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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

1989

International and Area Studies

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Pralrle Basin Wetlands Of The Dakotas: A Communlty Profile, Harold L. Kantrud, Gary L. Krapu, George A. Swanson Sep 1989

Pralrle Basin Wetlands Of The Dakotas: A Communlty Profile, Harold L. Kantrud, Gary L. Krapu, George A. Swanson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

This description of prairie basin wetlands of the Dakotas is part of a series of community profiles on ecologically important wetlands of national significance. The shallow wetlands of the Dakotas form the bulk of the portion of the Prairie Pothole Region lying within the United States. This region is famous as the producer of at least half of North America's waterfowl and an unknown, but large, proportion of other prairie-dwelling marsh and aquatic birds. The wetlands described here lie in relatively small, shallaw basins that vary greatly in their ability to maintain surface water, and in their water chemistry, which …


Accumulation Of Lead And Organochiorine Residues In Captive American Kestrels Fed Pine Voles From Apple Orchards, Rey C. Stendell, W. Nelson Beyer, Robert A. Stehn Jan 1989

Accumulation Of Lead And Organochiorine Residues In Captive American Kestrels Fed Pine Voles From Apple Orchards, Rey C. Stendell, W. Nelson Beyer, Robert A. Stehn

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) were collected from pesticide-treated orchards in New York (USA) and fed to three captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) for 60 days to evaluate potential hazards from soil-borne persistent insecticides. Three control kestrels were fed uncontaminated laboratory mice (Mus musculus). The pine voles contained an average of 38 ppm lead, 48 ppm DDE and 1.2 ppm dieldrin (wet weight). The kestrels accumulated sublethal amounts of lead (1 ppm lead wet weight) in their livers. In contrast, DDE and dieldrin accumulated in the tissues and brains of kestrels to toxicologically significant concentrations. …


An Empirical Bayes Approach To Analyzing Recurring Animal Surveys, Douglas H. Johnson Jan 1989

An Empirical Bayes Approach To Analyzing Recurring Animal Surveys, Douglas H. Johnson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Recurring estimates of the size of animal populations are often required by biologists or wildlife managers. Because of cost or other constraints, estimates frequently lack the accuracy desired but cannot readily be improved by additional sampling. This report proposes a statistical method employing empirical Bayes (EB) estimators as alternatives to those customarily used to estimate population size, and evaluates them by a subsampling experiment on waterfowl surveys. EB estimates, especially a simple limited-translation version, were more accurate and provided shorter confidence intervals with greater coverage probabilities than customary estimates.


Least Squares Estimation Of Avian Molt Rates, Douglas H. Johnson Jan 1989

Least Squares Estimation Of Avian Molt Rates, Douglas H. Johnson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

A straightforward least squares method of estimating the rate at which birds molt feathers is presented, suitable for birds captured more than once during the period of molt. The date of molt onset can also be estimated. The method is applied to male and female mourning doves.