Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Dynamics, Movements, And Feeding Ecology Of A Newly Protected Wolf Population In Northwestern Minnesota, Steven H. Fritts, L. David Mech

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

The gray wolf Canis lupus occupies only about 1 percent of its former range in the lower 48 states (Mech 1974a). Most of the range is in northern Minnesota, where the resident population is classified as "threatened" by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Wolves have been and will continue to be the subject of considerable controversy in Minnesota.

The first scientific study of wolves in Minnesota was conducted by Olson (1938a,b). That and all subsequent re- search was in the Superior National Forest (SNF) of northeastern Minnesota even though wolves inhabit approximately the northern third of the state. Consequently, …

Results Of The Alcoa Foundation-Suriname Expeditions. V. Noteworthy Records Of Surinamese Mammals, Hugh H. Genoways, Stephen L. Williams, Jane A. Groen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The occurrence of seven species of mammals previously unknown in Suriname is documented. The new taxa recorded include Didelphis albiventris, Peropteryx macrotis, Lonchorhina aurita, Micronycteris hirsuta, Vampyrodes caraccioli, Furipterus horrens, and Thyroptera discifera . Additional information is provided on several species already known to occur in Suriname, including Metachirus nudicaudatus, Peronymus leucopterus, Mimon bennettii, Tonatia carrikeri, T. schulzi, Anoura geoffroyi, Choerniscus intermedius, Mesophylla macconnelli, Neaeomys guianae, Holochilus brasiliensis, and Potos fiavus.

Decay Rates And Nutrient Dynamics In Confines And Nonconfined Leaf Litter In The Great Dismal Swamp, R. Frederick K. Yates

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to quantitatively compare decay rates and nutrient dynamics by the confined and unconfined litter techniques in a seasonally flooded swamp. In this study both methods indicated the same order of decay rates among sites (cedar>maple-gum>cypress> mixed hardwood), but the unconfined method showed faster decay rates at all sites. As in two years of previous data collection, the stands exhibiting some seasonal flooding showed greater decay rates than the mixed hardwood stand which was not inundated. Nutrient dynamics were not different between litter bag and leaf pack methods.

This study included a preliminary investigation of …

The Seasonality Of Occurrence Of Larval And Juvenile Sciaenids In A Virginia Seaside Estuary, James Howard Cowan Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The seasonality of occurrence and relative abundance of larval and juvenile fishes, particularly members of the family Sciaenidae, from a Virginia seaside estuary were determined from ichthyoplankton and trawl collections made from March 1979 to March 1980.

The larvae of 20 species distributed among 15 families were identified from the ichthyoplankton. Larvae of the bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli, and the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia, dominated the samples and made up 57 and 34%, respectively, of all larvae collected. Peak occurrence began in May and continued through August. Fish larvae were present in the study area all year.

Twenty-eight …

The Use Of Microscopic Vegetative Characteristics And Leaf Characteristics And Leaf Deterioration Rates In The Formulation Of Keys Of Some Wetland Plants, Bruce Foy Williams

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Leaves of Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, Spartina cynosuroides, Distichlis spicata, Phragmites communis, Juncus roemerianus, Scirpus robustus, Typha latifolia, Iva frutescens, and Baccharis halimifolia were examined microscopically. Characteristics of each species were then used to develop identification keys. In addition, leaf fragments were buried in the marsh substrate to simulate a dredging and/or filling operation. At weekly intervals during each season of the year, a leaf fragment of each species was processed and examined to see if it could be identified.

Breeding Birds Of Two Atlantic White Cedar Stands In The Great Dismal Swamp, Karen Terwilliger

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Breeding birds were censused during two years in two Atlantic white cedar stands of the Great Dismal Swamp, and a comparison was made with census results of the predominant swamp community, maple-gum. The maple-gum site had a higher bird species diversity than either cedar site but supported only half the density. The century-old cedar site had the highest species richness while the younger cedar site had the highest density.

Cluster analysis placed the avifauna into distinct groups which closely corresponded to the vegetative strata of the stands. Species were ordered along the height gradient using principal coordinate and detrended correspondence …

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 …

Effect Of Simulated Tidal Patterns On Growth And Growth Line Formation In The Little Neck Clam, Protothaca Staminea, Orlando Irsula

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Growth lines in bivalve mollusks have been thought to reflect solar days, circadian rhythms and/or tides. Tides seem to be the dominating influence in some intertidal species. This study provides laboratory evidence suggesting that tides are a major influence in the number of growth lines in the clam Protothaca staminea.

Clams were grown under 4 different "tidal" regimes, (0, 1, 2 and 3 tides per day) for forty-one days. Acetate peels of shell cross sections were used for growth line counting. Photomicrographs and measurements showed a striking difference in the growth and number of growth lines between the 4 tidal …

Maine's Whitewater Rapids And Their Relevance To The Critical Areas Program, Janet Mcmahon

Maine Collection

Maine's Whitewater Rapids and Their Relevance to the Critical Areas Program

by Janet McMahon

Planning Report No. 74, Critical Areas Program, 184 State St., Augusta, Maine,

April, 1981 (additions made in October, 1981). Reprinted July, 1983.

Contents: Introduction / Natural History of Whitewater Rapids / Methods / Criteria / Results / Conclusions / General Evaluation of Whitewater Rapids for Inclusion on the Register of Critical Areas / Bibliography / Action Plan

Pentatomidae Of Arkansas, Harvey E. Barton, Linda A. Lee

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A total of 30 genera and 53 species and subspecies of Pentatomidae are reported as occurring or possibly occurring in Arkansas. Fifty species and subspecies contained in 29 genera were collected or recorded from previously collected material. Based on distributional records in the literature, three additional species and one genus are listed as probably occurring in Arkansas. County and seasonal records are reported for each taxon.

Flying Insect Populations As Sampled By Malaise Trap On Crowley's Ridge In Northeast Arkansas, Lynita M. Cooksey, Harvey E. Barton

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Malaise trap collections from woodlot and open field sampling sites on Crowley's Ridge yielded 10,830 individuals during the months of May, July and September, 1980. Greatest numbers of insects were collected in May, with fewest in September. Four orders comprised 97% of the total catch: Diptera (57%), Lepidoptera (17%), Hymenoptera (15%) and Homoptera (8%). Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Odonata and Orthoptera comprised the remaining 3%. Ordinal composition and seasonal occurrence patterns are discussed and compared for the two sampling sites.

Is Nature Our Birthright?, Nancy Heneson

Ecology Collection

It is of course impossible to escape the notion of self-interest in our relationship with nature. In fact, it is "unnatural," if one understands (and, one is forced to say nowadays, believes in) evolution. However, there is no real justification for either disguising this as stewardship or perverting it into dominionism. Every organism has an impact on the environment, and it is not only idealistic but biologically nonsensical to argue that we should leave everything alone. However, when decisions on policy are made which direct the future use of land, plants and animals, at least let the rationale not be …

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 …

Occurrence Of The Land Planarians Bipalium Kewense And Geoplana Sp. In Arkansas, James J. Daly, Julian T. Darlington

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Correlation Of Hook-And-Line Vulnerability Of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) With Selected Physicochemical Parameters At Ridge Lake, Dale P. Burkett

Masters Theses

Fluctuation in kilograms of largemouth bass caught per man-hour of fishing pressure (catch rate) in Ridge Lake (a 6.8ha impoundment located in Fox Ridge State Park, Coles County, Illinois) was positively correlated with dissolved oxygen concentration (r=0.7490), conductivity (r=0.7439), pH (r=0.5965), and alkalinity (r=0.7531). Negative correlations were found between largemouth bass catch rate and turbidity (r=-0.5145), as well as ammonia (r=-0.4694). No significant (p<0.05) correlations were found between catch rate and column water temperature, air temperature, barometric pressure, water level, maximum water temperature, minimum water temperature, maximum air temperature, or minimum air temperature.

Models describing the relationships of the most significant physicochemical parameters to catch rate of largemouth bass were chosen to represent the effects of environment …

Microhabitat Distribution And Its Effect Of Prey Utilization In Sympatric Populations Of Plethodon Glutinosus And Plethodon Dorsalis In Northwestern Arkansas, James M. Britton

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A study was done on sympatric populations of Plethodon glutinosus and P. dorsalis in northwestern Arkansas to determine the relative distribution of the two species and the relationship between their distribution and the utilization of available prey. Upon capture, total length, location, and habitat type were recorded for each salamander. Stomach content samples were obtained by forced regurgitation, and the animals were released. Samples of the local litter fauna were taken to determine prey availability. Habitat data were obtained for 171 salamanders; 76 P. glutinosus and 95 P. dorsalis. Stomach content samples were taken from 67 salamanders; 32 P. glutinosus …

Seasonal Abundance, Movement And Diversity Of Fishes In An Ozark Stream, Michael R. Dewey

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Seasonal fluctuations in fish abundance in Mud Creek occurred throughout the year at all sampling stations. At the two upper stations abundance was high and unstable during winter and early spring and decreased after heavy rainfall in mid-April. Abundance was low throughout the summer months, increasing in the fall due to large numbers of young-of-the-year. However, a different seasonal cycle occurred at the lower station which included deeper pools. Numbers were low and stable throughout the winter and early spring but high and unstable during the summer. Bigeye shiners (Notropis boops) and bluntnose minnows (Pimephales notatus) were the most mobile …

Preliminary Report On The Fishes Of The Upper Saline River, Polk And Howard Counties, Arkansas, And Observations On Their Relationships With Land Use And Physiochemical Conditions, Stephen A. Sewell

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Saline River of southwest Arkansas was impounded by Dierks Lake in 1975. Intensive collecting efforts were made in the river system above Dierks Lake during March, April, and May 1980. Collected specimens were compared with ichthyofaunal lists prior to impoundment. Historic occurrants which were not collected include Notropis amnis, Notropis ortenburgeri, Moxostoma duquesnei, Ammocrypta vivax, and Percina copelandi. Additions to the ichthyofaunal list for the drainage include Fundulus notatus, Etheostoma spectabile, and Percina caprodes. The evidence indicates that 33 species representing six families inhabit the system from the headwaters in Polk County, Arkansas, to Dierks Lake, Howard County, Arkansas. …

Crowley's Ridge Biological Station--An Educational Center, Jewel E. Moore, Inez Hartsoe

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

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 …

Seasonal Variations In Water Chemistry And Primary Productivity In Four Alkaline Lakes In The Sandhills Of Western Nebraska, John A. Schnagl

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

Between the Platte and Niobrara Rivers in western and central Nebraska lie over 25,000 square kilometers of dune sand. The dunes have lost their sculptured shapes and windswept edges, being shrouded beneath a mantle of grass and fine loess soil. Only at the blowouts, where wind has cut away this mantle forming cavities in the sides of hills, is the sand exposed.

Dotting this rolling prairie grassland in the depressions between the dunes are small lakes. Over 2000 lakes of widely varied salinities and alkalinities accent the topography of the dunes.

Blue Lake, Roundup Lake, Goose Lake, and Bob’s Lake, …

Methods For Biological, Chemical, And Physical Analyses In Reservoirs, Penelope E. Kellar, Sherell A. Paulson, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

This manual contains detailed descriptions of biological, chemical and physical sampling and analytical procedures used at the Lake Mead Limnological Research Center. The manual was prepared in response to requests made by numerous individuals involved in the Las Vegas Valley Water Quality Program. This manual represents what we consider to be a reasonably complete compilation of methods useful in studying both general and specific limnological questions. While each section is sufficiently detailed to be of use to investigators with little experience in limnological methodology, the methods can be used on a wide variety of lakes and reservoirs, with relatively little …

Geochemical And Biogeochemical Interactions In A Hot Spring, William Delis Knox

Dissertations and Theses

Southeast Harney Lake Hot Spring and its effluent channel were examined for spatial and temporal variations in the concentrations of several chemical species, viz. dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, phosphate-phosphorous, nitrate and nitrite-nitrogen, conductivity, chloride, flouride, temperature, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Phosphate-phosphorous and nitrate-nitrogen both exhibited downstream increases in concentration. pH and alkalinity increased also, mainly due to CO₂ evolution and temperature mediated carbon species redistribution. The diurnal pH and alkalinity curves exhibited depressions during the daylight hours due to the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate within the pool and effluent stream.

An Evaluation Of Small Rodent Populations In Four Dismal Swamp Plant Communities, Fiona Elizabeth Breidling

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Diversity and density of small rodents in the Dismal Swamp are believed to be low. Reasons for this may be excessive predation, heavy interspecific pressure from larger rodents, lack of suitable habitat, low food availability or flooding.

Rodent populations were evaluated using live-traps and pitfall traps in four different Dismal Swamp plant communities. Habitat was compared on the basis of phytomass studies previously reported. Flood levels were recorded during live-trapping sessions. Mast from trees was collected in modified mast collectors, and fed to Peromyscus leucopus in the laboratory. Mast was analyzed for caloric value and nutrient content.

Only two …

Litter Production And Nutrient Content Of Litter In The Seasonally Flooded Dismal Swamp, Marta M. Gomez

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Litter production was studied in four plant communities in the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia, that differ primarily in species composition and flooding regime. Greatest leaf deposition occurred in the more flooded communities, maple-gum (Acer-Nyssa) with 536 g m^-2 yr^-1 and cypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Richard) with 528 g m^-2 yr^-1, followed by the cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) BSP) and mixed hardwood (Quercus-Acer-Nyssa-Liquidambar) communities with 506 g m^-2 yr^-1 and 455 g m^-2 yr^-1, respectively. Litter nutrient concentrations were generally higher in the cypress and maple-gum stands, indicating greater nutrient availability …

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 …

Sampling Problems And Interpretation Of Chemical Analysis Of Mineral Springs Used By Wildlife, D. Fraser, E. Reardon, F. Dieken, B. Loescher

Habitat Assessment and Management Collection

Mineral-rich springs used by wildlife were studied in order to develop an appropriate sampling technique. The mineral content of the water varied spatially within a lick, apparently because of contamination by nonlick water and animal urine. The spring source usually could be located with a conductivity meter. Samples contaminated by animal urine could be recognized by their high N content and usually by their color. The distinctive chemical composition of licks is best appreciated by comparing filtered samples of lick water with nonlick water collected nearby. Field filtration was necessary when samples were preserved with acid for trace-metal analysis. Soil …

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 …