Kinorhynch Diversity In The Southern Gulf Of Mexico And A Description Of Dracoderes Chaac Sp. Nov.,
2022
Troy University
Kinorhynch Diversity In The Southern Gulf Of Mexico And A Description Of Dracoderes Chaac Sp. Nov., Stephen C. Landers, Kellan Hoffman, Nuria Sanchez, Martin Sorensen
Gulf and Caribbean Research
Sediment collections from the southern Gulf of Mexico between the Texas—Mexico border and the Yucatán Peninsula have resulted in many new kinorhynch species distribution records and the finding and taxonomic description of a new species, Dracoderes chaac sp. nov. This study focused on the non—echinoderid members of the Phylum Kinorhyncha, many of which are rare or restricted to only a few locations. A total of 136 specimens were identified from 24 sediment stations, distributed among the following species: Antygomonas gwenae, Campyloderes vanhoeffeni, Centroderes readae, Condyloderes flosfimbriatus, Co. rohalorum, Cristaphyes panamensis, Dracoderes chaac sp. nov., …
The Acute Physiological Response Of Polar Bears To Helicopter Capture,
2022
Old Dominion University
The Acute Physiological Response Of Polar Bears To Helicopter Capture, John P. Whiteman, Henry J. Harlow, George M. Durner, Eric V. Regehr, Steven C. Amstrup, Anthony M. Pagano, Merav Ben-David
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Many wildlife species are live captured, sampled, and released; for polar bears (Ursus maritimus) capture often requires chemical immobilization via helicopter darting. Polar bears reduce their activity for approximately 4 days after capture, likely reflecting stress recovery. To better understand this stress, we quantified polar bear activity (via collar‐mounted accelerometers) and body temperature (via loggers in the body core [Tabd] and periphery [Tper]) during 2–6 months of natural behavior, and during helicopter recapture and immobilization. Recapture induced bouts of peak activity higher than those that occurred during natural behavior for 2 of 5 bears, …
Snake Reciprocation In Terms Of Classical Conditioning: Scent And Auditory Stimuli,
2022
Hollins University
Snake Reciprocation In Terms Of Classical Conditioning: Scent And Auditory Stimuli, Zeina Y. Ghanem
Undergraduate Research Awards
This study explores the classical conditioning of a snake in order to understand and interpret the physiological responses and behavior exhibited regarding experimental design. The conditioning process involves scent and auditory stimuli where the snake is exposed to running water sounds and a mouse scent. The purpose of this research study is to examine how the snake will later associate the scent of the mouse to the sound and how it would react when sound is the only stimuli administered. The type of snake species used was a young Brook’s Kingsnake. The snake was placed in a test tank and …
Spatial Ecology Of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Canadensis Nelsoni) Cows In Southeastern Kentucky,
2022
University of Kentucky
Spatial Ecology Of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Canadensis Nelsoni) Cows In Southeastern Kentucky, Nathan Dennis Hooven
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
The elk (Cervus canadensis) was extirpated from its range in eastern North America by the end of the 1800s, prompting several U.S. states and Canadian provinces to begin translocation programs with the goal of reestablishing elk populations. While eastern elk managers have relied on information from western herds to guide population and habitat management, there is a need for region-specific research on the spatial ecology and habitat associations of translocated elk given the stark differences in landscape, climate, predator communities, and harvest regimes across the continent. While the Kentucky elk reintroduction is one of the best documented programs …
Sheepshead (Archosargus Probatocephalus) Neurocranium,
2022
Nova Southeastern University
Sheepshead (Archosargus Probatocephalus) Neurocranium, Andrew J. Hartmann, Steven Peterson, David W. Kerstetter
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
Neurocranium from Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)
Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt,
2022
South Dakota State University
Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt, Megan Figura
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The tallgrass prairie of North America has changed drastically since colonial settlement, with up to 99% of this region converted for agriculture and other land-uses. Concurrent with grassland conversion, grassland birds have experienced the most extreme, consistent, and widespread population declines of any avian guild. Agricultural lands in the U.S. Midwest were able to provide adequate habitat for several bird species until the 1950’s; however, altered and intensified management practices have degraded much of remaining suitable habitat and undermined ecosystem functions. Consequently, many grassland birds have been identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in many State Wildlife Action …
Turkey's Largest Cinereous Vulture Population In A Recently Discovered Breeding Area Innorth-West Anatolia,
2022
TÜBİTAK
Turkey's Largest Cinereous Vulture Population In A Recently Discovered Breeding Area Innorth-West Anatolia, Şafak Arslan, Ci̇hangi̇r Ki̇razli
Turkish Journal of Zoology
Studies regarding the cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), classified globally as near threatened, have recently accelerated in Turkey. Comprehensive studies particularly about the northwestern Anatolian population, have been conducted. Also, the genetic studies carried out, have revealed that the cinereous vulture population in Turkey is panmictic and that it has recently suffered a bottleneck. The main aim of this study conducted across the Köroğlu Mountains in Bolu was to determine the population size and the breeding success of the species. A total of 37 field surveys in 2018 and 2019 have revealed Turkey's largest breeding cinereous vulture colony and have detected …
Changes In The Zooplankton Community In Barren River Lake (South Central Ky) Between 2008 And 2020,
2022
Western Kentucky University
Changes In The Zooplankton Community In Barren River Lake (South Central Ky) Between 2008 And 2020, Laurel Philpott
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Zooplankton are small aquatic animals that serve an important role in transferring energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels. The zooplankton community composition in Barren River Lake from 2008 and 2020 was compared. A field study was conducted to not only describe the seasonal population dynamics of zooplankton in Barren River Lake, but also to determine if an invasive zooplankton, Daphnia lumholtzi, was present. While D. lumholtzi was found throughout Barren River Lake in 2008, it was absent from both resampled sites in 2019 and 2020. This, along with erratic patterns of emergence in several other zooplankton species, indicates …
A Comparison Of Chimpanzee Wound Rates Before And During Covid-19 Zoo Closures,
2022
Central Washington University
A Comparison Of Chimpanzee Wound Rates Before And During Covid-19 Zoo Closures, Robin Elana Salak
All Master's Theses
Visitor effect studies have had inconsistent impacts on animals, due in part to the inability to control for all confounding variables such as time of day, seasonal weather patterns, and so forth. This study represents the first instance where chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) wounding frequencies were investigated across extensive time periods in the presence and complete absence of visitors, thus eliminating many visitor-related variables. Additional variables were eliminated through the zoo selection process, based on institutional responses to a 29-question survey, providing a novel approach to the question of visitor effects. The aim of this study was to determine …
Sentience In Decapod Crustaceans: A General Framework And Review Of The Evidence,
2022
London School of Economics and Political Science
Sentience In Decapod Crustaceans: A General Framework And Review Of The Evidence, Andrew Crump, Heather Browning, Alex Schnell, Charlotte Burn, Jonathan Birch
Animal Sentience
We outline a framework for evaluating scientific evidence of sentience, focusing on pain experience. It includes eight neural and cognitive-behavioural criteria, with confidence levels for each criterion reflecting the reliability and quality of the evidence. We outline the rationale for each criterion and apply our framework to a controversial sentience candidate: decapod crustaceans. We have either high or very high confidence that true crabs (infraorder Brachyura) satisfy five criteria, amounting to strong evidence of sentience. Moreover, we have high confidence that both anomuran crabs (infraorder Anomura) and astacid lobsters/crayfish (infraorder Astacidea) meet three criteria—substantial evidence of sentience. The case is, …
Oregon State Rank Assessment For Cascade Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton Cascadae),
2022
Portland State University
Oregon State Rank Assessment For Cascade Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton Cascadae), Eleanor P. Gaines
Institute for Natural Resources Publications
Oregon state conservation status assessment for Cascade torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton cascadae) using NatureServe methodology, 2022
Oregon State Rank Assessment For Cope's Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon Copei),
2022
Portland State University
Oregon State Rank Assessment For Cope's Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon Copei), Eleanor P. Gaines
Institute for Natural Resources Publications
Oregon state conservation status assessment for Cope's giant salamander (Dicamptodon copei) using NatureServe methodology, 2022.
Strong Inferences About Pain In Invertebrates Require Stronger Evidence,
2022
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Strong Inferences About Pain In Invertebrates Require Stronger Evidence, Edgar T. Walters
Animal Sentience
Evidence for sentience in animals distantly related to humans is often sought in observations of behavioral and neural responses to noxious stimuli that would be painful in humans. Most proposed criteria for painful sentience in “lower” animals such as decapod crustaceans have no necessary links to the affective (“suffering”) component of pain. The best evidence for painful affect in animals is learned aversion to stimuli associated with noxious experience, and conditioned preference for contexts associated with relief from aversive consequences of noxious experience, as expressed in voluntary behavior. Such evidence is currently lacking for any invertebrate except octopus.
Small Mammal Communities Of Restored And Natural Wetlands In West Virginia,
2022
West Virginia University
Small Mammal Communities Of Restored And Natural Wetlands In West Virginia, Krista Noe
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Wetland restoration is commonly practiced as part of conservation programs or wetland mitigation, which attempts to offset human-created losses of natural wetlands. However, because of the intrinsic and human-derived value of wetlands, it is critical to determine whether these wetlands truly act similarly to natural wetlands. One role of wetlands is to provide habitat for a diverse array of wildlife species. Small mammals are often overlooked taxa in wetland restoration efforts. However, they are essential to the wetland system because they influence vegetation and are prey for higher trophic level wildlife. I discuss considerations of restored wetlands, wildlife responses to …
An Examination Of Ethical Attitudes Towards Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa) Toxicants In The United States,
2022
USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research Center & Colorado State University
An Examination Of Ethical Attitudes Towards Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa) Toxicants In The United States, Keith Carlisle, Erin E. Harper, Stephanie A. Shwiff
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
This research aims to understand ethical attitudes of the U.S. public towards the use of a toxicant to control wild pigs (Sus scrofa), a destructive invasive species whose population growth is proving difficult to control through conventional management methods. Using a nationwide self-administered survey with 2,186 completed and returned questionnaires, we found that among six different lethal control methods, toxicant usage was the only method that a majority of respondents (51%) found to be unethical, with no significant differences between rural and urban respondents or between respondents from counties with wild pigs and counties where the species is absent. The …
Frugivory And Seed Dispersal By
Carnivorans,
2022
Utah State University
Frugivory And Seed Dispersal By Carnivorans, John P. Draper, Julie K. Young, Eugene W. Schupp, Noelle G. Beckman, Trisha B. Atwood
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
Seed dispersal is critical to the ecological performance of sexually reproducing plant species and the communities that they form. The Mammalian order Carnivora provide valuable and effective seed dispersal services but tend to be overlooked in much of the seed dispersal literature. Here we review the literature on the role of Carnivorans in seed dispersal, with a literature search in the Scopus reference database. Overall, we found that Carnivorans are prolific seed dispersers. Carnivorans’ diverse and plastic diets allow them to consume large volumes of over a hundred families of fruit and disperse large quantities of seeds across landscapes. Gut …
Aboveground Carbon Responses To Experimental And Natural
Hurricane Impacts In A Subtropical Wet Forest In Puerto Rico,
2022
University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras
Aboveground Carbon Responses To Experimental And Natural Hurricane Impacts In A Subtropical Wet Forest In Puerto Rico, Hervé Chevalier, Nicholas V.L. Brokaw, Sheila E. Ward, Jess K. Zimmerman, Aaron B. Shiels, John Bithorn, Samuel Matta Carmona
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
Climate change and disturbance make it difficult to project long-term patterns of carbon sequestration in tropical forests, but large ecosystem experiments in these forests can inform predictions. The Canopy Trimming Experiment (CTE) manipulates two key components of hurricane disturbance, canopy openness and detritus deposition, in a tropical forest in Puerto Rico. We documented how the CTE and a real hurricane affected tree recruitment, biomass, and aboveground carbon storage over 15 years. In the CTE treatments, we trimmed branches, but we did not fell trees. We expected that during the 14-year period after initial canopy trimming, regrowth of branches and stems …
Behavioral States In Space And Time: Understanding Landscape Use By An Invasive Mammal,
2022
Michigan State University
Behavioral States In Space And Time: Understanding Landscape Use By An Invasive Mammal, Steven M. Gray, John M. Humphreys, Robert A. Montgomery, Dwayne R. Etter, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Daniel B. Kramer, Gary J. Roloff
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
Animal movement models can be used to understand species behavior and assist with implementation of management activities. We explored behavioral states of an invasive wild pig (Sus scrofa) population that recently colonized central Michigan, USA, 2014–2018. To quantify environmental factors related to wild pig movement ecology and spatio‐temporal landscape use, we predicted wild pig behavioral states relative to land cover type, landscape structure (i.e., edge and patch cohesion), and weather conditions. We used global positioning system (GPS)‐collars and monitored 8 wild pigs from 2014–2018. We fit local convex hulls and calculated movement metrics revealing 3 wild pig behavioral states (resting, …
Capture-Recapture Reveals Heterogeneity In Habitat-Specific Mongoose Densities And Spatiotemporal Variability In Trapping Success In St. Kitts, West Indies,
2022
Université de Montréal
Capture-Recapture Reveals Heterogeneity In Habitat-Specific Mongoose Densities And Spatiotemporal Variability In Trapping Success In St. Kitts, West Indies, Caroline C. Sauvé, Are R. Berentsen, Amy Gilbert, Anne Conan, Luis Cruz-Martinez, Patrick A. Leighton
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is a non-native invasive species across the Caribbean and a rabies reservoir on at least four islands in the region. Although previous studies reported mongoose density estimates in their non-native range, the variability in trapping designs, study seasonality, and analytical methods among studies precludes direct comparisons. This study is the first to report mongoose densities for the island of St. Kitts, West Indies. Our objective was to quantify mongoose densities across four habitats characteristic for the island. High capture and recapture rates in this study resulted in detailed estimates of spatial heterogeneity …
Dammed Water Quality—Longitudinal Stream Responses Below
Beaver Ponds In The Umpqua River Basin, Oregon,
2022
Oregon State University
Dammed Water Quality—Longitudinal Stream Responses Below Beaver Ponds In The Umpqua River Basin, Oregon, John R. Stevenson, Jason B. Dunham, Steven M. Wondzell, Jimmy Taylor
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
Beaver-related restoration (BRR) has gained popularity as a means of improving stream ecosystems, but the effects are not fully understood. Studies of dissolved oxygen (DO) and water temperature, key water quality metrics for salmonids, have demonstrated improved conditions in some cases, but warming and decreased DO have been more commonly reported in meta-analyses. These results point to the contingencies that can influence outcomes from BRR. We examined water quality related to beaver ponds in a diverse coastal watershed (Umpqua River Basin, OR, USA). We monitored water temperature 0–400m above and below beaver ponds and at pond surfaces and bottoms across …
