Zoology Commons^™

Pets And Problems: Exploring Community Patterns In Calls For Animal Services, Paige Dejarnett

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pets have historically been viewed as family members, children, property, or economic resources. However, research surrounding animal maltreatment has expressed this issue as an individually-based problem, rather than a community-based phenomenon. Correlations have been found between animal cruelty, antisocial behaviors, and future interpersonal violence, whether this correlation be a predictive relationship, or a resultant relationship. Past research has also found correlations between animal treatment practices and the rural/urban differences of this behavior. However, there are many community-based indicators that have not been explored to understand the distribution of animal maltreatment. This study aims to explore these ideas by analyzing the …

Review Of Nest Records Of Nebraska Birds By Wayne J. Mollhoff, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This book summarizes a lifetime of investigation of Nebraska’s breeding birds by Wayne Mollhoff. Even though I say the book summarizes a lifetime of investigation, I would not be surprised if Wayne resurfaces in a few years with a follow-up of some sort, intrepid investigator that he is. Over the years Wayne has spent innumerable days in the field climbing trees in full forestry gear, wading and kayaking marshes and rivers, hiking over prairies, and bushwhacking through dense forests (there are still a few in Nebraska). But this isn’t the totality of Wayne’s talents; he is a determined researcher with …

Review Of The Sandhill Crane State: A Naturalist’S Guide To Nebraska By Paul Johnsgard, Ruth Stearns

Nebraska Bird Review

Dr. Paul Austin Johnsgard left us one last gift, in this reference guide to all places natural in Nebraska. Published posthumously, and available for purchase or free via UNL’s Digital Commons, this book arrived at my doorstep like a veritable “seed catalog” of Nebraska’s places of wonder to delight and inspire fair weather adventures just before the long winter set in. He wants us to explore the state as he had done, to be excited by all the out-ofdoors Nebraska has to offer.

Index To Volume 89

Nebraska Bird Review

Adams, Marie 52

to

Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii 168 leucophrys 75, 168-169 oriantha 75, 169

Fall Field Report, August-November 2021, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

INTRODUCTION Recent years have seen increasing reports of birds lingering quite late, and this fall was no exception. Notable groups exhibiting tardy departures were shorebirds and vireos. Tardy shorebirds were record late Solitary Sandpipers, near-record late Dunlin, and late Long-billed Curlew, Ruddy Turnstone, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Wilson’s Phalarope. Among the vireos, all regular species were at least tardy; record late was a Red-eyed Vireo, a Warbling Vireo was record late for the Panhandle, and a Blue-headed Vireo was second latest on record. Record late was a Barn Swallow, and a Mountain Bluebird was record late in …

Deterring Non-Target Birds From Toxic Bait Sites For Wild Pigs, Nathan P. Snow, Joseph M. Halseth, Justin A. Foster, Michael J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Michael P. Glow, Ingrid A. Messer, Seth M. Cook, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Toxic baiting of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is a potential new tool for population control and damage reduction in the US. Field trials testing a prototype toxic bait (HOGGONE 2 containing 5% sodium nitrite [SN]), though, revealed that wild pigs spilled small particles of toxic bait outside of bait stations which subsequently created hazards for non-target species that consumed those particles, primarily passerine birds. To deter non-target birds from consuming particles of spilled bait, we tested four deterrents at mock bait sites (i.e., baited with bird seed) in north-central Colorado, USA during April–May 2020. We found a programable, inflatable deterrent …

Towards A More Comprehensive Understanding Of Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa) Impacts On Agricultural Producers: Insights From A Texas Case Study, Keith M. Carlisle, Nicole Didero, Sophie Mckee, Julie Elser, Stephanie A. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

This research investigates the impacts of invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa Linneaus) on agricultural producers in Texas, with the aim of identifying and describing all categories of wild pig impacts and quantifying the extent of producers’ over- or underestimation of their total wild pig-related costs in 2018, as compared to calculations based upon data subsequently provided by the producers about individual wild pig-related costs and losses. Based on interviews with 23 producers in 16 Texas counties, we identified more than 20 discrete categories of negative impacts and negligible positive impacts associated with wild pigs. Among them were categories that have …

Landscape Transformations Produce Favorable Roosting Conditions For Turkey Vultures And Black Vultures, Jacob E. Hill, Kenneth F. Kellner, Bryan M. Kluever, Michael L. Avery, John S. Humphrey, Eric A. Tillman, Travis L. Devault, Jerrold L. Belant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Recent increases in turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) and black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations in North America have been attributed in part to their success adapting to human-modified landscapes. However, the capacity for such landscapes to generate favorable roosting conditions for these species has not been thoroughly investigated. We assessed the role of anthropogenic and natural landscape elements on roosting habitat selection of 11 black and 7 turkey vultures in coastal South Carolina, USA using a GPS satellite transmitter dataset derived from previous research. Our dataset spanned 2006–2012 and contained data from 7916 nights of roosting. Landscape …

Reproductive Success Of Captive-Reared Allegheny Woodrats (Neotoma Magister) Released Into Genetically Depauperate Populations, Miracle M. Davis, Timothy J. Smyser, Scott A. Johnson, Joseph Duchamp, Jeffery L. Larkin, Robert K. Swihart, Jacqueline M. Doyle

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Habitat fragmentation and degradation have led to a proliferation of small and isolated populations that are vulnerable to genetic erosion. Reduction in habitat and concomitant declines in population connectivity can expediate the collapse of species that exist as natural metapopulations. In recent years, Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister) have experienced local extirpations and declines in genetic diversity across their range due to disease-related mortality, reduced food availability, and disruption of connectivity among subpopulations. In response, we developed a captive-breeding program to facilitate genetic management of isolated woodrat populations in Indiana. Between 2010 and 2012, 27 captive-reared individuals were released to four …

Economic Estimates Of Wild Hog (Sus Scrofa) Damage And Control Among Young Forest Plantations In Alabama, Micah Fern, Rebecca Barlow, Chris Slootmaker, John Kush, Stephanie Shwiff, Larry Teeter, Jim Armstrong

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Operating as ecological engineers, the increased distribution and abundance of wild hogs (Sus scrofa) has caused considerable socio-economic impacts. The international scope of economic research providing wild hog damage estimates are often confined to agricultural crops, while damage estimates among forest plantations are lacking. In Alabama, private landowners hold the majority of timberland acreage and are less equipped to absorb financial losses from wild hog damage than their industrial counterparts. A survey was conducted to estimate the economic impact of wild hogs, namely costs of damage and control, to privately owned forestlands. The survey was distributed in the …

Sex And Nest Type Influence Avian Blood Parasite Prevalence In A High-Elevation Bird Community, Marina D. Rodriguez, Paul F. Doherty, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Kathryn P. Huyvaert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: The prevalence of avian haemosporidian parasites and the factors influencing infection in the Colorado Rocky Mountains are largely unknown. With climate change expected to promote the expansion of vector and avian blood parasite distributions, baseline knowledge and continued monitoring of the prevalence and diversity of these parasites is needed.

Methods: Using an occupancy modeling framework, we conducted a survey of haemosporidian parasite species infecting an avian community in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in order to estimate the prevalence and diversity of blood parasites and to investigate species-level and individual-level characteristics that may influence infection.

Results: We estimated the prevalence …

Responses Of Turkey Vultures To Unmanned Aircraft Systems Vary By Platform, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Bradley F. Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Bruce N. Buckingham, Joshua L. Hoblet, Patrice E. Baumhardt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A challenge that conservation practitioners face is manipulating behavior of nuisance species. The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) can cause substantial damage to aircraft if struck. The goal of this study was to assess vulture responses to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for use as a possible dispersal tool. Our treatments included three platforms (fixed-wing, multirotor, and a predator-like ornithopter [powered by flapping flight]) and two approach types (30 m overhead or targeted towards a vulture) in an operational context. We evaluated perceived risk as probability of reaction, reaction time, flight-initiation distance (FID), vulture remaining index, and latency to return. …

Potential Use For Serosurveillance Of Feral Swine To Map Risk For Anthrax Exposure, Texas, Usa, Rachel M. Maison, Courtney F. Pierce, Izabela K. Ragan, Vienna R. Brown, Michael J. Bodenchuk, Richard A. Bowen, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Anthrax is a disease of concern in many mammals, including humans. Management primarily consists of prevention through vaccination and tracking clinical-level observations because environmental isolation is laborious and bacterial distribution across large geographic areas diffi cult to confi rm. Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species with an extensive range in the southern United States that rarely succumbs to anthrax. We present evidence that feral swine might serve as biosentinels based on comparative seroprevalence in swine from historically defi ned anthrax-endemic and non–anthraxendemic regions of Texas. Overall seropositivity was 43.7% (n = 478), and logistic regression revealed county endemicity …

Development Of Comprehensive Theoretical Morphospaces For Canine Cranial Morphology, Alexa Ortega, Nicholas Hebdon, Lindsay Waldrop

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Throughout the evolution of the family Canidae, there is a continuous belief that canines have an exceptional olfactory system which allows them to have a heightened sense of smell. Because of this olfactory sophistication, canines have become prevalent as detection animals in the military, homeland security, law enforcement, forensics, and civilian applications. However, while the trait is highly regarded, the exact role of nasal morphology is understudied. We aim to investigate the influences of nasal cavity and internal structure morphology in odor detection. However, nasal structure is a sophisticated morphological target and requires innovative solutions to capture the key variables …

Amphibians And Reptiles As Prey Of Heteroctenus Junceus (Scorpiones: Buthidae), With A Summary Of Vertebrate Predation By Scorpions In The West Indies, Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera,, Ernesto Morell Savall, Rolando Teruel

Euscorpius

Vertebrate predation by scorpions has been scarcely documented in the literature. Contrary to large scorpions of the genera Centruroides, Hadrurus, Opistophthalmus, and Pandinurus from North America and Africa, which are capable of subduing even small rodents and bats, West Indian scorpions of the genera Centruroides, Heteroctenus, and Tityus seem to limit their prey to amphibians and reptiles. Herein we present new cases of a frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis; Hylidae) and three lizards (Anolis allisoni, A. ophiolepis, and A. sagrei; Dactyloidae) preyed upon by Heteroctenus junceus (Herbst, 1800), at the time we summarize all cases of vertebrate …

Tile Fish (Lopholatilus Villarii) Neurocranium, Maeya C. Yeatman, Sebastian K. Chan, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 12 cm total length (TL) Tile fish (Lopholatilus villarii), collected from Foodtown on 10/22/2021 by Maeya Yeatman and Sebastian Chan

Snook Neurocranium Scan Mello & Glanzmann, Christopher F. Glanzmann, Madison A. Mello

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

This file is a 3D scan of a Snook Neurocranium. Snook head provided by DR. Kerstetter and scan performed by Chris Glanzmann and Madison Mello. Medium detail scan with a simplification ratio of 50.

How Do Genetic Relatedness And Spatial Proximity Shape African Swine Fever Infections In Wild Boar?, Tomasz Podgórski, Kim M. Pepin, Anna Radko, Angelika Podbielska, Magdalena Łyjak, Grzegorz Woźniakowski, Tomasz Borowik

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The importance of social and spatial structuring of wildlife populations for disease spread, though widely recognized, is still poorly understood in many host-pathogen systems. In particular, system-specific kin relationships among hosts can create contact heterogeneities and differential disease transmission rates. Here, we investigate how distance-dependent infection risk is influenced by genetic relatedness in a novel host-pathogen system: wild boar (Sus scrofa) and African swine fever (ASF).We hypothesized that infection risk would correlate positively with proximity and relatedness to ASF-infected individuals but expected those relationships to weaken with the distance between individuals due to decay in contact rates and …

Competition And Geography Underlie Speciation And Morphological Evolution In Indo-Australasian Monitor Lizards, Carlos J. Pavón-Vázquez, Ian G. Brennan, Alexander Skeels, J. Scott Keogh

Publications and Research

How biotic and abiotic factors act together to shape biological diversity is a major question in evolutionary biology. The recent availability of large datasets and development of new methodological approaches provide new tools to evaluate the predicted effects of ecological interactions and geography on lineage diversification and phenotypic evolution. Here, we use a near complete phylogenomic-scale phylogeny and a comprehensive morphological dataset comprising more than a thousand specimens to assess the role of biotic and abiotic processes in the diversification of monitor lizards (Varanidae). This charismatic group of lizards shows striking variation in species richness among its clades and multiple …

The Danov Archive, Victor Fet, Alexander Kogan

Open Access Books

This memorial volume compiles materials about Rostislav Dаnov (1941—1993) of St. Petersburg (Russia), a naturalist, artist, and snake-hunter, who worked for many years in Turkmenistan (West Kopetgagh Mts). The book celebrates Dаnov’s 80th birthday. It includes previously unpublished artwork and scientific illustrations by Dаnov as well as his texts, research papers, various memoirs, biographic information, and unique photographs. The book is intended for everyone who is interested in history of science and conservation in Central Asia and the USSR.

Фет В, Коган А, составители. Дановcкий архив. Библиотека Университета Маршалла, Хантингтон, Западная Виргиния, 2021. 494 с. Этот том содержит материалы о …