Animal Sciences Commons^™

Driver Knowledge, Beliefs, And Attitudes About Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Southern Michigan, Alix Marcoux, Shawn J. Riley

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Deer–vehicle collisions (DVCs) are one of the most frequent and costly human– wildlife conflict throughout the range of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We conducted a self-administered, mail-back survey of Michigan drivers to determine: (1) driver attitudes and knowledge about DVCs; (2) reporting rates of DVCs; and (3) effects of being in a DVC on attitudes toward desired deer population levels. From a sample of 3,600 randomly selected licensed drivers >18 years of age in southeast Michigan, we obtained 1,653 completed questionnaires (48% response rate). Although 18% of respondents reported experiencing >1 DVC within 5 years of the survey …

Effectiveness Of Deer Repellents In Connecticut, Jeffrey S. Ward, Scott C. Williams

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Browsing by overabundant herds of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can cause significant economic damage to agricultural crops and landscape plantings. In many instances, for both commercial growers and homeowners, commercially available repellents may be an appealing alternative to physical exclusion and lethal control of animals. We tested 10 different commercially-available repellents (Chew-Not®, Deer Off®, Deer-Away® Big Game Repellent, Plantskydd®, Bobbex®, Liquid Fence®, Deer Solution®, Hinder®, Repellex® systemic tablets, and coyote urine) on yews (Taxus cuspidata Densiformis) at 2 different locations in Connecticut. The study included both positive (fence) and negative (no treatment) controls. We planted yews in …

Movements, Habitat Selection, Associations, And Survival Of Giant Canada Goose Broods In Central Tennessee, Eric M. Dunton, Daniel L. Combs

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The brood-rearing period in giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) is one of the least-studied areas of goose ecology. We monitored 32 broods in Putnam County, Tennessee, from the time of hatching through fledging (i.e., when the goslings gained the ability to fly) and from fledging until broods left the brood-rearing areas during the spring and summer of 2003. We conducted a fixed-kernel, home-range analysis for each brood using the Animal Movement Extension in ArcView® 3.3 GIS (ESRI, Redlands, Calif.) software and calculated 95% and 50% utilization distributions (UD) for each brood. We classified 25 broods as sedentary …

Fate Of Captive-Reared And Released Mallards On Eastern Long Island, New York, Carrie E. Osborne, Bryan L. Swift, Guy A. Baldassarre

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We studied captive-reared mallards (Anas platyrhynchos; CRMs) released on eastern Long Island, New York, in 2006 to 2007 and 2007 to 2008 to determine: (1) survival rates of CRMs; (2) contribution to hunter harvest; (3) local movements; and (4) pair status, reproductive behavior, and production of CRMs. We banded and released 100 CRMs in November 2006 of which 20 were radio-marked. In November 2007, we banded and released 299 CRMs of which 60 were radio-marked. We used Program MARK to determine weekly survival estimates (0.53 to 1.00) up to 24 weeks after release; cumulative survival from November to …

Improved Methods For Deterring Cliff Swallow Nesting On Highway Structures, Michael Delwiche, Robert W. Coates, W. Paul Gorenzel, Terrell P. Salmon

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are migratory birds that frequently nest on highway structures, such as bridges. Because cliff swallows are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, nesting control methods must not harm cliff swallows or disturb active nests. This can cause delays for maintenance divisions of state departments of transportation, resulting in additional cost. In a multiyear project, we evaluated the effects of bioacoustic deterrents and bridge surface modifications on nesting behavior of cliff swallows. We used cliff swallow alarm and distress calls as bioacoustic deterrents (hereafter, broadcast calls [BC]) because they previously had been …

An Effective Chemical Deterrent For Invasive Cuban Treefrogs, Steve A. Johnson, Monica E. Mcgarrity, Christina L. Staudhammer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Introduced vertebrates have a variety of impacts on ecosystems and economies, and many cause problems for humans. One such problem is the loss of electrical power when invasive animals cause short circuits in power-transmission equipment. Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) are known to cause power outages and are a nuisance to humans when they invade homes and defecate on doors and windows. These large, slightly toxic treefrogs were introduced into Florida from the Caribbean. They now occur throughout the peninsula of Florida and are spreading to other states in the Southeast. We used refuge choice experiments to test the …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report To The Parliament 2009/10, Government Of Western Australian Department Of Fisheries

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

This annual report provides an overview of the Department and its operations for the financial year ended 30 June 2010. It has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Management Act 2006, the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 and the Public Sector Commission’s Annual reporting framework – 2009-10 reporting year.

The Dynamics Of Chronically Bioaccumulated Cd In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) During Both Moderately Hard And Soft Waterborne Exposures, Jessica Milne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Aquatic organisms respond to metal exposures by modulating uptake, elimination and detoxification capacity and, therefore, it is difficult to link accumulation within fish to adverse chronic effects. When fish are exposed to sublethal concentrations of metal, physiological responses follow a damage-repair scenario with rapid uptake into the gills followed by transfer via the circulatory system and accumulation into key organs such as the liver and kidney. Anthropogenic sources of cadmium (Cd) arise mainly from mining, smelting, and refining sulphide ores of Zn, Pb and Cu (Norton et al., 1990). The free divalent ion (Cd²⁺) is the toxic form …

Muellerius Capillaris Dominates The Lungworm Community Of Bighorn Sheep At The National Bison Range, Montana, Vanessa O. Ezenwa, Alicia M. Hines, Elizabeth A. Archie, Eric P. Hoberg, Ingrid M. Asmundsson, John T. Hogg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Lungworm infections are common among bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in North America, and the predominant species reported are Protostrongylus stilesi and P. rushi. The only records of another lungworm species, Muellerius capillaris, infecting bighorns come from South Dakota, USA. At the National Bison Range (NBR), Montana, USA we found that across six sampling periods, 100% of wild bighorn sheep surveyed were passing first-stage dorsal-spined larvae (DSL) which appeared to be consistent with M. capillaris. By contrast, only 39%or fewer sheep were passing Protostrongylus larvae. Using molecular techniques, we positively identified the DSL from the NBR …

How Birds Combat Ectoparasites, Dale H. Clayton, Jennifer A. H. Koop, Christopher W. Harbison, Brett R. Moyer, Sarah E. Bush

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Birds are plagued by an impressive diversity of ectoparasites, ranging from feather-feeding lice, to feather-degrading bacteria. Many of these ectoparasites have severe negative effects on host fitness. It is therefore not surprising that selection on birds has favored a variety of possible adaptations for dealing with ectoparasites. The functional significance of some of these defenses has been well documented. Others have barely been studied, much less tested rigorously. In this article we review the evidence--or lack thereof--for many of the purported mechanisms birds have for dealing with ectoparasites. We concentrate on features of the plumage and its components, as well …

Current State Of Ixodidae Research In Mongolia, Daniel Kiefer, K. Pfister, D. Tserennorov, G. Bolormaa, D. Otgonbaatar, Ravčigijn Samjaa, E. G. Burmeister, Mathias S. Kiefer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Our research presents the Ixodidae-fauna in Mongolia. The current taxonomic state in Mongolia shows 19 Ixodidae taxa extracted in 308 locations from 115 bird and mammal species. In 1980, the species Ixodes persulcatus SCHULZE, 1930 and Ixodes berlesei Birula, 1895 were detected in Inget Tolgoi and Ixodes laguri OLENEV, 1929 on Meriones unguiculatus 10 km southeast of Ulaanbaatar for the first time. In 2000 the species Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, 1844 was detected in the Selenge-river area and Argas (Argas) vulgaris FILIPPOVA, 1961 was detected in the Gobi area. From the collection of M. and A. STUBBE 1 N …

Distribution Of Fleas (Siphonaptera) In Bird-Nests, Bird Siphonaptera On Mammalia And The Medical Importance Of Interspecific Flea Transmission In Mongolia, Daniel Kiefer, K. Pfister, D. Tserennorov, D. Otgonbaatar, Ravčigijn Samjaa, D. Sumjaa, E. G. Burmeister, Mathias S. Kiefer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Starting in the 1960s of the last century a huge amount of material from mammals and birds was collected in Mongolia. The according results were published in Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei, Volume 1-10, and represented on conferences in Halle, Moscow, Irkutsk, Ulaanbaatar, Bratislava and the Entomological Review St. Petersburg.

A big part of the collected material consisted of ectoparasites analyzed by experts from Mongolia, Germany, England, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia resulting in newly described species along with zoogeographical and ecological profiles.

During the years 1974-2007 material from 321 nests of 38 bird taxa were obtained. 157 …

Ectoparasites Of Bats In Mongolia (Ischnopsyllidae, Nycteribiidae, Cimicidae And Spinturnicidae), Ingo Sceffler, Dietrich Dolch, Jargalsaikhan Ariunbold, Nyamsuren Batsajchan, Andreas Abraham, Klaus Thiele

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

For large parts of the world, the knowledge of bat ectoparasites is still scanty. Regarding Mongolia, only few studies exist to date. This paper analyzes results from extensive captures between 2005-2008, carried out in different sites of Mongolia. Discussed ectoparasites include bat fleas, (Ischnopsyllidae), bat flies (Nycteribiidae), and bat bugs (Cimicidae) and spinturnicid mites (Spinturnicidae). A number of species found in this study were new records for Mongolia, and for many species additional sites were reported. For some bat species, the spectrum and frequency of larger ectoparasites could be determined for the first time.

Dopamine Modulates The Lateral Giant Neuron And Serotonergic Facilitation In Crayfish, Joshua Scott Titlow

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The lateral giant (LG) neural circuit is a model system used to study the function of individual neurons. The LG circuit is part of a tail flip escape reflex that is a defensive behavior for crayfish. This thesis begins by addressing the effects of dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter involved in normal and abnormal behaviors of most animals. Here it is shown that dopamine decreases the excitability of the LG neuron, a trigger for the escape reflex. An electrophysiology protocol was used to mimic sensory input to the LG neuron. Stimulating a sensory nerve in the last ganglion with an electrode …

Carbohydrate Sources And Maximizing The Use Of Supplemental Amino Acids In Diets For Weanling Pigs, Victor D. Naranjo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of this research were 1) to determine the effect of replacing dried whey (DW) with milk chocolate product (MCP), dried whey permeate (DWP) with candy oats (CO), and spray-dried plasma protein (SDPP) with a novel swine nutritional supplement (SNS) on growth performance of weanling pigs, and 2) to determine the maximum level of supplemental L-Lys, along with DL-Met, L-Thr, and L-Trp that can be added in diets for 6- to 12 and 13- to 23-kg pigs. Three experiments were conducted to compare the feeding value of MCP (20% lactose and 60% sugars) and DW (70% lactose). Results from …

Leptodactylus Savagei, W. R. Heyer, Miriam M. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus savagei are large, the head is as wide as long or usually wider than long, and the hind limbs are moderate in length (Table 1; Heyer and Thompson (2000) provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are not visible externally. Sexually active males have hypertrophied forearms, usually 1 large black spine on each thumb, rarely with 1 large spine and a prepollical bump, and a pair of black chest spines. A pair of entire dorsolateral folds extend anteriorly from at least one_half to full distance from eye to groin, the …

Male Remating Success And The Frequency Of Copulatory Plugs In The Green Lynx Spider Peucetia Viridans (Araneae, Oxyopidae), Martina G. Ramirez, Angelik C. Achekian, Catherine R. Coverley, Rachel M. Pierce, Sarah S. Eiman, Melissa M. Wetkowski

Biology Faculty Works

Peucetia viridans males were allowed to mate with three virgin females and most matings resulted in live spiderlings, even when males lacked palpal paracymbial processes. Among females, the presence of copulatory plugs was inconsistent, and when present, their condition was not uniform; broken-off male paracymbia were often found in epigynal orifices. There was no size effect in a male’s ability to completely plug a female’s genital orifices, as well as no significant change in the pattern of plug production over consecutive mating trials. Among mated, field-collected females, the presence of plugs and paracymbia was variable, with females from some sites …

Spatial Segregation Of The Sexes In A Salt Marsh Grass Distichlis Spicata (Poaceae), Charlene Ashley Mercer

Dissertations and Theses

Understanding the maintenance of sexual systems is of great interest to evolutionary and ecological biologists because plant systems are extremely varied. Plant sexual systems have evolved to include not only complete plants with both male and female reproduction occurring on one plant (i.e., monoecious and hermaphroditic) but also plants with male and female function on separate plants (dioecious). The dioecious reproductive system can be used to test theories on niche differentiation given that having separate plants potentially allows for the exploitation of a broader niche. This increase in the realized niche is due to the ability for separate sexes to …

Physiological And Toxicological Effects Of Pb Plus Cd Mixtures On Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) In Soft Acidic Water, Yvonne Kara

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The ability of a metal to cause toxicity in aquatic environments is highly dependant upon the water chemistry, which can influence metal bioavailability. Metal bioavailability is affected by the concentration of the metal, complexation of the metal by organic and inorganic ligands, and by the speciation of the metal. Predictive models of metal toxicity, such as the biotic ligand model (BLM) have mainly focused upon predicting the toxicity of individual metals rather than the toxicity of metals in mixtures, which are more commonly found in contaminated waters. Two metals that are commonly found together are Pb and Cd which can …

Relative Habitat- And Browse-Use Of Native Desert Mule Deer And Exotic Oryx In The Greater San Andres Mountains, New Mexico, Brock D. Hoenes, Louis C. Bender

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Introduced oryx (Oryx gazella gazella) have expanded into the San Andres Mountains of south-central New Mexico, but little is known of concurrent habitat used by oryx and desert mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus crooki); the latter in New Mexico is a species of special concern that has declined significantly since the introduction of oryx. We used fecal-pellet and browse surveys in combination with presence modeling to identify differences in relative use of habitat types, distribution, and browsing of highly palatable, highly preferred (hereafter, key) plant species during 2004 to 2006 to assess the potential for direct competition …