Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Semen Collection And Fertility In Naturally Fertile Sandhill Cranes, Guojun Chen, George F. Gee, Jane M. Nicolich, Joanna A. Taylor

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Aviculturists often ask if semen collection will interfere with fertility in naturally fertile pairs of cranes. We used 12 naturally fertile Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) pairs for this study, 6 control and 6 experimental. All pairs had produced fertile eggs in previous years and were in out-of-doors pens scattered throughout different pen complexes, within auditory range but physically isolated. Semen was collected on Tuesday mornings and Friday afternoons from 26 February 1993 to 4 June 1993. We used standard artificial insemination methods to collect and to evaluate the semen and spermatozoa. Semen collection did not affect semen quality …

Results Of Eight Years Of Predator Control To Enhance Sandhill Crane Production On Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, Gary L. Ivey

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Because of a 21 % decline in breeding pairs of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) on Malheur National Wildlife Refuge from 1971 to 1985, a predator control program was initiated in 1986 to enhance production. The primary cause for the decline was low recruitment of young due to high predation by ravens (Corvus corax). raccoons (Procyon lotor), and coyotes (Canis latrans), On average, predators destroyed 46% of all crane nests and 90% of the prefledged colts. Mink (Mustela vison) were added to the program in 1993 after a study …

Long Bone Fracture Management In A Sandhill Crane: A Case Report, Patrice N. Klein, Dorothy Thompson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A 65-day-old, juvenile Mississippi sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla) sustained an oblique fracture of the right middiaphyseal femur. Internal fixation by use of an intramedullary pin and full cerclage wire was performed to stabilize the fracture site. Post-operative medical management of these fractures is often unsuccessful due to secondary complications associated with long-term restraint. This report describes the successful recovery of an endangered sandhill crane with a long bone fracture of the pelvic limb through a program of incremental physical therapy beginning 2 weeks post-femoral fracture repair. Sling support, assisted walking, and hydrotherapy were methods effective in preventing …

Resolutions Passed By The North American Crane Working Group

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

RECOGNITION OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF TOM TACHA TO CRANE RESEARCH

Participants of the Seventh North American Crane Workshop wish to recognize Tom Tacha's many contributions to the understanding of Mid-continent sandhill crane behavior, ecology, and taxonomy. Tom published 30 papers on cranes between 1979 and 1995 and was chief editor of Migratory Shore and Upland Game Bird Management in North America, published shortly before his death. Tom's Ph.D. work and other morphological and behavioral studies strongly influenced our notions of the boundaries among, and validity of. the 3 migratory sandhill crane subspecies. He set new standards for quantitative analysis of …

Natural History, Ecology And Potential Environmental Stress Of ̲A̲M̲B̲Y̲S̲T̲O̲M̲A ̲M̲A̲C̲U̲L̲A̲T̲U̲M (Le Conte) And ̲R̲A̲N̲A ̲S̲Y̲L̲V̲A̲T̲I̲C̲A (Shaw) At Dolly Sods, West Virginia, Deborah L. Wegmann

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Studies were conducted on the natural history, ecology and potential stress of Ambystoma maculatum and Rana sylvatica at Dolly Sods, West Virginia. Temperature was found to be the primary stimulus influencing spring breeding migration of both species. Breeding period of R. sylvatica was found to be short in duration, resulting in deposition of eggs in large communal masses. Migration and breeding period of A. maculatum occurred from early-April to early-May. Egg deposition occurred from mid-April to mid-May. A second egg deposition of A. maculatum occurred mid-June. Temperature was found to have a significant influence on the rate of development in …

Comparison Of Waterbird Utilization Of Two Northwest Arkansas Reservoirs, Jefferey T. Briggler, Robert C. Dobbs

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Waterbird use of two moderately-sized reservoirs in northwest Arkansas was studied in the autumns of 1993 and 1995. In addition to waterbird counts; surface area, water temperature, conductivity, pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, macrophyte presences, number of total macroin vertebrates and degree of human activity were evaluated. Lake Fayetteville supported a greater overall waterbird species richness and species abundance than Lake Wedington. The observed number of ducks per hectare showed a significant difference between the lakes in both 1993 and 1995. Surface feeding birds were significantly more abundant at Lake Fayetteville in both 1993 and 1995, whereas diving birds, which feed …

Distribution And Status Of The Ozark Shiner, Notropos Ozarcanus Meek, In Arkansas, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Ozark shiner, Notropis ozarcanus, an endemic species of the Ozark Highlands, was studied from 1994-1995 to determine its present distribution and conservation status in Arkansas. One-hundred and four collections of fishes were made from throughout the historic range of the Ozark shiner. A total of 91 Ozark shiners was collected during the two-year study. The present state distribution is described as well as the conservation status of the Ozark shiner in Arkansas. The largest populations seem to be present in the protected Buffalo River.

First Records For The Blackmask Racer (Coluber Constrictor Latrunculus) In Eastern Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The presence of the blackmask racer (Coluber constrictor latrunculus) in eastern Arkansas was first demonstrated by examination of a series of color slides of live specimens now preserved and deposited in the Arkansas State University Museum of herpetology. Adult color pattern is of paramount importance in the definition of subspecies of C. constrictor, and this is especially true for C. c. latrunculus. This subspecies is characterized by a conspicuous black stripe that extends from the postnasal, through the eye and onto the temporals or anterior dorsal scales. The dorsum is slate gray, and the venter is a pale grayish blue. …

Influence Of A Mycorrhizal Fungus And/Or Rhizobium On Growth And Biomass Partitioning Of Subterranean Clover Exposed To Ozone, Joseph E. Miller, Steven R. Shafer, Michele M. Schoeneberger, Walter A. Pursley, Stephanie J. Horton, Charles B. Davy

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The influence of soilborne symbionts such as rhizobia or mycorrhizal fungi on plant response to ozone (O₃) has not been well defined. Leguminous plants in the field are infected by both types of organisms, which influence plant nutrition and growth. We studied the effects of infection with Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii and/or Gigaspora margarita on response of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L. cv Mt. Barker) to O₃. Exposures were conducted in greenhouse CSTR chambers using four O₃ concentrations [charcoal-filtered (CF), 50, 100, or 150 ppb; 6 h day^-1, 5 day wk^{-1 …}

Description Of The Tadpole Of Atelopus Tricolor, E. O. Lavilla, Rafael O. De Sá, Ignacio De La Riva

Biology Faculty Publications

Tadpoles of Atelopus belong to the gastromyzophorous guild of exotrophic larvae (Altig and Johnston, 1989), and are characterized by the presence of a conspicuous abdominal sucker and an expanded oral disc. The larvae of several Atelopus species have been described previously: A. varius (Starrett, 1967); A. certus, A. ignescens, and A. spumarius (Duellman and Lynch, 1969); A. cruciger (Mebs, 1980); A. flavescens (Lescure, 1981); A. peruensis (Gray and Cannatella, 1985); and A. subornatus (Lynch, 1986). These represent about 15% of the known species in the genus (Frost, 1985; Duellman, 1993). Although Atelopus tricolor was originally described at the beginning of …

Relationships Between Habitat Variables And Biotic Integrity Of The Embarras River Basin, Ann Marie Hogan

Masters Theses

In agricultural watersheds, channelization and the conversion of native vegetation into agricultural crops contribute to a loss or simplification of near-stream vegetation and a reduction in the complexity of the physical stream environment. Since changes to near-stream vegetation can have a significant effect on the stream biological community, this study investigated the relationship between a habitat quality index and stream fish assessment indices used to evaluate stream quality. Fish data and stream habitat quality data were collected from 13 sampling localities associated with the Embarras River basin. Habitat quality was measured using the Stream Habitat Assessment Procedure (SHAP), while stream …