Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

H7n9 Influenza A Virus Transmission In A Multispecies Barnyard Model, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth, Anna Rodriguez, Rachel M. Maison, Stephanie M. Porter, J. Jeffrey Root

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Influenza A viruses are a diverse group of pathogens that have been responsible for millions of human and avian deaths throughout history. Here, we illustrate the transmission potential of H7N9 influenza A virus between Coturnix quail (Coturnix sp.), domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus), chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), and house sparrows (Passer domesticus) co-housed in an artificial barnyard setting. In each of four replicates, individuals from a single species were infected with the virus. Quail shed virus orally and were a source of infection for both chickens and ducks. Infected chickens transmitted the virus to quail but not to ducks or …

Social And Ecological Correlates Of Avian Infection By Haemosporidian Blood Parasites, Ian R. Hoppe

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Haemosporidian parasites are a significant source of morbidity and mortality for birds. There is growing recognition of the negative consequences of haemosporidian infections for wild birds at individual and population levels. Avian haemosporidians are geographically widespread, have been detected from a phylogenetically diverse array of hosts, and have been the focus of extensive research due to their impacts on birds and their similarity to vector-borne diseases of humans. However, factors influencing haemosporidian transmission, especially transmission between species, are poorly understood. To better understand these influences, we compared prevalence and diversity of haemosporidian blood parasite infections among species in a behaviorally …

S Is For Sandhill: A Crane Alphabet, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

This is a book of cranes, from A to Z, written and illustrated by the world’s foremost authority on the 15 species of these wonderful and ancient birds. It is a book for all ages, and for all who love and marvel at the beauty, order, and variety of the natural world.

Cranes exhibit complex behavior, pair-bonding, and fascinating social interactions. They migrate huge distances, crossing continents, oceans, and mountains between their nesting and wintering areas. Seven of the world’s 15 crane species are listed as “vulnerable,” three as “endangered,” one as “critically endangered,” and only three as of “least …

Friendship At The Feeding Station, Anisha Pokharel

Zea E-Books Collection

A young steppe eagle and his mother fly to Nepal from Mongolia, where Griffy, a Himalayan griffon, chases the hungry Steppe from the feeding station, but Garuda, a white-rumped vulture, intervenes and becomes Steppe's friend. Steppe's mother is angered at first, but learns the lesson that each species has its role to play.

Designed by Breanna Epp with Maeve Lausch

Traffic Noise And Sexual Selection: Studies Of Anthropogenic Impact On Bird Songs And Undergraduate Student Reasoning Of Evolutionary Mechanisms, Sarah Spier

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Humans have transformed much of the natural landscape and are continuing to do so at an accelerated rate, compromising natural areas that serve as important habitat for many species. Roads impact much of the environment as they fragment habitat and introduce traffic noise into the acoustic environment, deferentially affecting wildlife in roadside habitat. I explored how traffic noise affects the detection of birds based on whether their vocalizations were masked by traffic noise. Masked species detection was not affected by an increase in traffic noise amplitude, while there was a negative effect of traffic noise amplitude on unmasked species detection, …

Traffic Noise And Sexual Selection: Studies Of Anthropogenic Impact On Bird Songs And Undergraduate Student Reasoning Of Evolutionary Mechanisms, Sarah Spier

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Humans have transformed much of the natural landscape and are continuing to do so at an accelerated rate, compromising natural areas that serve as important habitat for many species. Roads impact much of the environment as they fragment habitat and introduce traffic noise into the acoustic environment, deferentially affecting wildlife in roadside habitat. I explored how traffic noise affects the detection of birds based on whether their vocalizations were masked by traffic noise. Masked species detection was not affected by an increase in traffic noise amplitude, while there was a negative effect of traffic noise amplitude on unmasked species detection, …

Relationships Among Biodiversity Dimensions Of Birds In Nebraska, Nadejda Mirochnitchenko

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is a multi-dimensional concept that can be decomposed to measure information about taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional variation within communities. Although the dimensions of biodiversity are interrelated, the assumption that measuring one dimension of diversity can inform about patterns in another dimension does not necessarily follow from theory or empirical study. The relationships among biodiversity dimensions is not well understood, nor how differences among dimensions could influence conservation decision making. Using the avian community as a study system, we explored the relationships of breadth metrics from the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional dimensions among each other and across …

Hybrid Speciation In Birds, With Special Reference To Darwin's Finches, G. E. Hill, R. M. Zink

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

To Live And Fly In La: Using Bird Strike And Management Program Information To Improve Safety At Airports In The Los Angeles Basin, Todd J. Pitlik, Elizabeth Hermann, Eric Peralta, Brian E. Washburn

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Wildlife strikes can be evaluated at different levels, include efforts to examine these problems at the national, regional, or state level, or for an individual airport. Similarly, wildlife strikes involving individual wildlife species or guilds can be examined at varying scales. Although wildlife strike analyses at the national, regional, or species/guild level are valuable, airport-specific analyses are essential for the effective implementation and evaluation of integrated wildlife damage management programs as these actions are conducted at the airport level. The species that present hazards to safe aircraft operations varies …

Central Platte River Forests: Breeding Birds And Woody Vegetation, Barbara K. Good

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

The Relative Importance Of Patch Area And Perimeter–Area Ratio To Grassland Breeding Birds, Christopher J. Helzer, Dennis E. Jelinski

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Habitat fragmentation has been implicated as a major cause of population decline in grassland birds. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of area and shape determines the use of grassland patches by breeding birds. We compared both species richness and individual species presence in 45 wet meadow grasslands in the floodplain of the central Platte River, Nebraska. Bird data were collected through the use of belt transects and supplemented by walking and listening outside transects. Our data supported our primary hypothesis that perimeter–area ratio, which reflects both the area and shape of a patch, is the strongest predictor of …

Birds And Agroecological Relationships In Organic And Non-Organic Farmland, Nancy A. Beecher

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Wet Meadow Fragmentation On Grassland Birds, Christopher J. Helzer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Cinnamamide: A Nonlethal Chemical Repellent For Birds And Mammals, Elaine L. Gill, Richard W. Watkins, Joanne E. Gurney, Julie D. Bishop, Chris J. Feare, Clare B. Scanlon, David P. Cowan

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents Conference 1995

There is a need for effective and environmentally sensitive methods of controlling vertebrate pest problems in agriculture and the urban environment. Nonlethal chemical repellents may meet this need where more traditional methods of control, such as scaring, shooting, and trapping, are either ineffectual or unacceptable. One such chemical repellent currently under investigation is cinnarnamide, a synthetic compound derived from a plant secondary compound, cinnamic acid. Cinnamamide is unusual because, unlike many of its contemporaries, it deters feeding by both birds and mammals. This paper reviews past and current laboratory and field studies in which cinnamarnide is shown to deter feeding …

Grit-Use Behavior In Birds: A Review Of Research To Develop Safer Granular Pesticides, Louis B. Best

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents Conference 1995

Understanding avian grit-use behavior and the physical characteristics of grit particles that influence their consumption by birds can aid in formulating safer granular pesticides. Potential routes of avian exposure to granular pesticides include birds perceiving the granules as a source of grit and picking them up intentionally. Pesticides formulated on granules are used extensively in agricultural production, and many are highly toxic to birds. Despite this, past formulation decisions have not included assessments of avian risks. A research program was initiated that included several phases of investigation. Natural grit-use patterns (the occurrence and amount of grit in gizzards, characteristics of …

Bird Deterrent Research And Development: Marine Oil Spills, Timothy J. Reilly

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents Conference 1995

A wide range of techniques are available for deterring birds from coastal oil spills, including (but not limited to) pyrotechnics, aircraft, boats, flags, reflecting devices, and artificial sounds. Many of these deterrent devices have had little field testing to determine optimal deterrent strategies. The Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) developed a research and development (R&D) plan which has identified critical research which would need to be conducted to determine these optimal strategies. This program was initiated through the generation of a report which described the state-of-the-art of deterring birds from marine oil spills. Following this report, MSRC hosted a workshop …

Evaluation Of Monofilament Lines To Prevent Damage By Birds, Danilo A. Aguero

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Bird Dispersal Recordings: An Overview, Robert H. Schmidt, Ron J. Johnson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Copyright® 1983 by ASTM International. Used by permission.