Agricultural Science Commons^™

Evaluation Of Pumpkin Cultivars No-Till Direct-Seeded And No-Till Transplanted Into Wheat Stubble, Indiana 2005, Elizabeth T. Maynard

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Double-cropping pumpkins after wheat provides an opportunity to harvest a high-value crop off of land that might otherwise remain uncropped. In northern Indiana, many jack-o- lantern pumpkin cultivars may not mature quickly enough to produce a crop when planted in mid-July. This paper reports yield and fruit size of five cultivars or lines direct-seeded or transplanted into wheat stubble at the Pinney-Purdue Ag Center in Wanatah, Indiana.

Jalapeño Pepper Cultivar Evaluation, Northern Indiana, 2004, Elizabeth T. Maynard

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

This paper reports on twelve jalapeño pepper cultivars were evaluated at the Pinney-Purdue Ag Center in Wanatah, Indiana. Characteristics of interest included yield, and fruit size and shape, wall thickness, and plant size.

Evaluation Of Pumpkin Cultivars No-Till Direct-Seeded And No-Till Transplanted Into Wheat Stubble, Indiana 2004, Elizabeth T. Maynard

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Double-cropping pumpkins after wheat provides an opportunity to harvest a high-value crop off of land that might otherwise remain uncropped. In northern Indiana, many jacko- lantern pumpkin cultivars may not mature quickly enough to produce a crop when planted in mid-July. This project compared yield and fruit size of eight cultivars or lines when they were either direct-seeded or transplanted into wheat stubble.

Isolation And Characterization Of A Bovine Visceral Endoderm Cell Line Derived From A Parthenogenetic Blastocyst, Neil C. Talbot, Thomas J. Caperna, Anne M. Powell, Alan D. Ealy, Le Ann Blomberg, Wesley M. Garrett

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A cell line, BPE-1, was derived from a parthenogenetic 8-d in vitro-produced bovine blastocyst that produced a cell outgrowth on STO feeder cells. The BPE-1 cells resembled visceral endoderm previously cultured from blastocysts produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Analysis of the BPE-1 cells demonstrated that they produced serum proteins and were negative for interferon-tau production (a marker of trophectoderm). Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the cells were a polarized epithelium connected by complex junctions resembling tight junctions in conjunction with desmosomes. Rough endoplasmic reticulum was prominent within the cells as were lipid vacuoles. Immunocytochemistry indicated the BPE-1 cells …

Evaluation Of Oviposition Substrates And Organic Infusions On Collection Of Culex In Florida, Sandra Allan, Ulrich R. Bernier, David Kline

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Gravid mosquito traps are commonly used for both arbovirus surveillance and population surveillance of mosquitoes of the genus Culex. Oviposition substrates, used as baits in these traps, were tested against Culex under laboratory and field conditions. In the laboratory all substrates tested as 1% and 10% dilutions in 2-choice bioassays against female Cx. quinquefascians were significantly more effective than well water controls in eliciting oviposition. Strongest responses were to dilutions of dairy effluent, followed by larval water and infusions of alfalfa hay, alfalfa pellets, Bermuda hay, oak leaves, and Typha leaves, with lowest responses to cow manure infusion. …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Mosquito Traps Baited With A Synthetic Human Odor Blend To Capture Aedes Aegypti, Ivoneide M. Silva, Alvaro E. Eiras, Daniel L. Kline, Ulrich R. Bernier

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A synthetic blend of chemicals comprising volatiles released by the human body has been shown to be an effective attractant for female Aedes aegypti in olfactometer bioassays with laboratory-reared mosquitoes. We report the laboratory evaluation of Ae. aegypti response to a synthetic blend tested with 4 types of mosquito traps (CDC model 512, CDC model 1012, CFG, and Fay–Prince traps). Aedes aegypti females were attracted significantly by the blend. The higher release rate of attractant (320.2 ± 10.71 mg/h) more efficiently attracted mosquitoes than the lower release rate (42.0 ± 2.3 mg/h). Although both the Fay–Prince and CFG traps caught …

Influence Of Dietary Crude Protein Concentration And Source On Potential Ammonia Emissions From Beef Cattle Manure, N. A. Cole, R. N. Clark, R. W. Todd, C. R. Richardson, A. Gueye, L. W. Greene, K. Mcbride

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Emissions of ammonia, as well as other gases and particulates, to the atmosphere are a growing concern of livestock producers, the general public, and regulators. The concentration and ruminal degradability of CP in beef cattle diets may affect urinary and fecal excretion of N and thus may affect ammonia emissions from beef cattle feed yards. To determine the effects of dietary CP concentration and degradability on potential ammonia emissions, 54 steers were randomly assigned to nine dietary treatments in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Treatments consisted of three dietary CP concentrations (11.5, 13, and 14.5%) and three …

Laboratory Bioassays Of Entomopathogenic Fungi For Control Of Delia Radicum (L.) Larvae, Denny J. Bruck, Jane E. Snelling, Amy J. Dreves, Stefan T. Jaronski

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Laboratory soil bioassays were performed at economic Weld rates for in-furrow (3.85 x 10⁶ spores/g dry soil) and broadcast (3.85 x 10⁵ spores/g dry soil) applications with three isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae (F52, ATCC62176, and ARSEF5520) and one isolate of Beauveria bassiana (GHA). All isolates tested were infective to second instar Delia radicum (L.). The conditionally registered M. anisopliae isolate (F52) performed best killing an average of 85 and 72% of D. radicum larvae at the high and low concentration, respectively. The mean LC50 and LC95 of F52 against second instar D. radicum was 2.7 x 10^{6 …}

Involvement Of Acetosyringone In Plant–Pathogen Recognition, C. Jacyn Baker, Norton M. Mock, Bruce D. Whitaker, Daniel P. Roberts, Clifford P. Rice, Kenneth L. Deahl, Andrey A. Aver'yanov

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

In this study, acetosyringone was identified as one of the major extracellular phenolics in tobacco suspension cells and was shown to have bioactive properties that influence early events in plant–bacterial pathogenesis. In our model system, tobacco cell suspensions treated with bacterial isolate Pseudomonas syringae WT (HR+) undergo a resistant interaction characterized by a burst in oxygen uptake several hours after inoculation. When the extracellular concentration of acetosyringone in tobacco cell suspensions was supplemented with exogenous acetosyringone, the burst in oxygen uptake occurred as much as 1.5 h earlier. The exogenous acetosyringone had no effect on tobacco suspensions undergoing susceptible interactions …

Apoplastic Redox Metabolism: Synergistic Phenolic Oxidation And A Novel Oxidative Burst, C. Jacyn Baker, Daniel P. Roberts, Norton M. Mock, Bruce D. Whitaker, Kenneth L. Deahl, Andrey A. Aver'yanov

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The plant apoplast is an important mediator of communication between the cell cytoplasm and its surroundings. Plant cell suspensions offer a convenient model system to gain insight into apoplastic physiology. Here, we describe a novel phenomenon that took place when two naturally occurring phenolics were added together to either soybean or tobacco cell suspensions. Acetosyringone (AS) and/or hydroxyacetophenone (HAP), phenolics found in the extracellular/apoplast of tobacco cells, were added to soybean or tobacco cell suspensions undergoing an oxidative burst. Individually, AS appeared to be utilized as a typical peroxidase substrate to scavenge hydrogen peroxide, while HAP was utilized at a …

Induction Of Redox Sensitive Extracellular Phenolics During Plant–Bacterial Interactions, C. Jacyn Baker, Bruce D. Whitaker, Daniel P. Roberts, Norton M. Mock, Clifford P. Rice, Kenneth L. Deahl, Andrey A. Aver'yanov

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

This study focuses on the transient and complex nature of phenolics that accumulate in the extracellular environment of plant suspension cells during the first few hours of the interaction between these plant cells and bacterial pathogens. Using suspension cells of Nicotiana tabacum we identified four acetophenones and four hydroxycinnamic acid amides that accumulate in this extracellular environment. Treatment of the suspension cells with isolates of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae or heat-killed bacteria increased elicitation of extracellular phenolics and changed the composition of the compounds that accumulated. These phenolics were sensitive to oxidative stress; when suspension cells were treated with …

From Metchnikoff To Monsanto And Beyond: The Path Of Microbial Control, Jeffrey C. Lord

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

In 125 years since Metchnikoff proposed the use of Metarhizium anisopliae to control the wheat cockchafer and brought about the first field trials, microbial control has progressed from the application of naturalists’ observations to biotechnology and precision delivery. This review highlights major milestones in its evolution and presents a perspective on its current direction. Fungal pathogens, the most eye-catching agents, dominated the early period, but major mycological control efforts for chinch bugs and citrus pests in the US had questionable success, and interest waned. The discoveries of Bacillus popilliae and Bacillus thuringiensis began the era of practical and commercially viable …

Lamb Production Of Dorper, Katahdin, And St. Croix Bred In Summer, Winter, Or Spring In The Southeastern United States, J. M. Burke

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Ewe production traits and ability to breed out of season were compared for the Dorper (DO), Katahdin (KA), and St. Croix (SC) breeds between 2000 and 2005. Sheep were managed on grass pasture and were supplemented with corn/soybean meal and free-choice, trace-mineral mix. Ewes were exposed to rams of their respective breeds in late summer (August/September), winter (December), or spring (April/ May) for 30-day breeding periods. Lambs were weighed at birth and 60 days of age. Pregnancy and lambing rates and litter birth weight were greater for all breeds bred in winter and lowest in spring. Pregnancy losses were greater …

Feedlot Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of Lambs Sired By Texel, Romanov, St. Croix Or Dorset Rams From Polypay And St. Croix Ewes, W. A. Phillips, M. A. Brown, H. G. Dolezal, G. Q. Fitch

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Over a 2-year period, crossbred lambs resulting from the mating of Texel (T), Romanov (R), and St. Croix (S) rams with Polypay (P) and S ewes, were finished during the summer and late fall to determine feedlot performance and carcass characteristics. A total of 175 wether lambs of the five genotypes (R x P, R x S, S x S, T x P and T x S) were fed a high-energy diet for an average of 110 d (Experiment 1). Purebred St. Croix lambs weighed less (P < 0.05) at the beginning and end of the finishing period, had the lowest average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.05), and the lowest Gain:Feed (P < 0.10) of the five genotypes evaluated. All five genotypes produced carcasses with a quality grade ≥ Choice. In a subsequent 2-year experiment (Experiment 2), 251 lambs sired by either Dorset or St. Croix rams from the ewes created in Exp.1 were used. Dorset-sired lambs were heavier (P < 0.10) at the end of the feeding period and had greater ADG (P < 0.10) than lambs sired by St. Croix rams. Wether lambs were heavier (P < 0.10), grew faster (P < 0.10) and ate more (P<0.05) feed than female lambs. Lambs from crossbred ewes were heavier (P <0.05) at the beginning and end of the finishing period and grew faster (P < 0.10) than lambs from purebred St. Croix ewes. When Dorset rams were used as the terminal sire, lamb feedlot performance was similar among the five ewe genotypes used in this study.

Growth Performance Of Barbados Blackbelly, Katahdin And St. Croix Hair Sheep Lambs Fed Pasture- Or Hay-Based Diets, S. Wildeus, K. E. Turner, J. R. Collins

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Two experiments evaluated growth of mixed-sex Barbados Blackbelly, Katahdin, and St. Croix hair sheep lambs raised on pasture or hay-based diets with moderate levels of energy supplementation. In Experiment 1, 36 ewe and wether lambs were allocated to a pasture or pen feeding group in May. Pasture animals rotationally grazed tall fescue pasture, while pen animals were offered chopped alfalfa hay, and both groups were supplemented with corn/soybean meal at 0.75% of body weight. In Experiment 2, 72 lambs were allocated to pen and pasture in April, and provided either a low or high crude protein concentration corn/soybean meal supplement …

Modeling Bacterial Udp-Hexnac: Polyprenol-P Hexnac-1-P Transferases, Neil P. Price

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Protein N-glycosylation in eukaryotes and peptidoglycan biosynthesis in bacteria are both initiated by the transfer of a D-N-acetylhexosamine 1-phosphate to a membrane-bound polyprenol phosphate. These reactions are catalyzed by a family of transmembrane proteins known as the UDP-D-N- acetylhexosamine: polyprenol phosphate D-N-acetylhexosamine 1-phosphate transferases. The sole eukaryotic member of this family, the D-N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate transferase (GPT), is specific for UDP-GlcNAc as the donor substrate and uses dolichol phosphate as the membrane-bound acceptor. The bacterial translocases, MraY, WecA, and WbpL, utilize undecaprenol phosphate as the acceptor substrate, but differ in their specificity for …

Composition Of Irrigation Water Salinity Affects Growth Characteristics And Uptake Of Selenium And Salt Ions By Soybean, D. Wang, C. M. Grieve, D. L. Suarez

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A greenhouse study was conducted to determine the effects of irrigation waters differing in salt composition on growth characteristics, salt ion and selenium (Se) accumulation, and distribution in plant components of the soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) cultivar “Manokin.” Plants were grown in sand cultures and irrigated with isoosmotic solutions containing (1) Cl⁻ as the dominant anion, or (2) a mixture of salts containing equal molar amounts of SO_^2-4  and Cl⁻. Six treatments of each salinity type were imposed. Electrical conductivities of the irrigation waters ranged from 2.1 to 13.0 dSm⁻¹. Selenium …

Key Grazing Levels (Foo Targets) For Pasture And Sheep Management, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock published reports

Food On Offer (FOO) is the amount of pasture in front of an animal, and is measured in kilograms Dry Matter per hectare. Managing pastures to key grazing levels - or FOO targets - can result in improved production of grazing systems in Mediterranean environments which are characterized by slow winter growth, peak spring growth and dry summers. These targets vary according to what production response is required.

This information sheet illustrates key target FOO for sheep grazing annual pastures during autumn and spring.

Field Assessment Of The Risk Posed By Diorhabda Elongata, A Biocontrol Agent For Control Of Saltcedar (Tamarix Spp.), To A Nontarget Plant, Frankenia Salina, Tom L. Dudley, David J. Kazmer

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The biological control program for saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) has led to open releases of a specialist beetle (Chrysomelidae: Diorhabda elongata) in several research locations, but the controversy over potential impacts to native, nontarget plants of the genus Frankenia remains unresolved. To assess the potential for nontarget impacts under Weld conditions, we installed cultivated Frankenia spp. (primarily two forms of Frankenia salina but also including Frankenia jamesii) at locations in Nevada and Wyoming where D. elongata densities and saltcedar defoliation were expected to be very high, so insects would be near starvation with high probability of attacking nontargets …

Weed Suppression By Deleterious Rhizobacteria Is Affected By Formulation And Soil Properties, Robert E. Zdor, Carlene M. Alexander, Robert J. Kremer

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Deleterious rhizobacteria (DRB) suppress weed growth in field tests and are considered potential weed biological control agents. This study compared the relative inhibitory action of the DRB Pseudomonas fluorescens strain G2-11 in different formulations, corn gluten meal (CGM), and semolina flour, toward wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), green foxtail (Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv.), and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medik) seeds and seedlings in soil assays. Strain G2-11 successfully established in semolina flour as an inoculum formulation but was incompatible with CGM presumably because of antibacterial factors present. The effect of DRB and plant products on seed germination and plant …

Winter Feeding Sites Of Hay In Round Bales As Major Developmental Sites Of Stomoxys Calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) In Pastures In Spring And Summer, Alberto B. Broce, Jerome Hogsette, Steven Paisley

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), historically has been a pest of livestock in confined operations but seldom of animals on pastures or rangelands. In the past two decades, however, S. calcitrans has become a major pest of cattle and horses on pastures in the midwestern United States. Although there usually is an overabundance of diverse stable fly and house fly, Musca domestica L., larval habitats in confined livestock operations, no larval habitat for stable flies has been clearly identified in the pasture-range environment. Because the winter feeding of hay in round bales results in significant amounts of hay wastage …

Effect Of Control Plot Density, Control Plot Arrangement, And Assumption Of Random Or Fixed Effects On Nonreplicated Experiments For Germplasm Screening Using Spatial Models, Boi Sebolai, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, D. B. Marx, D. L. Boykin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Early generation selection experiments typically involve several hundred to thousands of lines. Various systematic and statistical techniques have been developed to increase effectiveness and efficiencies in such experiments, including the development and application of spatial statistical models. In this study, mixed model equations were used to provide least squares means (LSMEANs) and best linear unbiased predictors (BLUPs) and compare selection effectiveness and efficiencies to observed (Y) and true values in simulated experiments varying in size (10 X 10, 20 X 20 and 30 X 30 grids), control plots densities (0, 5, 10, 20, and 50%), control plot arrangements (high, medium, …

Review Of The Black Flies (Simuliidae) Of North America By: Peter H Adler, Douglas C Currie, And D Monty Wood, Jerome Hogsette

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Based on its title, one could expect this volume to be mainly a taxonomic reference for the North American Black Flies, but it is actually much more. The book is organized into five parts, each containing two to three of the 10 total chapters. Part I presents a very comprehensive overview of the subject (Chapter 1), followed by a history of the research (Chapter 2) that contains good historical references, as well as citations that are quite recent. Historical references are always welcome in any review section because they may have been published in regional or local literature that are …

Predicting Plant Extinction Based On Species-Area Curves In Prairie Fragments With High Beta Richness, Brian J. Wilsey, Leanne M. Martin, H. Wayne Polley

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Species-area relationships and island biogeography theory are commonly used to predict how species richness will decline with fragmentation. There are a variety of largely untested assumptions in these approaches, including the assumptions that populations are distributed uniformly before fragmentation, and that local extinctions are due to effects of small population sizes. If populations are not distributed uniformly, then populations can be abundant locally but rare globally. This would cause extinction rates to be smaller than predicted.We tested extinction theory by developing estimates of the number of plant species that should be present in small tallgrass prairie fragments and then testing …

Patterns Of Plant Species Diversity In Remnant And Restored Tallgrass Prairies, H. Wayne Polley, Justin D. Derner, Brian J. Wilsey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

To restore diversity of native vegetation, we must understand factors responsible for diversity in targeted communities. These factors operate at different spatial scales and may affect the number and relative abundances of species differently. We measured diversity of plant species and functional groups of species in replicated plots within paired restored and remnant (relic) tallgrass prairies at three locations in central Texas, U.S.A.

A Modified Molybdenum Blue Method For Orthophosphate Determination Suitable For Investigating Enzymatic Hydrolysis Of Organic Phosphates, Zhongqi He, C. Wayne Honeycutt

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

In characterizing organic phosphorus (P_o) by phosphatase hydrolysis, the quantity of hydrolyzable P_o is represented by the difference in orthophosphate [i.e., inorganic P (P_i)] determined after and prior to enzymatic incubation. Therefore, precise determination of P_i is of major importance for accurate application of the enzymatic hydrolysis approach. The strong acid conditions required for conventional molybdenum blue methods interferes with P_i determination due to rapid hydrolysis of labile P_o and precipitation of enzymes (proteins). The molybdenum blue method of Dick and Tabatabai in 1977 reduced errors pertaining to nonenzymatic hydrolysis of P …

Comparison Of Protein Solubilization Methods Suitable For Proteomic Analysis Of Soybean Seed Proteins, Savithiry Natarajan, Chenping Xu, Thomas J. Caperna, Wesley M. Garrett

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Extraction of soybean seed proteins for two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D–PAGE) and mass spectrometry analysis is challenging and inconsistent. In this study, we compared four different protein extraction/solubilization methods—urea, thiourea/urea, phenol, and a modified trichloroacetic acid (TCA)/acetone—to determine their efficacy in separating soybean seed proteins by 2D–PAGE. In all four methods, seed storage proteins were well separated by 2D–PAGE with minor variations in the intensity of the spots. The thiourea/urea and TCA methods showed higher protein resolution and spot intensity of all proteins compared with the other two methods. In addition, several less abundant and high molecular weight proteins were …

Size-Dependent Feeding And Reproduction By Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), S. M. Greenberg, D. W. Spurgeon, Thomas W. Sappington, M. Sétamou

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The considerable variation in adult size of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, has been well documented, but the influences of adult size on reproductive rate are not known. We examined the relationship between the size of boll weevils and their feeding and oviposition. Weevils weighed to the nearest milligram were grouped into five categories based on pupal weight:≤5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, and>20 mg. Numbers of lifetime punctures produced in flower buds (squares) of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., by both sexes of adults tended to increase with pupal weight. Boll weevil females with pupal weights >10 mg produced …

Comparison Of Contact And Spatial Repellency Of Catnip Oil And N,N-Diethyl-3-Methylbenzamide (Deet) Against Mosquitoes, Ulrich R. Bernier, Kay D. Furman, Daniel L. Kline, Sandra A. Allan, Donald R. Barnard

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Nepetalactone, the primary component of catnip oil, was compared with the repellent N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet) for its ability to affect the host-seeking ability of Aedes aegypti (L.). A triple cage olfactometer was used to bioassay each substance and to assess its attraction inhibition (spatial repellent) attributes when combined with the following attractants: carbon dioxide, acetone, a blend of L-lactic acid and acetone, and human odors. Repellent tests were conducted with each substance against female Ae. aegypti, Anopheles albimanus Weidemann, and Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say. Catnip oil and deet were both weakly attractive to Ae. aegypti, catnip oil was the better spatial …

Habitat Corridors Function As Both Drift Fences And Movement Conduits For Dispersing Flies, Joanna H. Fried, Douglas J. Levey, Jerome Hogsette

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Corridors connect otherwise isolated habitat patches and can direct movement of animals among such patches. In eight experimental landscapes, we tested two hypotheses of how corridors might affect dispersal behavior. The Traditional Corridor hypothesis posits that animals preferentially leave patches via corridors, following them into adjacent patches. The Drift Fence hypothesis posits that animals dispersing through matrix habitat are diverted into patches with corridors because they follow corridors when encountered. House flies (Musca domestica L.), a species that prefers the habitat of our patches and corridors, were released in a central patch (100x100 m) and recaptured in peripheral patches …