Animal Experimentation and Research Commons^™

Quantifying Wild Pig Disturbance In Pastures And Wetlands Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Derived Imagery, Wesley M. Anderson, Bethany Wight, Raoul K. Boughton

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for agricultural and environmental research has increased markedly in recent years, and a key application has been to conduct damage assessments. Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) cause both agricultural and environmental damage, and past studies have utilized UAVs to quantify this damage. Each methodology has advantages, but they also have drawbacks such as high rates of damage omission or reliance upon a near-infrared camera, which may be prohibitively expensive for some land managers and scientists. Our objective was to develop a methodology that could be easily implemented to conduct wild pig …

A Critical Look At Wild Pig Elimination: Myths And Facts, Kim M. Pepin, Travis L. Guerrant, Jeremiah L. Psiropoulos, Jeanine T. Neskey, John M. Tomeček, Michael J. Bodenchuk, Janean L. Romines

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are abundant and widely distributed in the United States. They damage crops and pastures, predate livestock and sensitive species, impact ecosystem functions, and damage personal property. To address these issues, some states in the United States are seeking complete elimination. A frequently asked question by stakeholders is: “What portion of the population needs to be removed annually to reach elimination?” The number 70% is widely touted as the answer. There is little scientific evidence to support that this percent annual removal would be needed to achieve elimination, yet 70% has now become a standard …

An Automatic System To Evaluate Bait Station Visitation By Brown Treesnakes And Mongooses, Robert T. Sugihara, William C. Pitt, Are R. Berentsen, Francis L. Benevides Jr.

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Understanding the temporal, spatial, and behavioral patterns of the free-ranging target species in response to candidate baits and baiting strategies is important to ensure control success. This information can also assist in the development and deployment of feeding stations and can exclude non-target species while constituting effective bait delivery and control strategies for certain invasive animals, especially at environmentally sensitive sites. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in conjunction with very-high frequency radio-telemetry to remotely record bait station visitations and evaluate bait attractiveness in separate field research studies of brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Andersen Air Force …

Seal And Polar Bear Behavioral Response To An Icebreaker Vessel In Northwest Greenland, Kate Lomac-Macnair, José Pedro Andrade, Eduardo Esteves

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Icebreaker vessels are important scientific tools, enabling access and research within the polar regions of the world, including the High Arctic. These vessels have the potential to overlap with marine mammal habitats in infrequently studied areas. Marine mammal behavioral responses to icebreaker vessel presence and distance at which responses occur are not well documented or understood. During the Petermann 2015 Expedition on the icebreaker Oden, seal and polar bear (Ursus maritimus) data were collected in Petermann Fjord (Northwest Greenland), the adjacent Nares Strait region, and transit to and from Thule, Greenland over 31 days (July 30 to …

Nest Location And Nest Recognition In Two Solitary Bee Species Osmia Lignaria Say And Megachile Rotundata (F.) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), Christelle Guédot

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The visual and olfactory cues used in short-range orientation, specifically nest location and nest recognition, were studied in two solitary bee species Osmia lignaria Say and Megachile rotundata (F.) Osmia lignaria, the blue orchard bee, is an important pollinator of orchard crops, such as apples, cherries, and almonds; and M. rotundata, the alfalfa leafcutting bee, is used in commercial pollination of alfalfa. The general objective was to better understand how these two species locate their nests and how improving nest location could benefit crop pollination.

The use of proximal visual landmarks at the nesting site was investigated with …

A New Model Species For Cultured Teleost Retinal Cell Studies: Light And Scanning Electron Microscopy, Lori Ann Steinfeldt

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Purpose: To examine retinal horizontal and bipolar cells cultured from goldfish (Carassius auratus), black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) on the light and electron microscope levels; and to compare them with cells from a more established model, the wild white bass (Roccus chrysops). Methods: Retinas from all species were dissociated by methods developed with wild white bass (Dowling et al., 1985). Cell type was identified within the first 3 hr and cells were cultured for up to 2 wk in L-15 medium. At various intervals, cells were fixed in glutaraldehyde, …

Factors Relating To Diapause In The Alfalfa Weevil Parasite Bathyplectes Curculionis (Thomson), David S. Parrish

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biological and ecological factors regulating diapause in the ichneumonid parasite of the alfalfa weevil, Bathyplectes curculionis (Thomson), were studied. In most experiments, both parasites and weevil larvae were maintained in the environmental conditions under study from the emergence of the adult parasite until the evaluation of results.

The factors either preventing or inducing diapause in B. curculionis were found to be an interaction of environmental factors. A long scotophase with cool temperatures prevented diapause. The percentage of nondiapausing parasites increased as the scotophase was increased to 15 hours. Over 15 hours of scotophase, fewer nondiapausing parasites were produced. The optimum …

The "Starvation Effect" And Tryptophan Pyrrolase Activity In The Vermilion Mutant Of Drosophila, Ernest E. Shelton Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The enzyme tryptophan pyrrolase is controlled by the vermilion locus in Drosophila melanogaster and is normally lacking in the vermilion mutants. During this investigation it has been demonstrated that v¹;bw flies have tryptophan pyrrolase activity when grown under near starvation conditions.

During development of the fly there is a peak of enzyme activity in the early third instar soon after the transfer to starvation medium. A second peak of enzyme activity occurs during the pupal stage. The activity in v¹;bw pupae is about 15% of the activity found in cn bw adults.

In v …