Other Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Hepatozoon Spp. Infection In Wild Canids In The Eastern United States, Eliza Baker, Alex Clemson, Debra Miller, Kayla Buck Garrett, Christopher A. Cleveland, Justin Brown, Kyle Van Why, Richard W. Gerhold Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background Hepatozoon spp. are apicomplexan parasites known to cause musculoskeletal disease in a variety of animals. Two species are known to infect wild and domestic canids in the United States: Hepatozoon canis and H. americanum.

Methods In this study, blood, heart, and/or spleen samples were collected from 278 wild canids (180 coyotes, 93 red foxes, and 5 gray foxes) in the eastern US and tested via PCR for Hepatozoon. Histology slides of heart and skeletal muscle were assessed for Hepatozoon cysts and associated inflammation when fresh tissue was available (n = 96).

Results Hepatozoon spp. were …

A Next-Generation Sequencing Study Of Arthropods In The Diet Of Laysan Teal Anas Laysanensis, Wieteke A. Hothuijzen, Carmen C. Antaky, Elizabeth N. Flint, Jonathan H. Plissner, Coral A. Wolf, Holly P. Jones

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The critically endangered Laysan teal Anas laysanensis (known as koloa po¯haka in the Hawaiian language), in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands has wild populations on Kamole (Laysan Island), Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll NWR) and Ho¯laniku¯ (Kure Atoll). The Laysan teal face a new risk on Sand Island in Kuaihelani: non-target poisoning via a pending House Mouse Mus musculus eradication program. After mice were observed attacking and depredating Laysan albatross Phoebastria immutabilis (mo¯lı¯) in 2015, plans to eradicate the mice were developed to protect this seabird species. This approach, however, risks poisoning the Laysan teal. To reduce exposure, teal will be translocated during …

Raccoon Densities Across Four Land Cover Types In The Southeastern United States, Jocab E. Hill, James L. Helton, David A. Bernasconi, Wesley C. Dixon, Matt T. Hamilton, Richard B. Chipman, Amy T. Gilbert, James C. Beasley, Guha Dharmarajan, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are the primary reservoir for rabies virus in eastern North America. Management of rabies in raccoons is achieved primarily with the use of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) and effective ORV bait densities are determined in part by the densities of raccoons. Decisions regarding ORV bait densities, however, are limited by an incomplete understanding of raccoon densities across the spectrum of landscapes they occupy. We carried out a markrecapture study of raccoons on the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, USA, from 2017–2019, to develop sex‐ and landscape‐specific raccoon density estimates across 4 rural land cover …

Nitrogen: Both A Potential Stimulator And Suppressor Of Cyanobacterial Blooms In Temperate Lakes, Catherine Goltz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cyanobacterial blooms are complex phenomenon that are impacted and controlled by various factors such as lake depth, air temperature, wind, and nutrient loading. Nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen and iron all have very differing effects on cyanobacterial blooms. While phosphorus and iron are known to drive cyanobacterial biomass, nitrogen has been observed to have a direct impact on toxin synthesis. Nitrogen exists in the environment in many different forms such as atmospheric N₂, in inorganic forms such as nitrate and ammonium as well as in organic forms such as urea which can all affect cyanobacterial bloom development differently. …

Investigation Of Small Mammal Species Richness, Abundance, And Genetic Population Structure On And Around The Eastern Washington University Prairie Restoration Site, Sarah Deshazer

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Small mammals are an ecologically important component of every landscape on Earth. They are a food source for higher trophic level animals, disperse plant seed and mycorrhizal fungi spore, engineer the landscape through burrowing and foraging activities, and alter plant community composition through selective predation of seed and grain. Studies have shown that small mammals may help facilitate the transition between successive stages in prairie restoration. Eastern Washington University has dedicated 120 acres of campus land to restoration of native prairie habitat. Small mammals can play both a positive and a negative role in restoration, therefore it is important to …