Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Initial Mortality Of Black Bass In B.A.S.S. Fishing Tournaments, Gene R. Wilde, Calub E. Shavlik, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We studied the initial mortality of black bass Micropterus spp. that were captured, weighed in, and released in fishing tournaments conducted by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society between 1972 and 1998. Mean annual initial mortality (i.e., mortality before weigh-in and release) ranged from 1% to 30%. Initial mortality was greatest during the 1970s (15.2%) and decreased during the 1980s (5.7%) and 1990s (1.9%). Because initial mortality was uniformly low ( ≤5%) after 1982, we used results for 1983–1998 to assess relationships involving initial mortality. Initial mortality was correlated with bag size, mean fish weight per angler, and number of fish …

Adaptive Inference For Distinguishing Credible From Incredible Patterns In Nature, C. S. Holling, Craig R. Allen

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Strong inference is a powerful and rapid tool that can be used to identify and explain patterns in molecular biology, cell biology, and physiology. It is effective where causes are single and separable and where discrimination between pairwise alternative hypotheses can be determined experimentally by a simple yes or no answer. But causes in ecological systems are multiple and overlapping and are not entirely separable. Frequently, competing hypotheses cannot be distinguished by a single unambiguous test, but only by a suite of tests of different kinds, that produce a body of evidence to support one line of argument and not …

Cross-Scale Structure And Scale Breaks In Ecosystems And Other Complex Systems, Craig R. Allen, C. S. Holling

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The five articles in this special feature extend the discovery of regular patterns of deviation from scaling laws and from continuous distributions of attributes in ecosystems and other complex systems. These patterns suggest that these systems organize over discrete ranges of scale and that organization abruptly shifts with changes in scale. If this is so, scaling laws (for example, see West 1997, 1999; Zipf 1949) serve only as the baseline from which to measure those departures, and those departures indicate “scale breaks” (transitions) between scales of structure in complex systems. Patterns in the deviations from a scaling-law baseline may provide …

Biodiversity Of Fungi In Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Mounds, Jennifer A. Zettler, Thomas M. Mcinnis Jr., Craig R. Allen, Timothy P. Spira

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, became established in North America more than 70 yr ago, and it currently occupies most of the southeastern United States. Fire ants change the physical and chemical components of soil, which likely infuence soil fungi in ant mounds. To determine the effects of fire ants on soil fungi, we sampled soil from fire ant mounds and the surrounding nonmound soil. In addition, we sampled soil from the nests of the native ant Aphaenogaster texana carolinensis Wheeler. We found that both fire ant mounds and native ant nests had greater fungal abundance but …

Implications Of Body Mass Patterns: Linking Ecological Structure And Process To Wildlife Conservation And Management, Jan P. Sendzimir, Craig R. Allen, Lance H. Gunderson, Craig A, Stow

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The unprecedented scale of problems affecting wildlife ecology today overwhelms many managers. Challenges are no longer local in origin, but rather a tangle of local, regional and even global externalities often interacting in unpredictable ways. Previously isolated ecosystems have become increasingly connected at global, hemispheric and regional levels, eroding their integrity. Endocrine-disrupting compounds applied in Mexico have changed avian sexual development in the Great Lakes (Colborn et al. 1996). Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) reproduction in the Carpathian mountains falters when the color of newborns is no longer cryptic because climate change prematurely melts snow cover (K. Perzanowski, Polish Academy …

Functional Group Change Within And Across Scales Following Invasions And Extinctions In The Everglades Ecosystem, Elizabeth A. Forys, Craig R. Allen

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Cross-scale resilience theory predicts that the combination of functional diversity within scales and functional redundancy across scales is an important attribute of ecosystems because it helps these systems resist minor ecological disruptions and regenerate after major disturbances such as hurricanes and fire. Using the vertebrate fauna of south Florida, we quantified how the loss of native species and invasion by nonnatives may alter functional group richness within and across scales. We found that despite large changes in species composition due to potential extinctions and successful invasions by nonnative species, functional group richness will not change significantly within scales, there will …

Variability Between Scales: Predictors Of Nomadism In Birds Of An Australian Mediterraneanclimate Ecosystem, Craig R. Allen, Denis A. Saunders

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Nomadism in animals is a response to resource distributions that are highly variable in time and space. Using the avian fauna of the Mediterranean-climate region of southcentral Australia, we tested a number of variables to determine if they predicted nomadism. These variables were species body mass, the distance in body mass terms to the edge of a body mass aggregation, and diet (for example, seeds, invertebrates, nectar, or plants). We utilized two different classifications of the avifauna that diverged in their definition of nomadic to build two different predictive models. Using both classifications, distance to the edge of a body …

Cross-Scale Morphology, Craig R. Allen, C.S. Holling

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The scaling of physical, biological, ecological and social phenomena has become a major focus of efforts to develop simple representations of complex systems. Much of the attention has been on discovering universal scaling laws that emerge from simple physical and geometric processes. But there are regular patterns of departures both from those scaling laws and from continuous distributions of attributes of systems; these departures often demonstrate the development of self-organized interactions between living systems and physical processes over narrower ranges of scale. Cross-scale morphology refers to morphological attributes of animals that are influenced by interaction with ecological structures and patterns …

Influence Of The Proximity And Amount Of Human Development And Roads On The Occurrence Of The Red Imported Fire Ant In The Lower Florida Keys, Elizabeth A. Forys, Craig R. Allen, Daniel P. Wojcik

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We examined the influence of both the proximity and extent of human developments and paved roads on the presence of the predatory, non-indigenous, red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). This species was inadvertently introduced into the United States at the port of Mobile, Alabama, around 1930 and rapidly spread to many southeastern states, including Florida. More recently, S. invicta colonized the Florida Keys, an area with a high proportion of rare and endemic vertebrate and invertebrate species. We placed bait transects in transitional salt-marsh, pineland, and hardwood hammocks on 13 of the lower Florida Keys and compared habitat …

Game Ranching: Boon Or Bane?, Bruce Morrison

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

The title of today' s session is Game Ranching: Boon or Bane? What do we mean by game ranching? For today' s discussions, we will look at the raising of traditional wildlife species, both native and exotic, behind high-wire fences for economic return. Many years ago, this was considered a Texas problem and most state wildlife agencies did not pay much attention to the growing trend of fencing large acreages to hold wildlife captive. It was contrary to the traditional view of game management and many thought that it was just a passing fad. Today, there are thousands of captive …

Land Use Change And Modification Of Near-Surface Thermal Records In The Northern Great Plains, Rezaul Mahmood, Ken Hubbard, Christy Carlson

HPRCC Personnel Publications

The North American Great Plains have experienced a rapid overturning of natural grasslands to agricultural land use over the last century. Moreover, in some areas more than 80% of the land use has changed from dry land to irrigated agriculture during the second half of the twentieth century. It is speculated that these changes have modified near-surface atmospheric condition and our modeling study seems to support this. To identify changes in land surface- atmospheric modifications we have applied a soil moistureenergy balance model at three locations in Nebraska: Mead, York, and McCook. The model was applied for three land uses …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 17, Number 4 (January 2002)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• CWD News from Nebraska and Kansas
• Tropical Bont Tick Threat: Amblyomma variegatum
• Avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM) was confirmed by SCWDS diagnosticians in two dead bald eagles and is suspected in another four decomposed eagle carcasses recovered since mid-November at Clarks Hill Lake along the Georgia/South Carolina border.
• The Office International des Epipoozties (OIE) agreed to restore the United Kingdom's Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) free status without vaccination for the purposes of international trade.
• Raccoon Roundworms – Public Health Update: Baylisascaris procyonis
• CSF Control Targets Wild Boars: Classical swine fever (CSF), also called hog cholera, is …

Dispersal And Emerging Ecological Impacts Of Ponto-Caspian Species In The Laurentian Great Lakes, Henry A. Vanderploeg, Thomas F. Nalepa, David J. Jude, Edward L. Mills, Kristen T. Holeck, James R. Liebig, Igor A. Grigorovich, Henn Ojaveer

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

We describe, explain, and “predict” dispersal and ecosystem impacts of six Ponto-Caspian endemic species that recently invaded the Great Lakes via ballast water. The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, and quagga mussel, Dreissena bugensis, continue to colonize hard and soft substrates of the Great Lakes and are changing ecosystem function through mechanisms of ecosystem engineering (increased water clarity and reef building), fouling native mussels, high particle filtration rate with selective rejection of colonial cyanobacteria in pseudofeces, alteration of nutrient ratios, and facilitation of the rapid spread of their Ponto-Caspian associates, the benthic amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus and the round goby, …

A Baiting System For Delivery Of An Oral Plague Vaccine To Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Terry E. Creekmore, Tonie E. Rocke, Jerry Hurley

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Laboratory and field studies were conducted between July and October 1999 to identify bait preference, biomarker efficacy, and bait acceptance rates for delivering an oral plague vaccine to black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Twenty juvenile captive prairie dogs were offered alfalfa baits containing either alfalfa, alfalfa and 5% molasses, or alfalfa, 5% molasses and 4% salt. Based on the results of these trials we selected a bait containing alfalfa, 7% molasses, and 1% salt for field trials to determine bait acceptance rates by free-ranging animals. The biomarkers DuPont Blue dye, iophenoxic acid, and tetracycline hydrochloride were orally administered …

Safety Of Brucella Abortus Strain Rb51 Vaccine In Non-Target Ungulates And Coyotes, Terry J. Kreeger, Thomas J. Deliberto, Steven C. Olsen, William H. Edwards, Walter E. Cook

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Brucellosis is endemic in free-ranging elk (Cervus elaphus) and bison (Bison bison) in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA; USA). It is possible that an oral brucellosis vaccine could be developed and disseminated in the GYA to reduce disease transmission. Should this occur, non-target species other than elk and bison may come in contact with the vaccine resulting in morbidity or mortality. To assess biosafety, bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis; n=10), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana; n=9), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; n=11), moose (Alces alces shirasi; n=10), and …

The Probe, Issue 220 – January/February 2002

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

HSUS Draft Recommendations For the Oversight of Wildlife Control Operators -- Arthur E. Smith
One-hundred and forty five persons attended the 8th Annual Wildlife Control Instructional Seminar, in Las Vegas, February 4-6. The seminar was sponsored by Wildlife Control Technology (WCT) and the National Wildlife Control Operators Association (NWCOA).
Attending "Regular" Fish and Wildlife Conferences -- Chad Richardson:” I think the wildlife damage field should get back into the practice of attending and presenting at these conferences.”
Book Review: Joy and Celebration of Mole Control by Jeff Holper.
NATIONAL ANIMAL DAMAGE CONTROL ASSOCIATION 2002 Membership Directory
The Arizona office of …

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 9-1, Winter 2002

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

CCWHC Board Charts New Path Forward
West Nile Virus 2002
Brain disease in Newfoundland moose
Insecticide poisoning in birds
Injury caused by a snare
Raccoon Distemper in Montreal
2001 Epidemic Mortality of Common Carp in the St. Lawrence River
Type E botulism in fish eating birds
Winter songbird deaths due to salmonellosis
Late spring deaths of purple martins
Collision of songbirds with a tower
Range extension for Chronic Wasting Disease
Lead poisoning in trumpeter swans
High moose mortality from Winter Tick
Avian Cholera in Double-crested Cormorants
Bartonella in Ground Squirrels in Saskatchewan

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre, Volume 8-2, Winter 2001/2002

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Wildlife Technician - Western/Northern Regional Centre
The Research Group for Arctic Parasitology (RGAP): Heading North with CCWHC
Enhanced Passive Surveillance for West Nile Virus Infection in Wild Birds in Canada - 2001
Foot and Mouth Disease and Canadian Wildlife
Raptor Tissue Collection
Barbiturate poisoning in a bald eagle
Newcastle Disease in pigeons, Prince Edward Island
Tuberculosis in a Thick-billed Murre
Lyme Disease in Newfoundland
Type C Botulism Outbreak on the Shore of the St Lawrence
Suspected cyanide poisoning in birds
Type E botulism, Lake Erie
Parvovirus in raccoons
Canine Distemper Virus in mustelids: Canine
Newcastle Disease and Avian Cholera in …

Review Of Determination Of Organic Compounds In Soils, Sediments And Sludges By T. R. Crompton, John J. Johnston

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

T. R. Crompton has accomplished the Herculean task of summarizing the literature (up to 1998) for the determination of organic and organometallic substances in soils, aquatic, and marine sediments and sludge. Although previous books address the analysis of such compounds in water, this is the first book dedicated to the analysis of pollutants in soils, sediments, and sludges, matrices that typically contain a variety of interfering compounds and offer significant analytical challenges. Overall, the book is relatively easy to read; the “camera ready” manuscript produced by the author contains clear tables, figures, and font. Classes of compounds addressed in this …

Derivation Of A Tasselled Cap Transformation Based On Landsat 7 At-Satellite Reflectance, C. Huang, Wylie L. Yang, Collin Homer, G. Zylstra

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A new tasselled cap transformation based on Landsat 7 at-satellite reflectance was developed. This transformation is most appropriate for regional applications where atmospheric correction is not feasible. The brightness, greenness and wetness of the derived transformation collectively explained over 97% of the spectral variance of the individual scenes used in this study.

Organochlorine Chemical Residues In Fish From The Mississippi River Basin, 1995, C.J. Schmitt

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

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Fish were collected in late 1995 from 34 National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program (NCBP) stations and 13 National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) stations in the Mississippi River basin (MRB) and in late 1996 from a reference site in West Virginia. Four composite samples, each comprising (nominally) 10 adult common carp (Cyprinus carpio) or black bass (Micropterus spp.) of the same sex, were collected from each site and analyzed for organochlorine chemical residues by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. At the NCBP stations, which are located on relatively large rivers, concentrations of organochlorine chemical residues were generally lower than …

Call Parameters And Facial Features In Bats: A Surprising Failure Of Form Following Function, Amanda Goudy-Trainor, Patricia W. Freeman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We attempted to correlate echolocation call parameters to a comprehensive array of ear and nose measurements from 12 families of bats. Surprisingly, we failed to find any significant relationships. We did find consistent differences between nasal and oral emitters such as: (a) nasal emitters have higher frequencies with maximum energy for their size than oral emitters, (b) nasal emitting bats tend to have longer, narrower skulls, and (c) nasal emitters have a shorter distance from the nostril to the eye (muzzle length).