequent captive studies demonstrated the existence of social mechanisms possibly capable of regulating population growth. However, the importance of these factors in wild populations has not been established. This paper has four objectives: (1) to evaluate the existing concept of "intrinsic limitation," (2) to propose that wolf population dynamics may …

Botanical And Ecological Aspects Of Coastal Raised Peatlands In Maine : And Their Relevance To The Critical Areas Program Of The State Planning Office, Ian A. Worley

Maine Collection

Botanical and Ecological Aspects of Coastal Raised Peatlands in Maine : and Their Relevance to the Critical Areas Program of the State Planning Office.

by Ian A. Worley

A Report Prepared for the Maine Critical Areas Program, State Planning Office, 184 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04333.

Planning Report No. 69 (January 1980)

Contents: Foreword / Abstract / Table of Contents / List of Figures / List of Tables / Acknowledgements / Introduction / Natural History and Ecology of the Coastal Raised Peatlands / Selection of Coastal Peatlands Recommended for Evaluation by the Critical Areas Program / General Evaluation of Coastal …

Nebraska Trapping, George Schildman, Frank Andelt, Jim Brunner

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Fur bearers and trapping played an important role in the exploration and development of Nebraska. The harvest of our fur-bearer resource is part of every Nebraskan's heritage. Wise use of the resource and consideration for other people's property and personal rights can insure that trapping will remain a part of the heritage of future generations. The purpose of this publication is to help insure this heritage ... through the educational process. Knowledge of and respect for the resource, as well as consideration for other people, are the keys to perpetuating trapping as an outdoor activity. While primarily designed to assist …

Apparent Chromosomal Heterosis In A Fossorial Mammal, John C. Patton, Robert J. Baker, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

For the past decade, numerous investigators have attempted to explain the plethora of genetic polymorphism found in nature (see Ayala 1976). However, few researchers have been able to document how polymorphisms have been maintained, whether the polymorphisms were genic or chromosomal. Our investigations into the maintenance of a Robertsonian chromosomal polymorphism in the plains pocket goher, Geomys bursarius major, have revealed evidence that this polymorphism is maintained by differential viabilities of the three chromosomal morphs, with the heterozygote being favored.

Freshwater Wetlands : Their Relevance To The Critical Areas Program Of The State Planning Office, Timothy Zorach

Maine Collection

Freshwater Wetlands : Their Relevance to the Critical Areas Program of the State Planning Office

by Timothy Zorach : A Report Prepared for the Maine Critical Areas Program, State Planning Office, 184 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04333. November 1979

Planning Report # 70.

Contents: Introduction / Wetland Classification / Ecology of Freshwater Wetland Ecosystems in Maine / Life History of Wetlands / Wetland Management / Freshwater Wetland Evaluation / References Cited and Selected Literature

Part II: A Trial Inventory and Identification of Significant Freshwater Wetlands in the Presumpscot River Basin, Saco River Basin and Associated Coastal Drainage Basins.

A Study Of Nongeographic Variation In Tatera Leucogaster (Mammalia: Rodentia) From Botswana, Pierre Swanepoel, Duane A. Schlitter, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Specimens of Tatera leucogaster from six localities in Botswana were tested for variation with age, secondary sexual variation, and individual variation. Of the six age classes recognized, categories I, II, and III each formed their own group, whereas cat egories IV, V, and VI were not separable on a morphometric basis and were considered to be adults. Significant secondary sexual variation was found only in depth of braincase in which females were larger. The only character exhibiting unusually high individual variation was length of posterior palatal foramen. All other characters exhibited individual variation within acceptable limits.

Wolf Howling And Its Role In Territory Maintenance, Fred H. Harrington, L. David Mech

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

The wolf (Canis lupus) is a wide-ranging social carnivore with a complex spatial organization (MECH, 1972; 1973). The precise manner in which this organization is maintained is unknown, but territory advertisement using olfactory and acoustic modes seems to be involved.

The acoustic mode includes primarily howling. Within a wolf pack, howling may be useful to reassemble separated members (MECH, 1966; THEBERGE & FALLS, 1967), and may communicate information on individual identity, location, and other behavioral and environmental contingencies (THEBERGE & FALLS, 1967). Between packs, however, howling may serve to advertise territory, communicating the locations of packs and thus …

Niobrara-Missouri River Fishery Investigations, Larry W. Hesse, Gene Zeurlein, Roger Vancil, Leonard Koziol, Brad Newcomb, Leigh Ann Retelsdorf

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The Niobrara River heads in the table lands of eastern Wyoming and flows 786 kilometers (km) eastward across Nebraska joining the Missouri River near the town of Niobrara, Nebraska. The Niobrara is the largest Missouri River tributary between the last two mainstem impoundments (Lake Francis Case and Lewis and Clark Lake). Fish movement up the Niobrara is prevented by Nebraska Public Power District's (NPPD's) Spencer Hydroelectric Dam, 63.3 km upstream from the river mouth. The lower reach of the river is turbid and carries a considerable load of sand, silt, and organic debris into the Missouri River. The mean annual …

Nebraska Rainbow Trout, Nebraska Game And Parks, G. Zeurlein, L. Hesse, J. Seeb, L. Wishard

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Chapter 1 Lethal and Preferred Temperatures of Lake McConaughy Rainbow Trout Versus Domestic Strain Rainbow Trout By R. Vancil, G. Zuerlein and L. Hesse

Chapter 2 A Nitrifying Filter-Cooling Condenser System for Total Water Re-use in Cold-Water Fish Holding or Rearing Applications By L. Hesse, G. Zuerlein and R. Vancil

Chapter 3 Biochemical Genetic Analysis of Two Strains of Nebraska Rainbow Trout By J. Seeb and L. Wishard

The self-sustaining rainbow trout population living in Lake Mcconaughy and the North Platte River tributaries is unique to the Great Plains region. The population spends most of its adult life in the …

Revision Of The Antillean Bats Of The Genus Brachyphylla (Mammalia: Phyllostomatidae), Pierre Swanepoel, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Nongeographic and geographic variation have been analyzed in the genus Brachyphylla. which belongs to the Antillean endemic subfamily Phyllonycterinae of the family Phylloslomatidae. Males were found to be generally larger than females: therefore, the sexes were analyzed separately for geographic variation. External measurements except length of forearm were found to displaya high degree of individual variation. They were not used in subsequent analyses. Of cranial measurements, greatest length of skull and condylobasal length showed the least individual variation, whereas palatal length, postorbital breadth (in samples from west of the Mona Passage only), and rostral width at canines showed relatively …

Review Of The Desert Pocket Gopher, Geomys Arenarius (Mammalia: Rodentia), Stephen L. Williams, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The desert pocket gopher (Geomys arenarius), which occupies a restricted geographic range in Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua, was examined for morphological variation. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine age, sexual, individual, and geographic variation. Significant differences were found among different age classes and between sexes. Males displayed higher individual variation than females and external measurements were more variable than cranial measurements. Two subspecies--G. a. arenarius and G. a. brevirostris--were recognized after analyses of geographic variation.

Bats Are Beautiful, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The thought that "Bats are Beautiful" may bring a smile to your face as you think of these ugly little creatures hanging from the ceilings of haunted houses and flying around deserted bell towers at midnight. You may also remember old wives tales such as "all bats have rabies" or "bats try to fly into women's hair." None of these things is completely true, and some of the tales have no basis in fact whatsoever.

Actually, the 875 species of bats form a unique Order of mammals (those animals possessing hair at least somewhere on their bodies), since they are …

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 …

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 …

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.

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. …