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University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

Brown treesnake

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Climate Matching As A Tool For Predicting Potential North American Spread Of Brown Treesnakes, Gordon H. Rodda, Robert N. Reed, Catherine S. Jarnevich Aug 2007

Climate Matching As A Tool For Predicting Potential North American Spread Of Brown Treesnakes, Gordon H. Rodda, Robert N. Reed, Catherine S. Jarnevich

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

Climate matching identifies extralimital destinations that could be colonized by a potential invasive species on the basis of similarity to climates found in the species’ native range. Climate is a proxy for the factors that determine whether a population will reproduce enough to offset mortality. Previous climate matching models (e.g., Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction [GARP]) for brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) were unsatisfactory, perhaps because the models failed to allow different combinations of climate attributes to influence a species’ range limits in different parts of the range. Therefore, we explored the climate space described by bivariate parameters of …


Flotation Materials For Aerial Delivery Of Acetaminophen Toxic Baits To Brown Treesnakes, Peter J. Savarie, Tom C. Mathies, Kathleen A. Fagerstone Aug 2007

Flotation Materials For Aerial Delivery Of Acetaminophen Toxic Baits To Brown Treesnakes, Peter J. Savarie, Tom C. Mathies, Kathleen A. Fagerstone

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes are effective bait stations for delivering dead neonatal mice (DNM) treated with the oral toxicant, 80 mg acetaminophen, to brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) in accessible jungle forest on Guam. However, PVC tubes are not practical for delivery of baits to remote areas of jungle or the forest canopy. Further, it is important that baits entangle in the canopy and not fall to the ground where they can be scavenged by non-target animals such as crabs. Data from helicopter aerial deployment of untreated DNM with radio transmitters that landed on the ground in areas of …


The Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team, James W. Stanford, Gordon H. Rodda Aug 2007

The Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team, James W. Stanford, Gordon H. Rodda

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

In the 1940s the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) was accidentally transported to Guam and became established. Brown treesnakes have caused and continue to cause major problems for the ecology, economy, and quality of life on Guam. As Guam’s snake densities increased in the late 1970s, extralimital encounters began to be reported on islands with transportation links to Guam. In 1993, a major effort was initiated to reduce the potential for brown treesnakes to accidentally enter Guam’s transportation system. In 2002, a multi-agency Rapid Response Team (RRT) was established to assist in detection and capture of brown treesnakes on …


Can Temperature Be Used As A Tool For Limiting Brown Treesnake Invasion Via Transportation Pathways?, Michelle T. Christy, Julie A. Savidge, Richard Bischof, Gordon H. Rodda Aug 2007

Can Temperature Be Used As A Tool For Limiting Brown Treesnake Invasion Via Transportation Pathways?, Michelle T. Christy, Julie A. Savidge, Richard Bischof, Gordon H. Rodda

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

The use of extreme temperatures is one of the few chemical residue-free techniques available for control of pest species and has proven fast and effective in a variety of applications. We determined the upper and lower lethal temperatures for the brown treesnake. We also investigated whether gender, size, body condition and exposure time influenced survival at temperature extremes. Elevating snake core temperatures to 40°C and 41°C for one hour resulted in 99% mortality within seven days (40°C) and 100% mortality within one hour of exposure (41°C). Mortality decreased sharply to 51% for a one hour exposure to 39°C. Shorter, heavier …


Custom Trucks, Radio Snake Jingles, And Temporary Tattoos: An Overview Of A Successful Public Awareness Campaign Related To Brown Treesnakes In The Commonwealth Of The Northern Mariana Islands, Nathaniel B. Hawley Aug 2007

Custom Trucks, Radio Snake Jingles, And Temporary Tattoos: An Overview Of A Successful Public Awareness Campaign Related To Brown Treesnakes In The Commonwealth Of The Northern Mariana Islands, Nathaniel B. Hawley

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

The brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) was introduced on Guam during post World War II cargo movements. Brown treesnakes (BTS) have now become exceptionally abundant on Guam and pose a direct, significant, and growing threat to other areas outside of their historic range, including the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the State of Hawaii, the United States mainland and other sites regionally and internationally. The CNMI is at high risk for a BTS introduction due to its close proximity and the types and amount of cargo received. Limited BTS awareness efforts between 1986 and 2002 in the …


Spotting Cryptic Animals In The Dark: What Light Properties Should A Good Headlamp Have?, Bjorn Lardner, Julie A. Savidge, Gordon H. Rodda Aug 2007

Spotting Cryptic Animals In The Dark: What Light Properties Should A Good Headlamp Have?, Bjorn Lardner, Julie A. Savidge, Gordon H. Rodda

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

Relying on headlamp illumination for visual detection of cryptic nocturnal animals may present a challenge. To test how search light properties affect brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) detection rate, we assigned eight biologists to search for dead snakes placed in roadside vegetation. Each person conducted 4 searches using lamps with varying properties: weak versus strong light, crossed by narrow versus wide beam. On each occasion, 100 snakes were placed randomly along the roadside transect. The mean number spotted per transect search was 13.5. Using an information theoretic approach, sequential order of transect runs was the only confounding variable included …


Promoting Awareness, Knowledge And Good Intentions, Christy Martin Aug 2007

Promoting Awareness, Knowledge And Good Intentions, Christy Martin

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

Two independent studies in the 1990s found that Hawaii had the nation’s worst alien pest problem due to gaps in prevention, detection and control programs, which could be addressed through increased communication, cooperation, and public outreach. The Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS), a government/non-government partnership, formed in 1995 to address these gaps and work on public awareness. Using snakes as an example, a 1996 Hawaii statewide public awareness survey found that 66% of people “had heard of brown treesnakes.” CGAPS ran the “Silent Invasion” campaign in 1997, with “shock footage” television commercials and specials about brown treesnakes on …


An Evaluation Of Passive Thermal Fumigation For Brown Treesnake Control In Surface Transportation From Guam, Gad Perry, Daniel S. Vice Aug 2007

An Evaluation Of Passive Thermal Fumigation For Brown Treesnake Control In Surface Transportation From Guam, Gad Perry, Daniel S. Vice

Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species

The brown treesnake (BTS) has been on Guam for about 50 years and in this period has caused extensive ecological, economic, and social damage. It has also repeatedly dispersed from Guam via the transportation network, arriving at numerous locations. However, the conditions snakes face in surface shipping are unknown, making assessment of the risk of snake survival impossible. To address this, we recorded thermal conditions in surface shipments leaving Guam and identified factors that determine these conditions. We monitored 16 shipments to locations in Micronesia and the United States mainland and conducted a series of intensive studies at the Naval …