Zoology Commons^™

Ecomorphological Patterns And Shape Indices Of Otoliths In The Pagellus Acarne (Actinopterygii, Sparidae) From The Aegean And Marmara Seas, Serdar Yedi̇er, Seda Kontaş Yalçinkaya, Di̇lek Türker, Derya Bostanci

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Pagellus acarne is found in coastal waters worldwide and it includes important species of commercial and recreational fisheries. In this study, 16 morphometric variables of the sagittal otolith, including six morphometric characters, six shape indices, and four ecomorphological indexes, were investigated for the first time among P. acarne stocks collected from the Aegean and Marmara Seas coasts of Turkey. Statistically significant differences were found between the right and left otolith variables of P. acarne individuals in both stocks (p < 0.05). Similarly, significant differences were observed on the same side between stocks (p < 0.05). The right otoliths exhibited higher discrimination power than the left within the two stocks. The PCA showed that only five (31.25%) (otolith area, otolith perimeter, form factor, roundness, and edge complexity index) out of the sixteen variables were quite important characters in the differentiation between stocks. These otolith characters demonstrated a very high rate of accurate discrimination (99.0%) between stocks. The results indicated otolith morphometric characters, shape indices, and ecomorphological indexes can be used as suitable tools to discriminate P. acarne stocks. This is the first study to include all otolith characters such as morphometrics, shape, and ecomorphological indices that …

Discrimination Between Six Commercially Relevant And Ecologically Diverse Fish Species Across The Gulf Of Tunis Using Fatty Acid Composition And Otolith Shape Analyses, Nawzet Bouriga, Wafa Rjiba Bahri, Safa Bejaoui, Madel F. Adjibayo Houeto, Adel A. Basyouny Shahin, Jean-Pierre Quiganrd, Monia Trabelsi, Abderraouf Ben Faleh

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Fatty acid composition and otolith shape variation of six commercially important fishes, which differ ecologically in their living and feeding habits across the Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia, were analyzed. The aims were to investigate the discrimination and relationship between the six species using both fatty acid composition and otolith shape to examine whether variability in fatty acid composition is consistent with variation in otolith shape and check whether otoliths shape and fatty acids composition have combined characteristic signals for these species. Tukey's test with one-way ANOVA indicated significant differences in total percentages of saturated (SFAs), polyunsaturated (PUFAs), and monounsaturated (MUFAs) …

Discovering Underground Bat Hibernacula In Lowland Eastern Europe, Lena Godlevska, Aliaksei Shpak, Mariia Savchenko, Pavlo Vorobei

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The importance of underground hibernacula for the conservation of bats and monitoring their populations is well-recognized. However, the lowland territory of Belarus, with absent natural caves and suitable for bats mines, was one of the least surveyed European regions in terms of underground bat sites, and especially hibernacula. To address this knowledge gap, in 2020, we conducted a broadscale one winter bat survey, exploring 90 underground sites (basements, cellars, church crypts, fortifications, and facilities of abandoned Soviet missile bases) in various parts of Belarus. To our knowledge, none of these sites had been examined for bats before. In 56 of …

Diversity And Prevalence Of Ornithophilic Louse Flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Ornithomyinae) In Serbia, Tibor Rekecki, Drazenko Rajkovic

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Ectoparasites are diverse organisms that exploit animal hosts using various strategies. One such group represents the louse flies (Hippoboscidae) from the subfamily Ornithomyinae, which are permanent, highly specialised, hematophagous ectoparasites of poultry and wild birds found worldwide. The main objective of this research is to examine the mean abundance, prevalence, and diversity of ornithophilic louse flies in Serbia. They have been detected through visual inspection or fumigation of caught birds. In total, 79 louse flies belonging to four genera and six species were collected from 62 individuals within 26 host species. A single louse fly infested the bulk of captured …

Long Term Changes In Aquaculture Influence Migration, Regional Abundance, And Distribution Of An Avian Species, Paul C. Burr, Brian S. Dorr, Jimmy L. Avery, Garrett M. Street, Bronson K. Strickland

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Agricultural development has been causing changes to the environment and the abundance and distribution of avian species. Agriculture is dynamic with changes in products occurring at large scales over relatively short time periods. The catfish aquaculture industry is one such agriculture industry that has undergone dramatic changes over the last 25 years. The double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) is a piscivorous bird that has an extensive history with the aquaculture industry of Mississippi due to its depredation of cultured catfish. A large-scale monitoring program began in 1989 to estimate the abundance and location of cormorants at every known roost in the …

The Past, Present, And Future Of Equine Science, Sarah H. White-Springer, Jason E. Bruemmer, Robert J. Coleman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A core group of 27 equine nutritionists and physiologists joined together in the late 1960s to formally address and enhance the direction of equine research, creating the Equine Nutrition and Physiology Soci- ety. In 2003, that growing society transformed into the Equine Science Society, which now serves as the preeminent, internationally recognized scientific equine organization. In recent years, it has been appre- ciated that equine science encompasses a wide range of focus areas, including exercise science, nutrition, genetics, reproductive physiology, teaching and extension, production and management, and mix of other specialties, qualified as biosciences. Additionally, trainees are highly valued in …

Using Drones To Detect And Quantify Wild Pig Damage And Yield Loss In Corn Fields Throughout Plant Growth Stages, Bethany A. Friesenhahn, Lori D. Massey, Randy W. Deyoung, Michael J. Cherry, Justin W. Fischer, Nathan P. Snow, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Humberto L. Perotto‐Baldivieso

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Presently, there are an estimated 6.9 million wild pigs (Sus scrofa) in the U.S., which cause over US$1 billion in damage to agriculture, environmental impacts, and control costs. However, estimates of damage have varied widely, creating a need for standardized monitoring and a method to accurately estimate the economic costs of direct wild pig damage to agriculture. The goal of our study was to integrate remotely sensed imagery from drones and crop harvest data to quantify wild pig damage in corn fields. We used drones with natural color (red, green, blue) cameras to monitor corn fields at different …

The Impact Of The Covid‑19 Pandemic On Wildlife–Aircraft Collisions At Us Airports, Levi Altringer, Sophie C. Mckee, Jason D. Kougher, Michael J. Begier, Stephanie A. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Exploiting unprecedented reductions in aircraft movements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated the relationship between air traffic volume and the frequency of wildlife-aircraft collisions, or wildlife strikes, at the 50 largest airports in the United States. During the COVID- 19 months of 2020 (March–December), both air traffic volume and the absolute number of wildlife strikes were reduced. The net effect of these two movements, however, was an increase in the wildlife strike rate from May 2020–September 2020. This increase was found to be most pronounced at airports with larger relative declines in air traffic volume. We concluded that the …

Echinococcus Species Infections Among Wild Canids In Pennsylvania, Usa, Kayla Garrett, Justin Brown, Ryan K. A. Grunert, Jonathan Hunte, Mark G. Ruder, Kyle Van Why, Michael J. Yabsley, Christopher A. Cleveland

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Echinococcus species are zoonotic tapeworms that can impact the health of wildlife, domestic animals, livestock, and humans. Two species of interest in North America are Echinococcus multilocularis and Echinococcus canadensis (Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato). The primary wildlife definitive hosts for E. multilocularis and E. canadensis are similar, including red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and wolves (Canis lupus). These two Echinococcus spp. use different intermediate hosts, including small mammals for E. multilocularis and artiodactylids for E. canadensis. Although historically absent from …

Turkey Vulture Survival Is Reduced In Areas Of Greater Road Density, Adrián Naveda-Rodríguez, Keith L. Bildstein, David R. Barber, Jean-François Therrien, Michael L. Avery, Bryan M. Kluever, Scott A. Rush, Francisco J. Vilella

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The demography of, and factors that influence these metrics, are largely unknown for most vultures in the Americas. Survivorship of turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) may be influenced by landscape heterogeneity and human disturbance. We quantified the effects of landscape composition (Shannon’s diversity index) and configuration (contagion, edge density, and largest patch index), and human disturbance (road density) on the annual and seasonal survival probabilities of the three North American breeding populations (western, central, and eastern) of turkey vultures that spend the nonbreeding season in the southeastern portion of the Nearctic and the northern Neotropics during a 17-year period. …

Genetic Evaluation Of The Current Distribution And Possible Diffrentations Between Lasiurus Borealis And Lasiurus Frantzii In Southwestern North America, Zeinab M. Haidar

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Several recent accounts of overlap and historic misidentifications regarding two species of the genus Lasiurus, Western red bat (Lasiurus frantzii) and Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), have cast doubt on our understanding of their distribution, assumed spatial allopatry, and interactions in the United States Southwest. With the use of morphometrics and genetic sequencing, utilizing tissue collected from specimens throughout California and adjoining states, we have reassessed the current distribution, best practices for field identification, and genetic differentiation between both species. Appropriate species classification by region was achieved utilizing mitochondrial DNA, targeting the cytochrome c oxidase …

สัณฐานวิทยาเชิงเปรียบเทียบของระบบย่อยอาหารในอ้นเล็ก Cannomys Badius (Hodgson, 1841) ในความสัมพันธ์กับอาหารและการขจัดพิษจากไซยาไนด์, เจตพล ลิขิตกาญจนากรกิจ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

อ้นเล็ก Cannomys badius เป็นสัตว์ฟันแทะกินพืชในวงศ์ Spalacidae ที่ขุดโพรงอาศัยอยู่ใต้ดิน มีการกระจายตัวในประเทศแถบคาบสมุทรอินโดจีน ชนิดของอาหารที่อ้นเล็กกินยังมีความคลุมเครือ บางรายงานกล่าวว่าอ้นเล็กกินพืชที่มีองค์ประกอบเป็นเส้นใยสูง จัดเป็น specialist herbivore แต่บางรายงานจัดว่าอ้นเล็กเป็น generalist herbivore ที่สามารถกินผลไม้และเมล็ดพืชได้หลายหลากชนิด นอกจากนี้จากการสังเกตอ้นเล็กในกรงเลี้ยงพบว่า อ้นเล็กสามารถกินพืชที่มีองค์ประกอบของไซยาไนด์สูงได้ เช่น มันสำปะหลังดิบ ซึ่งปกติจะเป็นพิษต่อสัตว์ส่วนใหญ่ ในการศึกษาครั้งนี้ใช้อ้นเล็กจำนวน 14 ตัว เพื่อศึกษาสัณฐานวิทยาของระบบย่อยอาหาร และนำข้อมูลที่ได้มาอนุมานชนิดของอาหารที่อ้นเล็กกิน รวมถึงอธิบายความสามารถในการกินพืชที่มีไซยาไนด์ของอ้นเล็ก โดยอวัยวะในระบบย่อยอาหารถูกนำมาศึกษามหกายวิภาคศาสตร์ และมิญชวิทยาด้วยสีย้อม hematoxylin & eosin และ Masson’s trichrome รวมถึงศึกษาการแสดงออกของเอนไซม์ mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MPST) ซึ่งช่วยลดความเป็นพิษของไซยาไนด์ด้วยวิธีอิมมูโนฮิสโตเคมี ผลการศึกษาพบว่า หลอดอาหารมีเนื้อเยื่อบุผิวแบบ stratified squamous ที่มีชั้นเคอราทินหนา กระเพาะอาหารมีลักษณะเป็น 1 ห้อง (unilocular stomach) พบเนื้อเยื่อบุผิวแบบ stratified squamous ที่มีชั้นเคอราทินในส่วน fundus และเนื้อเยื่อบุผิวแบบต่อมในบริเวณอื่น สัดส่วนความยาวของลำไส้เล็กต่อลำไส้ทั้งหมดมีค่าน้อยเมื่อเทียบกับสัตว์ฟันแทะชนิดอื่น ๆ ซีกัมประกอบด้วย haustra 5-7 อัน มีเนื้อเยื่อน้ำเหลืองมากแต่ไม่พบไส้ติ่ง ผนังภายในโคลอนประกอบด้วยสันนูนตามยาว 2 อัน แล้วตามด้วยสันนูนรูปตัว V ที่เรียงซ้อนกันคล้ายก้างปลา มี goblet cells จำนวนมาก ในส่วนของต่อมเสริมพบว่า ตับมีจำนวน 5 พู มีถุงน้ำดี และตับอ่อนมีลักษณะแผ่ออกเป็นริ้ว ในการศึกษาตำแหน่งของ MPST ในเซลล์พบว่า มีการแสดงออกใน parietal cells ของกระเพาะอาหาร เซลล์เนื้อเยื่อบุผิวของซีกัมและโคลอน hepatocyte ของตับ เซลล์ใน islets of Langerhans ของตับอ่อน เซลล์กล้ามเนื้อลายและกล้ามเนื้อเรียบในทางเดินอาหาร การศึกษาครั้งนี้แสดงให้เห็นว่า อ้นเล็กเป็นสัตว์กินพืชที่มีกระบวนการหมักอาหารโดยจุลชีพเกิดขึ้นในลำไส้ใหญ่ และสามารถกินพืชที่ความสากและแข็ง ซึ่งเป็นลักษณะของอาหารที่มีเส้นใยสูงได้ จึงคาดว่าอ้นเล็กน่าจะเป็น …

Federal Funding Statutes And State-Federal Wildlife Authority: Did Congress Demonstrate A Preference For State Wildlife Management Authority With Pittman-Robertson And Dingell-Johnson?, James Vaughan Branch

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 now known as Pittman-Robertson and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950 now known as Dingell-Johnson are federal statutes which stand as the original and perhaps most significant federal funding statutes supporting state wildlife conservation and management. Congress’s decision to pass these statutes may be argued to be a prima facie endorsement of state wildlife agencies (SWA) as the primary managers of wildlife since each statute dedicated substantial federal excise revenue to SWAs. We hypothesized we would find consistent evidence in favor of primary state management authority over wildlife. …

Olfactory Organ Morphology And Ultrastructure Of The Larval Koh Tao Island Caecilian (Ichthyophis Kohtaoensis), Jaclyn M. Patmore

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The olfactory system of living amphibians (Lissamphibia) undergoes major changes as it transitions from an aquatic to a terrestrial system during metamorphosis. Patterns of change in the cellular morphology of the nose have been examined for frogs (Anura) and salamanders (Caudata). However, it remains unknown if caecilians (Gymnophiona) have similar patterns of change in their nasal ultrastructure. In particular, no data on larval caecilian olfactory cell types are available. Here, using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, I examined the olfactory organ of larvae of the caecilian Ichthyophis kohtaoensis, to establish the ultrastructure of the epithelium and compare it …

Integrating Robotics Into Wildlife Conservation: Testing Improvements To Predator Deterrents Through Movement, Stewart W. Breck, Jeffrey T. Schultz, David Prause, Cameron Krebs, Anthony J. Giordano, Byron Boots

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background Agricultural and pastoral landscapes can provide important habitat for wildlife conservation, but sharing these landscapes with wildlife can create conflict that is costly and requires managing. Livestock predation is a good example of the challenges involving coexistence with wildlife across shared landscapes. Integrating new technology into agricultural practices could help minimize human-wildlife conflict. In this study, we used concepts from the fields of robotics (i.e., automated movement and adaptiveness) and agricultural practices (i.e., managing livestock risk to predation) to explore how integration of these concepts could aid the development of more effective predator deterrents.

Methods …

Assessment Of Habitat‐Specific Competition For Oral Rabies Vaccine Baits Between Raccoons And Opossums, James L. Helton, Jacob E. Hill, David A. Bernasconi, Wesley C. Dixon, Richard B. Chipman, Amy Gilbert, James C. Beasley, Guha Dharmarajan, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Throughout the eastern United States, the National Rabies Management Program (NRMP) distributes oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits to manage rabies virus circulation in raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations. The consumption of vaccine baits by non‐target species including Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) may reduce the effectiveness of ORV programs, but competition for baits remains poorly quantified in many areas of the southeastern United States. We distributed placebo ORV baits injected with a biomarker across 4 land cover types (bottomland hardwood, upland pine, riparian, isolated wetland) on the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, USA, 2017–2019. We then trapped …

Producers’ Perceptions Of Large Carnivores And Nonlethal Methods To Protect Livestock From Depredation: Findings From A Multistate Federal Initiative, Keith M. Carlisle, Hailey E. Ellis, Colorado State University, Alan D. Bright

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We examined livestock producers’ perceptions of wolves, grizzly bears, black bears, and mountain lions, as well as their experiences with using nonlethal methods to protect livestock from depredation. All producers in the study received nonlethal predator management assistance in 2020 from USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services (“WS”) pursuant to a federally funded initiative focused on the use of nonlethal methods to protect livestock. Such methods included assistance from range riders (i.e., individuals who monitor livestock and carnivores), fladry (i.e., flags hung from rope that serve as a repellent), and other audio/visual deterrents (e.g., Foxlights). The producers did not specifically seek nonlethal assistance from …

Genomic Analyses Of Gray Fox Lineages Suggest Ancient Divergence And Secondary Contact In The Southern Great Plains, Elizabeth M. Kierepka, Sophie Preckler-Quisquater, Dawn M. Reding, Antoinette Piaggio, Seth P.D. Riley, Benjamin N. Sacks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) lineage diverged from all other extant canids at their most basal node and is restricted to the Americas. Previous mitochondrial analysis from coastal populations identified deeply divergent (up to 1 Mya) eastern and western lineages that predate most intraspecific splits in carnivores. We conducted genotyping by sequencing and mitochondrial analysis on gray foxes sampled across North America to determine geographic concordance between nuclear and mitochondrial contact zones and divergence times. We also estimated the admixture within the contact zone between eastern and western gray foxes based on nuclear DNA. Both datasets confirmed that …

A Social Network Analysis Of Actors Involved In Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa) Management In Missouri, Hailey E. Ellis, Meredith J. Grady, Lauren Jaebker, Alan D. Bright, Keith M. Carlisle

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) cause significant damage to agriculture and native ecosystems and can transmit diseases to animals and people. Management responses designed to reduce population numbers are needed to mitigate these threats. Identifying networks of key actors, including the ways in which they interact, is valuable for purposes of better understanding opportunities or constraints that generate or impede effective management responses. The goal of our study was to understand the network of organizations, and the personnel working within them, that were active in wild pig management, research, or policy initiatives in Missouri during 2018–2020 by 1) identifying …

Effects Of Corn Supplementation On Serum And Muscle Microrna Profiles In Horses, Clarissa Carver, Jason E. Bruemmer, Stephen Coleman, Gabriele Landolt, Tanja Hess

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Laminitis associated with equine metabolic syndrome causes significant economic losses in the equine industry. Diets high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) have been linked to insulin resistance and laminitis in horses. Nutrigenomic studies analyzing the interaction of diets high in NSCs and gene expression regulating endogenous microRNAs (miRNA) are rare. This study's objectives were to determine whether miRNAs from dietary corn can be detected in equine serum and muscle and its impacts on endogenous miRNA. Twelve mares were blocked by age, body condition score, and weight and assigned to a control (mixed legume grass hay diet) and a mixed legume hay …