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Articles 1 - 30 of 101
Full-Text Articles in Other Environmental Sciences
Using The Internet To Understand Angler Behavior In The Information Age, Dustin R. Martin, Brenda M. Pracheil, Jason A. Deboer, Gene R. Wilde, Kevin L. Pope
Using The Internet To Understand Angler Behavior In The Information Age, Dustin R. Martin, Brenda M. Pracheil, Jason A. Deboer, Gene R. Wilde, Kevin L. Pope
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Declining participation in recreational angling is of great concern to fishery managers because fishing license sales are an important revenue source for protection of aquatic resources. This decline is frequently attributed, in part, to increased societal reliance on electronics. Internet use by anglers is increasing and fishery managers may use the Internet as a unique means to increase angler participation. We examined Internet search behavior using Google Insights for Search, a free online tool that summarizes Google searches from 2004 to 2011 to determine (1) trends in Internet search volume for general fishing-related terms and (2) the relative usefulness of …
Land Use, Landscapes, And Biological Invasions, Karie L. Decker, Craig R. Allen, Leonardo Acosta, Michelle L. Hellman, Christopher F. Jorgensen, Ryan J. Stutzman, Kody M. Unstad, Amy Williams, Matthew Yans
Land Use, Landscapes, And Biological Invasions, Karie L. Decker, Craig R. Allen, Leonardo Acosta, Michelle L. Hellman, Christopher F. Jorgensen, Ryan J. Stutzman, Kody M. Unstad, Amy Williams, Matthew Yans
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
The negative effect of invasive species on native species, communities, and ecosystems is widely recognized, and the economic effects in the United States are estimated to be billions of dollars annually. Studies often examine traits of nonnative species or examine what makes a particular habitat invasible. To better understand the factors governing invasions, we used the flora of Nebraska to characterize and compare native and nonnative plant occurrences throughout the state. In addition, we assessed four critical landscape predictors of nonnative plant richness: human population size and three land cover attributes that included percentage of grassland, percentage of agriculture, and …
Predictions And Retrodictions Of The Hierarchical Representation Of Habitat In Heterogeneous Environments, Jurek Kolasa, Craig R. Allen, Jan Sendzimir, Craig A. Stow
Predictions And Retrodictions Of The Hierarchical Representation Of Habitat In Heterogeneous Environments, Jurek Kolasa, Craig R. Allen, Jan Sendzimir, Craig A. Stow
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Interaction between habitat and species is central in ecology. Habitat structure may be conceived as being hierarchical, where larger, more diverse, portions or categories contain smaller, more homogeneous portions. When this conceptualization is combined with the observation that species have different abilities to relate to portions of the habitat that differ in their characteristics, a number of known patterns can be derived and new patterns hypothesized. We propose a quantitative form of this habitat–species relationship by considering species abundance to be a function of habitat specialization, habitat fragmentation, amount of habitat, and adult body mass. The model reproduces and explains …
Nest Predation, Food, And Female Age Explain Seasonal Declines In Clutch Size, Karie L. Decker, Courtney J. Conway, Joseph J. Fontaine
Nest Predation, Food, And Female Age Explain Seasonal Declines In Clutch Size, Karie L. Decker, Courtney J. Conway, Joseph J. Fontaine
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
The selection pressures responsible for intra- and interspecific variation in avian clutch size have been debated for over half a century. Seasonal declines in clutch size represent one of the most robust patterns in avian systems, yet despite extensive research on the subject, the mechanisms underlying this pattern remain largely unknown. We tested a combination of experimental and observational predictions to evaluate ten hypotheses, representing both evolutionary and proximate mechanisms proposed to explain seasonal declines in avian clutch size. In line with long held life-history theory, we found strong support for both an evolved and proximate response to food availability …
Habitat Selection By Adult Walleye During Spawning Season In Irrigation Reservoirs: A Patch Occupancy Modeling Approach, Dustin R. Martin, Larkin A. Powell, Kevin L. Pope
Habitat Selection By Adult Walleye During Spawning Season In Irrigation Reservoirs: A Patch Occupancy Modeling Approach, Dustin R. Martin, Larkin A. Powell, Kevin L. Pope
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Recruitment of walleye (Sander vitreus Mitchill) is limited in irrigation reservoirs of the Republican River basin in southwestern Nebraska. The causal mechanism for this limited recruitment is unknown, but may be related to a lack of suitable spawning habitat. Patch occupancy models were developed to describe variation in detection probability and habitat selection during spawning season using shoreline electrofishing data. Detection of adult walleye was negatively affected by water temperature, silt substrate, and woody cover. Adult walleye selected sites with cooler water temperatures and greater fetch at Enders Reservoir, and large rock substrate and no cover at Hugh Butler …
Avian Conservation In The Prairie Pothole Region, Northern Great Plains: Understanding The Links Between Climate, Ecosystem Processes, Wetland Management, And Bird Communities, Susan K. Skagen, Joseph J. Fontaine, Ryan Stutzman, Valerie Steen, Cynthia P. Melcher, John Stamm, Gary Clow, Mark Anderson, Parker Norton, Neal Niemuth, Jonathan M. Friedman, Robert Gleason, Brian Tangen, Diane Granfors, Lucy Burris
Avian Conservation In The Prairie Pothole Region, Northern Great Plains: Understanding The Links Between Climate, Ecosystem Processes, Wetland Management, And Bird Communities, Susan K. Skagen, Joseph J. Fontaine, Ryan Stutzman, Valerie Steen, Cynthia P. Melcher, John Stamm, Gary Clow, Mark Anderson, Parker Norton, Neal Niemuth, Jonathan M. Friedman, Robert Gleason, Brian Tangen, Diane Granfors, Lucy Burris
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Historically, the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America was characterized by myriad semi-permanent, seasonal, and temporary wetlands interspersed among rivers in a context of prairie uplands. These wetlands have supported millions of en route and breeding wetland-dependent birds. Today, expanses of the PPR landscape are dominated by intensive agriculture, and many of the remaining habitats have been impacted by altered water regimes, increasing sedimentation, and changes in plant communities. Climate change is likely to cause further alterations by shifting the seasonal availability and distribution of water and vegetation communities. Climate change will also affect the phenology (annual recurrence of …
Improving Our Legacy: Incorporation Of Adaptive Management Into State Wildlife Action Plans, Joseph J. Fontaine
Improving Our Legacy: Incorporation Of Adaptive Management Into State Wildlife Action Plans, Joseph J. Fontaine
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
The loss of biodiversity is a mounting concern, but despite numerous attempts there are few large scale conservation efforts that have proven successful in reversing current declines. Given the challenge of biodiversity conservation, there is a need to develop strategic conservation plans that address species declines even with the inherent uncertainty in managing multiple species in complex environments. In 2002, the State Wildlife Grant program was initiated to fulfill this need, and while not explicitly outlined by Congress follows the fundamental premise of adaptive management, ‘Learning by doing’. When action is necessary, but basic biological information and an understanding of …
Multimodel Inference And Adaptive Management, Sarah E. Rehme, Larkin A. Powell, Craig R. Allen
Multimodel Inference And Adaptive Management, Sarah E. Rehme, Larkin A. Powell, Craig R. Allen
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Ecology is an inherently complex science coping with correlated variables, nonlinear interactions and multiple scales of pattern and process, making it difficult for experiments to result in clear, strong inference. Natural resource managers, policy makers, and stakeholders rely on science to provide timely and accurate management recommendations. However, the time necessary to untangle the complexities of interactions within ecosystems is often far greater than the time available to make management decisions. One method of coping with this problem is multimodel inference. Multimodel inference assesses uncertainty by calculating likelihoods among multiple competing hypotheses, but multimodel inference results are often equivocal. Despite …
Influence Of Throat Configuration And Fish Density On Escapement Of Channel Catfish From Hoop Nets, Mark T. Porath, Larry D. Pape, Lindsey K. Richters, Kevin L. Pope, Mark A. Pegg
Influence Of Throat Configuration And Fish Density On Escapement Of Channel Catfish From Hoop Nets, Mark T. Porath, Larry D. Pape, Lindsey K. Richters, Kevin L. Pope, Mark A. Pegg
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
In recent years, several state agencies have adopted the use of baited, tandemset hoop nets to assess lentic channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus populations. Some level of escapement from the net is expected because an opening exists in each throat of the net, although factors infl uencing rates of escapement from hoop nets have not been quantified. We conducted experiments to quantify rates of escapement and to determine the infl uence of throat configuration and fish density within the net on escapement rates. An initial experiment to determine the rate of escapement from each net compartment utilized individually tagged channel catfish …
Catch Of Channel Catfish With Tandem-Set Hoop Nets And Gill Nets In Lentic Systems Of Nebraska, Lindsey K. Richters, Kevin L. Pope
Catch Of Channel Catfish With Tandem-Set Hoop Nets And Gill Nets In Lentic Systems Of Nebraska, Lindsey K. Richters, Kevin L. Pope
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Twenty-six Nebraska water bodies representing two ecosystem types (small standing waters and large standing waters) were surveyed during 2008 and 2009 with tandem-set hoop nets and experimental gill nets to determine if similar trends existed in catch rates and size structures of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus captured with these gears. Gear effi ciency was assessed as the number of sets (nets) that would be required to capture 100 channel catfish given observed catch per unit effort (CPUE). Efficiency of gill nets was not correlated with effi ciency of hoop nets for capturing channel catfish. Small sample sizes prohibited estimation of …
Pathology And Failure In The Design And Implementation Of Adaptive Management, Craig R. Allen, Lance H. Gunderson
Pathology And Failure In The Design And Implementation Of Adaptive Management, Craig R. Allen, Lance H. Gunderson
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
The conceptual underpinnings for adaptive management are simple; there will always be inherent uncertainty and unpredictability in the dynamics and behavior of complex ecological systems as a result non-linear interactions among components and emergence, yet management decisions must still be made. The strength of adaptive management is in the recognition and confrontation of such uncertainty. Rather than ignore uncertainty, or use it to preclude management actions, adaptive management can foster resilience and flexibility to cope with an uncertain future, and develop safe to fail management approaches that acknowledge inevitable changes and surprises. Since its initial introduction, adaptive management has been …
Adaptive Management For A Turbulent Future, Craig R. Allen, Joseph J. Fontaine, Kevin L. Pope, Ahjond S. Garmestani
Adaptive Management For A Turbulent Future, Craig R. Allen, Joseph J. Fontaine, Kevin L. Pope, Ahjond S. Garmestani
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
The conceptual underpinnings for adaptive management are simple; there will always be inherent uncertainty and unpredictability in the dynamics and behavior of complex ecological systems as a result non-linear interactions among components and emergence, yet management decisions must still be made. The strength of adaptive management is in the recognition and confrontation of such uncertainty. Rather than ignore uncertainty, or use it to preclude management actions, adaptive management can foster resilience and flexibility to cope with an uncertain future, and develop safe to fail management approaches that acknowledge inevitable changes and surprises. Since its initial introduction, adaptive management has been …
Luring Anglers To Enhance Fisheries, D. R. Martin, Kevin L. Pope
Luring Anglers To Enhance Fisheries, D. R. Martin, Kevin L. Pope
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Current fisheries management is, unfortunately, reactive rather than proactive to changes in fishery characteristics. Furthermore, anglers do not act independently on waterbodies, and thus, fisheries are complex socio-ecological systems. Proactive management of these complex systems necessitates an approachdadaptive fisheries managementdthat allows learning to occur simultaneously with management. A promising area for implementation of adaptive fisheries management is the study of luring anglers to or from specific waterbodies to meet management goals. Purposeful manipulation of anglers, and its associated field of study, is nonexistent in past management. Evaluation of different management practices (i.e., hypotheses) through an iterative adaptive management process should …
Using Consumption Rate To Assess Potential Predators For Biological Control Of White Perch, Nathan J.C. Gosch, Kevin L. Pope
Using Consumption Rate To Assess Potential Predators For Biological Control Of White Perch, Nathan J.C. Gosch, Kevin L. Pope
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Control of undesirable fishes is important in aquatic systems, and using predation as a tool for biological control is an attractive option to fishery biologists. However, determining the appropriate predators for biological control is critical for success. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of consumption rate as an index to determine the most effective predators for biological control of an invasive fish. Consumption rate values were calculated for nine potential predators that prey on white perch Morone americana in Branched Oak and Pawnee reservoirs, Nebraska. The consumption rate index provided a unique and insightful means of …
Woody Invasions Of Urban Trails And The Changing Face Of Urban Forests In The Great Plains, Usa, Kristine T. Nemec, Craig R. Allen, Aaron L. Alai, Gregory M. Clements, Andrew C. Kessler, Travis C. Kinsell, Annabel Major, Bruce J. Stephen
Woody Invasions Of Urban Trails And The Changing Face Of Urban Forests In The Great Plains, Usa, Kristine T. Nemec, Craig R. Allen, Aaron L. Alai, Gregory M. Clements, Andrew C. Kessler, Travis C. Kinsell, Annabel Major, Bruce J. Stephen
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Corridors such as roads and trails can facilitate invasions by non-native plant species. The open, disturbed habitat associated with corridors provides favorable growing conditions for many non-native plant species. Bike trails are a corridor system common to many urban areas that have not been studied for their potential role in plant invasions. We sampled five linear segments of urban forest along bike trails in Lincoln, Nebraska to assess the invasion of woody non-native species relative to corridors and to assess the composition of these urban forests. The most abundant plant species were generally native species, but five non-native species were …
Implications Of Stunting On Morphology Of Freshwater Fishes, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope, G.R. Wilde, R.E. Strauss
Implications Of Stunting On Morphology Of Freshwater Fishes, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope, G.R. Wilde, R.E. Strauss
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
The purpose of this study was to assess morphological differences between stunted and non-stunted white perch Morone americana and green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus. Few female M. americana were captured; thus, morphological differences between adult males and juveniles were assessed for M. americana. Similarly, few immature (juvenile) L. cyanellus were captured for the stunted morphotype; thus, male and female morphological differences were assessed for L. cyanellus. Features of the head tended to be relatively larger in stunted fish of both species, whereas the mid-body tended to be relatively larger in non-stunted M. americana, but not in non-stunted …
Risk Assessment: Simultaneously Prioritizing The Control Of Invasive Plant Species And The Conservation Of Rare Plant Species, Thaddeus K. Miller, Craig R. Allen, Wayne G. Landis, James W. Merchant
Risk Assessment: Simultaneously Prioritizing The Control Of Invasive Plant Species And The Conservation Of Rare Plant Species, Thaddeus K. Miller, Craig R. Allen, Wayne G. Landis, James W. Merchant
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Although the consequences of the homogenization of Earth’s flora and fauna are not well understood, experts agree that biological invasions pose hazards to rare species. As a result, there is a need for a systematic approach to assess risks from invasive species. The Relative Risk Model can be adapted to assess combinations of rare species, invasive species, and regions. It also can be applied to different taxonomic groups and at different spatial scales. This flexibility makes it a promising tool for invasive species risk assessment. We used the Relative Risk Model to quantify risks posed to endangered plant species by …
The Effect Of Predation On Stunted And Nonstunted White Perch, Nathan J.C. Gosch, L. L. Pierce, Kevin L. Pope
The Effect Of Predation On Stunted And Nonstunted White Perch, Nathan J.C. Gosch, L. L. Pierce, Kevin L. Pope
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Predation is widely regarded as a means to prevent or minimise the establishment of a stunted (high density of slow growing individuals) population. We investigated the effect of predation on two different white perch Morone americana populations (stunted and nonstunted) by examining the stomach contents of piscivorous fishes. White perch and gizzard shad dominated piscivore diets in Branched Oak Lake, whereas white perch dominated piscivore diets in Pawnee Lake. White perch consumed in the stunted population (Branched Oak Lake) were larger and older than white perch consumed in the nonstunted population (Pawnee Lake). Many of the consumed white perch in …
Food Habits Of Stunted And Non-Stunted White Perch (Marone Americana), Nathan J.C. Gosch, Jeffrey R. Stittle, Kevin L. Pope
Food Habits Of Stunted And Non-Stunted White Perch (Marone Americana), Nathan J.C. Gosch, Jeffrey R. Stittle, Kevin L. Pope
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
We studied food habits of white perch (Morone americana) from two populations with different stable states (stunted [Branched Oak Lake, Nebraska] and non-stunted [Pawnee Lake, Nebraska]) to determine if change in food habits of white perch is likely to occur in situations where a stunted while perch population is altered to a non-stunted state and vice versa. Three approaches were used to quantitatively describe seasonal (spring= March-May, summer= June-August, autumn = September-November) diets of white perch - 1) frequency of occurrence, 2) percentage of composition by volume, and 3) mean stomach fullness. White perch diets were dominated by …
Methods For Assessing Fish Populations, Kevin L. Pope, Steve E. Lochmann, Michael K. Young
Methods For Assessing Fish Populations, Kevin L. Pope, Steve E. Lochmann, Michael K. Young
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Fisheries managers are likely to assess fish populations at some point during the fisheries management process. Managers that follow the fisheries management process (see Chapter 5) might find their knowledge base insufficient during the steps of problem identification or management action and must assess a population before appropriate actions can be taken. Managers will implement some type of assessment during the evaluation step as a means of measuring progress relative to objectives. Choosing how to assess a population is an important decision because managers strive to maximize their knowledge of a population while minimizing the time and money expended to …
Evaluating Food Availability And Nest Predation Risk As Sources Of Bias In Aural Bird Surveys, Bruce A. Robertson, Richard L. Hutto, Joseph J. Fontaine
Evaluating Food Availability And Nest Predation Risk As Sources Of Bias In Aural Bird Surveys, Bruce A. Robertson, Richard L. Hutto, Joseph J. Fontaine
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
The use of aural surveys to estimate population parameters is widespread in avian studies.Despite efforts to increase the efficacy of this method, the potential for ecological context to bias population estimates remains largely unexplored. For example, food availability and nest predation risk can influence singing activity independent of density and, therefore, may bias aural estimates where these ecological factors vary systematically among habitats or other categories of ecological interest. We used a natural fire event in a mixed-conifer forest that experienced variation in fire severity (low, intermediate, and high) to determine if aural surveys produce accurate density estimates of Dark-eyed …
A Modelling Approach To Evaluate Potential Management Actions Designed To Increase Growth Of White Perch In A High-Density Population, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope, G.R. Wilde
A Modelling Approach To Evaluate Potential Management Actions Designed To Increase Growth Of White Perch In A High-Density Population, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope, G.R. Wilde
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
A deterministic, age-structured population model was developed to simulate potential management scenarios designed to increase growth of individuals (quantified by maximum length) in a hypothetical population of white perch, Morone americana (Gmelin). Four scenarios were developed that included non-selective mortality of adult white perch, increased mortality of age groups most influential on population growth, increased age-0 mortality and inhibiting recruitment after spawning. The greatest increase in maximum length occurred with nonselective adult mortality when population biomass was reduced by 97%; lesser increases in maximum length were achieved with the other management scenarios. Populations returned to their original state after control …
Methods For Assessing Fish Populations, Kevin L. Pope, Steve E. Lochmann, Michael K. Young
Methods For Assessing Fish Populations, Kevin L. Pope, Steve E. Lochmann, Michael K. Young
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Fisheries managers are likely to assess fish populations at some point during the fisheries management process. Managers that follow the fisheries management process (see Chapter 5) might find their knowledge base insufficient during the steps of problem identification or management action and must assess a population before appropriate actions can be taken. Managers will implement some type of assessment during the evaluation step as a means of measuring progress relative to objectives. Choosing how to assess a population is an important decision because managers strive to maximize their knowledge of a population while minimizing the time and money expended to …
Exploring Predation And Animal Coloration Through Outdoor Activity, Joseph J. Fontaine, Karie L. Decker
Exploring Predation And Animal Coloration Through Outdoor Activity, Joseph J. Fontaine, Karie L. Decker
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Although children often characterize animals by the animals' color or pattern. the children seldom understand the evolutionary and ecological factors that favor particular colors. In this ilrticle. we describe two activities that help students understand the distinct evolutionary stmtegies of warning coloration and camoutlage. Because both of these strategies effectively allow prey animals to avoid predation. they can help explain considerable variation in animal coloration.
Seasonal Patterns Of Song Structure Variation In A Suboscine Passerine, Bruce A. Robertson, Joseph J. Fontaine, Elizabeth Loomis
Seasonal Patterns Of Song Structure Variation In A Suboscine Passerine, Bruce A. Robertson, Joseph J. Fontaine, Elizabeth Loomis
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Studies of song and its function in suboscine passerines are rare. We examined spatial and temporal variation in song structure in a wild population of Olive-sided Flycatchers (Contopus cooperi) and tested among hypotheses explaining this variation. Repeatable variation in song type was observed both within and among individuals. More than 10% of territorial males expressed atypical song types, i.e., permutations of sequential missing and repeated elements of the typical adult song. Atypical songs were predominantly expressed by unpaired males independent of habitat type. A small fraction of males sang atypical song through the middle of the breeding season, …
Variability In Population Abundance Is Associated With Thresholds Between Scaling Regimes, Donald Wardwell, Craig R. Allen
Variability In Population Abundance Is Associated With Thresholds Between Scaling Regimes, Donald Wardwell, Craig R. Allen
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Discontinuous structure in landscapes may result in discontinuous, aggregated species bodymass patterns, reflecting the scales of structure available to animal communities within a landscape. The edges of these body-mass aggregations reflect transitions between available scales of landscape structure. Such transitions, or scale breaks, are theoretically associated with increased biological variability. We hypothesized that variability in population abundance is greater in animal species near the edge of bodymass aggregations than it is in species that are situated in the interior of body-mass aggregations. We tested this hypothesis by examining both temporal and spatial variability in the abundance of species in the …
A Neotropical Migrant Bird’S Dilemma— Where To Stop For A Good Meal, Joseph J. Fontaine, Charles Van Riper Iii
A Neotropical Migrant Bird’S Dilemma— Where To Stop For A Good Meal, Joseph J. Fontaine, Charles Van Riper Iii
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
To learn how migrating birds determine where to stop and find food, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Arizona University, and The University of Arizona studied the behavior of 28 species of neotropical migrant songbirds—warblers, flycatchers, tanagers, and vireos—along the lower Colorado River from 2001 to 2004. They found that, like interstate travelers greeted by restaurant billboards, songbirds flying over Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, relied on the flowering of honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) to detect the availability of insects that they prey on. Understanding where and why migrant birds stop will help land managers better protect …
Spatial And Temporal Variation In Climate Change: A Bird’S Eye View, Joseph J. Fontaine, K. L. Decker, S. K. Skagen, C. Van Riper Iii
Spatial And Temporal Variation In Climate Change: A Bird’S Eye View, Joseph J. Fontaine, K. L. Decker, S. K. Skagen, C. Van Riper Iii
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
Recent changes in global climate have dramatically altered worldwide temperatures and the corresponding timing of seasonal climate conditions. Recognizing the degree to which species respond to changing climates is therefore an area of increasing conservation concern as species that are unable to respond face increased risk of extinction. Here we examine spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the rate of climate change across western North America and discuss the potential for conditions to arise that may limit the ability of western migratory birds to adapt to changing climates. Based on 52 years of climate data, we show that changes in temperature …
Stomach Capacities Of Six Freshwater Fishes, Nathan J.C. Gosch, Kevin L. Pope, Paul H. Michaletz
Stomach Capacities Of Six Freshwater Fishes, Nathan J.C. Gosch, Kevin L. Pope, Paul H. Michaletz
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
We investigated the relationship between stomach capacity and total body length in bluegill (Lepomis macrocirirus), spotted bass (Microplerus punctulatus), white crappie (Pomoxis annularis), black crappie (Pomoxis nigromoculatus), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) , and white bass (Morone chrysops). The rate of change in stomach capacity for a given change in fish length was greatest for spoiled bass and channel catfish, which may indicate greater ontogenetic shifts in feeding strategies. Fish with larger stomach capacities should have more plastic diets because they are capable of consuming a wider range of …
Flower Power: Tree Flowering Phenology As A Settlement Cue For Migrating Birds, Laura J. Mcgrath, Charles Van Riper Iii, Joseph J. Fontaine
Flower Power: Tree Flowering Phenology As A Settlement Cue For Migrating Birds, Laura J. Mcgrath, Charles Van Riper Iii, Joseph J. Fontaine
Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications
1.Neotropical migrant birds show a clear preference for stopover habitats with ample food supplies; yet, the proximate cues underlying these decisions remain unclear. 2.For insectivorous migrants, cues associated with vegetative phenology (e.g. flowering, leaf flush, and leaf loss) may reliably predict the availability of herbivorous arthropods. Here we examined whether migrants use the phenology of five tree species to choose stopover locations, and whether phenology accurately predicts food availability. 3.Using a combination of experimental and observational evidence, we show migrant populations closely track tree phenology, particularly the flowering phenology of honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), and preferentially forage in …