Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Olfactory Lures In Predator Control Do Not Increase Predation Risk To Birds In Areas Of Conservation Concern, Page Klug, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Robert N. Reed

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Lethal control of predators is often undertaken to protect species of conservation concern. Traps are frequently baited to increase capture efficacy, but baited traps can potentially increase predation risk by attracting predators to protected areas. This is especially important if targeted predators can escape capture due to low trap success. Snake traps using live mouse lures may be beneficial if traps effectively remove snakes in the presence of birds and do not attract additional snakes to the area.

Aims. The present study evaluated whether mouse-lure traps in areas occupied by birds (simulated by deploying birdlure traps) could influence predation …

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 …

Table Of Contents, Taxonomic Report Of The International Lepidoptera Survey, October 1, 1998–December 20, 2022, International Lepidoptera Survey

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Table of contents for all issues of the Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey from October 1, 1998 (volume 1, issue 1) through December 20, 2022 (volume 10, issue 10).

Plague Risk In The Western United States Over Seven Decades Of Environmental Change, Colin J. Carlson, Sarah N. Bevins, Boris V. Schmid

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

After several pandemics over the last two millennia, the wildlife reservoirs of plague (Yersinia pestis) now persist around the world, including in the western United States. Routine surveillance in this region has generated comprehensive records of human cases and animal seroprevalence, creating a unique opportunity to test how plague reservoirs are responding to environmental change. Here, we test whether animal and human data suggest that plague reservoirs and spillover risk have shifted since 1950. To do so, we develop a new method for detecting the impact of climate change on infectious disease distributions, capable of disentangling long-term trends (signal) and …

Analysis Of Hematocrit Levels In Walleye Sander Vitreus From Similar Waterbodies, Alyssa Hauser

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Walleye Sander vitreus are a popular fish among anglers and hold a prominent place in Minnesotan’s identity as their state fish. Because of this, multiple management practices are used to ensure the continued health of their populations within Minnesota waters. In this study, the process of analyzing hematocrit levels was used to determine if the analysis of hematological parameters could be a useful tool in detecting differences in population health. To evaluate this, blood samples were acquired from age-0 and age-1 fish from two similar lakes and run through a hematocrit centrifuge to separate platelets from plasma to read the …

Bottom-Up Effects Of Degradation Outweighs Stabilizing Potential Of Omnivores, Hannah Marie Moore

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic activities have led to degradation in streams throughout much of Western North America. In particular, cattle grazing has led to a loss of riparian vegetation resulting in higher water temperatures and an increase in nutrient runoff. The effects of degradation on food quality and quantity for aquatic consumers could have large implications for stream communities. Since omnivores feed at multiple trophic levels, they may be resilient to altered food webs, which may allow them to stabilize communities in degraded environments where resources have been reduced. To test the hypothesis that omnivores positively impact community stability in degraded conditions, I …

Understanding Caribou Population Cycles, Jack R. St. John

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The complex population dynamics of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) were studied to determine the patterns of their population cycles and the processes driving them. It is well established, via previous archaeological research and Indigenous knowledge, that large migrating caribou herds found in and around the tundra at northern latitudes experience population boom and busts roughly every several decades. However, the processes driving the dynamics of these cycles are relatively unknown, which makes managing caribou herds for recreational and subsistence harvests difficult. It has been hypothesized that a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors shape these cycles, with density-dependence, predation, …

Observations Of Whooping Crane Parental Provisioning Of Chicks, Glenn H. Olsen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Crane chicks are dependent on parent birds for provisioning during the first few months of life, but no study has examined this provisioning in detail. In 2014 research staff at the U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center (formerly Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), in Laurel, Maryland, made multiple observations of parent whooping cranes (Grus americana) feeding or interacting with their chick during the 3 months from hatching to fledging. Both parents participated in the feeding of the chick and only 1 chick was raised by each pair of parent whooping cranes. Initially feeding frequency was low (0-20 times …

Surveys And Population Estimates Of A Distinctive Subpopulation Of Sandhill Cranes In The Fraser River Lowlands Of British Columbia, Myles M. Lamont

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A poorly understood subpopulation of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) breeds at scattered locations in the lower Fraser River Valley on the south coast of British Columbia. The area also harbors the northernmost population of overwintering sandhill cranes anywhere in its range. While sporadic monitoring has been carried out since the mid-1960s, no formal survey efforts have been attempted for the entire Fraser River lowland subpopulation. During 2014-2019 we collected groundbased survey data on presence and occupation of territories within the study area; this effort was supported by citizen science contributions. On 20 June 2019, we flew a fixed-width, …

Whooping Crane Nest Building In Southwest Indiana, Amy J. Kearns, Hillary L. Thompson, Allisyn-Marie T. Y. Gillet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The first documented case of whooping crane (Grus americana) nest building in Indiana is described. During spring 2015, a pair of whooping cranes did not leave their wintering grounds in Gibson County, Indiana, to return to their summering area in Wisconsin. Three nest platforms were discovered after the death of the female crane. To date, this is the only documented example of a whooping crane pair in the reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) building nest platforms outside of Wisconsin. Although fidelity to the core nesting areas in Wisconsin is strong, and natal dispersal is usually <30 km, this example from Indiana shows that whooping cranes in the EMP may have the potential to pioneer nesting areas far outside of core reintroduction areas.

Summary Of Mortality Among Captive Cranes At The International Crane Foundation: 2000–2020, Barry K. Hartup, Robert Phillips

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We reviewed mortalities of captive cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) between 2000 and 2020 to provide broad insights into contemporary factors affecting the collection’s health and survival. Sixty-three deaths were documented in 13 of 15 crane species held in the ICF collection. The mean annual mortality during the study was 2.6% and the mean age (±SD) at death was 28.4 (±12.7) years. The overall total number of deaths of males and females was similar, but there was an association between sex and death of adult versus geriatric (>25 years) cranes (P < 0.01); males were more likely to die at geriatric age than females. Deaths were commonly associated with chronic health and management problems (n = 44, 79%) versus …

Florida Sandhill Crane Relocates Egg During Incubation, Timothy A. Dellinger, Miranda L. Watford, Ronald R. Bielefeld

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Anecdotal accounts of birds moving their eggs to a new location have been reported in shorebirds, waterfowl, and woodpeckers. We report relocation of an egg, 2 days prior to hatching, by an adult Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis). We do not know why the egg was moved, but egg movement among other species appears to be associated with nest disturbance by humans, animals, or environmental conditions.

Initial Evaluation Of Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Enzyme Immunoassay For Use With Crane Semen Samples, Megan E. Brown, Kim Boardman, Katie L. Edwards

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The management of ex situ and in situ populations of many wildlife species requires detailed knowledge of a species’ reproductive biology. For species such as cranes, where artificial insemination is a critical component of ex situ management strategies, understanding normal sperm function is especially important. Previous research has shown that captive cranes exhibit highly variable production and quality of semen samples produced by individual males and high levels of variation of cell concentration and motility across different species. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) has been implicated in regulating sperm function, such as cell motility, and may affect an individual’s ability …

How Stressful Is It To Move? Whooping Crane Glucocorticoid Response During Facility Transfer, Megan E. Brown, Christopher Martin, Christopher Crowe, Sprina Lui, Nucharin Songsasen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The ability to transfer animals between different facilities for genetic management is a critical component to the success of any cooperatively managed captive animal population despite the high cost and the need for a high level of coordination in logistical planning. Two issues of concern are the magnitude of potential stress responses incurred during shipment of adult cranes to a new facility and the duration of elevated glucocorticoid production during the acclimation periods. The objectives of this project were to assess adrenal responses of whooping cranes (Grus americana) during transfer from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) to …

Wetlandology: A Kid's Book About Wetlands, Grace Gaard, Ted Lagrange

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

What is a Wetland? You might think that any land that is wet would be a wetland, right? But if the occurrence of water was the only thing that made a wetland a wetland, then deeper parts of oceans and rivers would be considered wetlands. And we know that is not true! So, what actually makes a wetland a wetland? Wetlands are defined by three things:

1. Soil

2. Plants

3. Hydrology

Wetlands are spread throughout Nebraska, but it is useful to identify some of the larger wetland complexes in the state. Wetlands can be found everywhere! All rivers and …

Guide To Nebraska's Wetlands And Their Conservation Needs, Third Edition, 2022, Ted Lagrange

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Wetlands: a source of great interest, and at times conflict. Wetlands represent different things to different people. To some people they may be considered shallow, muddy nuisances whereas to others they are considered to be wonderful, varied, and productive assets. This is because wetlands take on many roles as part of an elaborate and dynamic system. Understanding wetlands requires understanding the complex and varying roles they can play. To aid in this understanding, this guide defines wetlands, discusses their importance and dynamics, identifies threats and losses, describes conservation programs, and takes an in-depth look at Nebraska’s regional wetland complexes.

Nebraska’s …

Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt, Megan Figura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tallgrass prairie of North America has changed drastically since colonial settlement, with up to 99% of this region converted for agriculture and other land-uses. Concurrent with grassland conversion, grassland birds have experienced the most extreme, consistent, and widespread population declines of any avian guild. Agricultural lands in the U.S. Midwest were able to provide adequate habitat for several bird species until the 1950’s; however, altered and intensified management practices have degraded much of remaining suitable habitat and undermined ecosystem functions. Consequently, many grassland birds have been identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in many State Wildlife Action …

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 …

Changes In The Minnesota Northern Pike Population Over The Past Thirty Years, Joey Severin

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Northern pike Esox lucius are one of the most popular game fish in Minnesota. Many anglers have noticed that northern pike seemed to decrease in size throughout much of this state. Catch per unit of effort (CPUE) drives average weight for northern pike; within lakes, as CPUE goes up average weight decreases. Decreases in size has led the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) to implement new regulations on northern pike. The MNDNR noticed that not all the state has this same problem with Northern Pike, and has broken down the state into three zones, with different protected slots and …

Experimental Elucidation Of The Life Cycle Of Drepanocephalus Spathans (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) With Notes On The Morphological Plasticity Of D. Spathans In The United States, Neely R. Alberson, Thomas G. Rosser, Tommy King, Ethan T. Woodyard, Lester Khoo, Wes A. Baumgartner, Daviod J. Wise, Linda M. Pote, Fred L. Cunningham, Matt J. Griffin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The echinostomatid Drepanocephalus spathans (syn. Drepanocephalus auritus) parasitizes the doublecrested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus. In North America, the marsh rams-horn snail Planorbella trivolvis and ghost rams-horn snail Biomphalaria havanensis serve as snail intermediate hosts, both of which inhabit catfish aquaculture ponds in the southeastern United States. Studies have demonstrated D. spathans exposure can be lethal to juvenile channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Two studies were undertaken to elucidate the life cycle of D. spathans to establish a developmental time line. In both studies, D. spathans cercariae collected from naturally infected P. trivolvis individuals were used to infect channel catfish …

Scavenging Vs Hunting Affects Behavioral Traits Of An Opportunistic Carnivore, Mitchell A. Parsons, Andrew Garcia, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background. Human-induced changes to ecosystems transform the availability of resources to predators, including altering prey populations and increasing access to anthropogenic foods. Opportunistic predators are likely to respond to altered food resources by changing the proportion of food they hunt versus scavenge. These shifts in foraging behavior will affect species interactions through multiple pathways, including by changing other aspects of predator behavior such as boldness, innovation, and social structure. Methods. To understand how foraging behavior impacts predator behavior, we conducted a controlled experiment to simulate hunting by introducing a prey model to captive coyotes (Canis latrans) and compared their behavior …

Influence Of Landscape Attributes On Virginia Opossum Density, David A. Bernasconi, Wesley C. Dixon, Matthew T. Hamilton, James L. Helton, Richard B. Chipman, Amy T. Gilbert, James C. Beasley, Olin E. Rhodes Jr., Guha Dharmarajan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

TheVirginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), North America's only marsupial, has a range extending from southern Ontario, Canada, to the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, and from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific. Despite the Virginia opossum's taxonomic uniqueness in relation to other mammals in North America and rapidly expanding distribution, its ecology remains relatively understudied. Our poor understanding of the ecology of this important mesopredator is especially pronounced in the rural southeastern United States. Our goal was to estimate effects of habitat on opossum density within an extensive multiyear spatial capture‐recapture study. Additionally, we compared the results of this spatial capture‐recapture …

Multidisciplinary Engagement For Fencing Research Informs Efficacy And Rancher-To-Researcher Knowledge Exchange, Matthew Hyde, Stewart W. Breck, Alex Few, Jared Beaver, Joshua Schrecengost, Jim Stone, Cameron Krebs, Russell Talmo, Kari Eneas, Rae Nickerson, Kyran E. Kunkel, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Across much of the Western United States, recovery of large carnivore populations is creating new challenges for livestock producers. Reducing the risks of sharing the landscape with recovering wildlife populations is critical to private working lands, which play an vital role in securing future energy, water, food, and fiber for an ever-expanding human population. Fencing is an important mitigation practice that many ranchers, land managers, and conservationists implement to reduce carnivore-livestock conflict. While fencing strategies have been reviewed in the literature, research seldom incorporates knowledge from the people who utilize fencing the most (i.e., livestock producers). Incorporating producers and practitioners …

Efficacy Of Non-Lethal Molecular Methods In Elucidating Distribution Of Gray Treefrog Complex (Hyla Chrysoscelis/Versicolor) In Kansas, Nora K. Lazerus

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Globally, amphibians are the most imperiled vertebrate taxa in part because they rely on both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Specifically, their permeable skin makes them uniquely susceptible to habitat degradation and alteration. Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) and the Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor) are a diploid-tetraploid, morphologically indistinguishable sister pair of cryptic anurans native to Kansas. Since 1987, the distribution of gray treefrogs in Kanas has extended west but the status of each species in the complex in Kansas is not known beyond its documented combined western expansion. Currently, species identification cannot be determined by nonlethal …

In Memory: James E. “Jim” Miller, Scott R. Craven

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This "In Memory" article honors the life and contributions of James E. “Jim” Miller.

Bat Mortality At Ontario Wind Farms Quantified And Compared Using Four Candidate Estimator Equations, Bethany G. Thurber, Catherine B. Jardine, J. Ryan Zimmerling

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wind farm development is expanding globally. While wind energy is a low-cost option for new electricity supply, the impacts to wildlife populations, including bats (Chiroptera), are of ecological concern. To quantify these impacts, scientists have developed estimator equations to estimate bat mortality, which vary in assumptions related to correction factors. We compared the results of 4 estimators applied to post-construction monitoring data from Ontario, Canada, wind farms to evaluate the effects of field methods and correction factors on estimator consistency. To conduct our study, we obtained data from 21 wind farms between 2011 and 2017 for a total of 26 …

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.

Longevity Of An Immunocontraceptive Vaccine Effect On Fecundity In Rats, Rebecca Pinkham, Douglas C. Eckery, Richard E. Mauldin, M. Gomm, F. Hill, F. Vial, G. Massei

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Increases in human-wildlife conflicts alongside cultural shifts against lethal control methods are driving the need for alternative wildlife management tools such as fertility control. Contraceptive formulations suitable for oral delivery would permit broader remote application in wildlife species.

This study evaluated the contraceptive effect and immune response to two novel injectable immunocontraceptive formulations targeting the Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH): MAF-IMX294 and MAF-IMX294P conjugates, both identified as having potential as oral contraceptives. The study also explored whether in multiparous species immunocontraceptives may either totally prevent reproduction or also affect litter size.

Female rats, chosen as a model species, were given three …

Rapid Changes In Public Perception Toward A Conservation Initiative, Rebecca Niemiec, Richard E.W. Berl, Mireille Gonzalez, Tara L. Teel, Jonathan Salerno, Stewart Breck, Cassiopeia Camara, Matthew Collins, Courtney Scholtz, Dana Hoag, Kevin R. Crooks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rapid, widespread changes in public perceptions and behaviors have the potential to influence conservation outcomes. However, few studies have documented whether and how such shifts occur throughout the span of a conservation initiative. We examined the 2020 ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves into Colorado, which passed with less support than prior surveys had estimated. We conducted a postelection survey of Colorado residents using the same methods as our preelection survey to compare responses between surveys and to official election results. Reported voting in favor of wolf reintroduction in the postelection survey decreased in comparison to voting intentions shared in the …

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 …