Biodiversity Commons^™

On The Evidence For Species Coexistence: A Critique Of The Coexistence Program, Adam M. Siepielski, Mark A. Mcpeek

Dartmouth Scholarship

A major challenge in ecology is to understand how the millions of species on Earth are organized into biological communities. Mechanisms promoting coexistence are one such class of organizing processes, which allow multiple species to persist in the same trophic level of a given web of species interactions. If some mechanism promotes the coexistence of two or more species, each species must be able to increase when it is rare and the others are at their typical abundances; this invasibility criterion is fundamental evidence for species coexistence regardless of the mechanism. In an attempt to evaluate the level of empirical …

Match–Mismatch Regulation For Bluegill And Yellow Perch Larvae And Their Prey In Sandhill Lakes, Jeffrey C. Jolley, David W. Willis, Richard S. Holland

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

Food availability may regulate fish recruitment, both directly and indirectly. The availability of zooplankton, especially to newly hatched larvae, is thought to be crucial to their early growth and survival. We examined stomach contents of larval bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and yellow perch Perca flavescens in Pelican Lake and Cameron Lake, Nebraska, in 2004 and 2005. We also determined zooplankton availability and calculated prey selection using Chesson’s a. In addition, we investigated potential match–mismatch regulation of recruitment from 2004 to 2008. Bluegill positively selected copepod nauplii and Bosmina spp., and yellow perch often selected copepods. Abundant zooplankton populations were available for …

Genetic Introgression And The Survival Of Florida Panther Kittens, Jeffrey A. Hostetler, David P. Onorato, James D. Nichols, Warren E. Johnson, Melody E. Roelke, Stephen J. O'Brien, Deborah Jansen, Madan K. Oli

Biology Faculty Articles

Estimates of survival for the young of a species are critical for population models. These models can often be improved by determining the effects of management actions and population abundance on this demographic parameter. We used multiple sources of data collected during 1982–2008 and a live-recapture dead-recovery modeling framework to estimate and model survival of Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) kittens (age 0–1 year). Overall, annual survival of Florida panther kittens was 0.323 ± 0.071 (SE), which was lower than estimates used in previous population models. In 1995, female pumas from Texas (P. c. stanleyana) were …

2010 Warbonnet Ranch Botanical Survey, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project (Schneider et al, 2005), a statewide comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy developed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC), identified the Pine Ridge and Oglala Grasslands of northwestern Nebraska as “Biologically Unique Landscapes” (BULs). Native plant community and rare plant surveys were conducted on the approximately 8,000-acre privately-owned Warbonnet Ranch. The Ranch occurs within both of the above mentioned BULs and is topographically and geologically diverse. The primary goal of this survey was to document the botanical resources of a well-managed, privately-owned, western Nebraska range and determine its potential for conservation of Nebraska’s biological diversity. …

Traversing Swanton Road, 2nd Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Foundational Checklist Of The Amphibians Of Wise County, Virginia, Sarah R.A. Davidson, David L. Chambers

Virginia Journal of Science

The Appalachian Mountains are arguably home to the highest degree of amphibian diversity in the world, particularly caudate (salamander) biodiversity. Despite the high degree of amphibian endemism in the Appalachians, several regions remain unsurveyed for amphibian species. In addition to this knowledge gap, we are in the midst of alarming amphibian biodiversity loss. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to bridge this knowledge gap by conducting surveys before some of these amphibian species are lost. We surveyed Wise County (previously unsurveyed county in the Appalachian Mountains with no records existing in the primary literature) over two years to assess …

Rare, Threatened And Endangered Species Of Oregon (2010), James S. Kagan, Sue Vrilakas, Eleanor P. Gaines, Cliff Alton, Lindsey Koepke, John A. Christy, Erin Doyle

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Extinction is a natural process. Today, however, plant and animal species are disappearing world-wide at an accelerated pace. Based on current trends, half of the species on earth will be extinct within the next 100 years. The major cause of this phenomenon is human caused changes to the environment, which continue to increase - in Oregon and throughout the world.

Once lost, a species can never be recovered, and there is no way of knowing how useful it may have been. We do know that human beings and many of their industries depend on plant and animal products. About 50% …

Tactical Research Fund – Asfb 2009 Workshop, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems – What to measure and monitor for fisheries and ecosystem management FRDC Project No. 2008/353.

The Human Oral Microbiome, Floyd E. Dewhirst, Tuste Chen, Jacques Izard, Bruce J. Paster, Anne C. R. Tanner, Wen-Han Yu, Abirami Lakshmanan, William G. Wade

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The human oral cavity contains a number of different habitats, including the teeth, gingival sulcus, tongue, cheeks, hard and soft palates, and tonsils, which are colonized by bacteria. The oral microbiome comprises over 600 prevalent taxa at the species level, with distinct subsets predominating at different habitats. The oral microbiome has been extensively characterized by cultivation and culture-independent molecular methods such as 16S rRNA cloning. Unfortunately, the vast majority of unnamed oral taxa are referenced by clone numbers or 16S rRNA GenBank accession numbers, often without taxonomic anchors. The first aim of this research was to collect 16S rRNA gene …

The European Union And International Maritime Organization: Eu’S External Influence On The Prevention Of Vessel-Source Pollution, Nengye Liu, Frank Maes

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The European Union (EU), with its 27 Member States, has a coastline 70, 000 km along two oceans and four seas. Its well-being is therefore inextricably linked with the sea.' Europe plays a major role in today's shipping world, 41% of the world's total fieet (in dwt) is beneficially controlled by European companies.^ Ensuring that the use of the marine environment is genuinely sustainable is a prerequisite for the EU's sea-related industries to be competitive.

North Coast Fish Identification Guide, Ben M. Rome, Stephen J. Newman

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The intention of the North Coast Fish Identification Guide is to provide a simple, easy to use manual to assist commercial, recreational, charter and customary fishers to identify the most commonly caught marine finfish species in the North Coast Bioregion, Western Australia. This guide is not intended to be a comprehensive taxonomic fish ID guide for all species. It is anticipated that this guide will assist fishers in providing a more comprehensive species level description of their catch and hence assist scientists and managers in understanding any variation in the species composition of catches over both spatial and temporal scales.

Information Acquisition And Sociality Among Migratory Birds, Zoltán Németh

Dissertations

Information use is a key feature of adaptive behavior: the better informed an individual, the better it is able to adjust its behavior to meet the demands of a variable world. Therefore, most animals attempt to reduce environmental uncertainty by gathering information when it is available. However, tracking unpredictable ecological factors may carry costs as individuals invest valuable time and energy in the process of information acquisition. Social learning (i.e., use of social information inadvertently produced by other individuals) enables the individual to gain rapid and more complete assessment of its novel environment. This process may be particularly important for …

Western Rock Lobster International Stock Assessment And Modelling Workshop Report, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Wpa News 85 (2010), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Summer 2010), number 85

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Bats Of The Grenadine Islands, West Indies, And Placement Of Koopman's Line, Hugh H. Genoways, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Peter A. Larsen, Scott C. Pedersen, Roxanne J. Larsen, Justin D. Hoffman, Mark De Silva, Carleton J. Phillips, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Almost nothing is known concerning the chiropteran fauna on the Grenadine Islands, a chain of islands between St. Vincent and Grenada located near the southern end of the Lesser Antilles. Previously, only a single species—Glossophaga longirostris—had been reported from the Grenadines. Our research, conducted on 4 occasions over the period of 1980 to 2006, provided museum vouchers and genetic specimens for the addition of 4 other species to the known fauna of these islands—Noctilio leporinus, Artibeus lituratus, Artibeus schwartzi, and Molossus molossus. The Grenadines, being situated between St. Vincent and Grenada, occupy an important zoogeographic position. …

Marine Bioinvasions And Climate Change, James T. Carlton, Sandra C. Lindstrom, Celia M. Smith, Jennifer E. Smith

National Invasive Species Council

BACKGROUND

Invasive species are second only to habitat destruction as the greatest cause of species endangerment and global biodiversity loss. Invasive species can cause severe and permanent damage to the ecosystems they invade. Consequences of invasion include competition with or predation upon native species, hybridization, carrying or supporting harmful pathogens and parasites that may affect wildlife and human health, disturbing ecosystem function through alteration of food webs and nutrient recycling rates, acting as ecosystem engineers and altering habitat structure, and degradation of the aesthetic quality of our natural resources. In many cases we may not fully know the native animals …

Seed Production And Maturation Of The Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, Bonnie Warner Alexander, Donald Kirby, Mario Biondini, Edward Dekeyser

The Prairie Naturalist

A population of threatened western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) was selected in 2004 on the Sheyenne National Grassland in southeastern North Dakota to study seed production and maturation for future use in population viability modeling. We randomly collected 30 seed capsules from the population under a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to: 1) identify capsule parameters that might be correlated with seed number and viability, 2) estimate an appropriate sample size to obtain accurate seed production estimates, 3) quantify seed production and viability per seed capsule, and 4) document temporal patterns in seed embryo …

Cattle Grazing Reduces Survival And Reproduction Of The Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, Bonnie Warner Alexander, Donald Kirby, Mario Biondini, Edward Dekeyser

The Prairie Naturalist

QuantifYing impacts of livestock grazing and prairie management strategies on the threatened western prairie' fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) is difficult due to the erratic appearance of the orchid above-ground. We monitored above-ground survival of orchids from flowering to mature seed capsule production, comparing plant height, flower numbers, and seed capsule numbers from 2002-2004 in rotationally grazed pastures and non-grazed sites. Orchid survival differed significantly between grazed and non-grazed pastures, with the proportion of plants surviving from flower to capsule production consistently lower in grazed pastures. Mean orchid survival in grazed and non-grazed areas was 40% and 87%, respectively. …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 42, No. 1/2 June 2010, The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

CHANNEL CATFISH DIETS INCLUDE SUBSTANTIAL VEGETATION IN A MISSOURI RIVER RESERVOIR • J. D. Dagel, M. R. Wuellner, and D. W. Willis

USE OF LATE SEASON STANDING CORN BY FEMALE WHITE-TAILED DEER IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS DURING A MILD WINTER • T. W. Grovenburg, C. N. Jacques, C. C. Swanson, R. W. Klaver, and J. A. Jenks

COMPARISON OF TWO ZOOPLANKTON SAMPLING GEARS IN SHALLOW, HOMOGENOUS LAKES • M. E. Livings, C. W. Schoenebeck, and M. L. Brown

VEGETATION TRENDS ON A WASTE ROCK REPOSITORY CAP IN THE NORTHERN BLACK HILLS • A. C. Korth, G. E. Larson, L. …

Channel Catfish Diets Include Substantial Vegetation In A Missouri River Reservoir, Jonah D. Dagel, Melissa R. Wuellner, David W. Willis

The Prairie Naturalist

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are native to Lake Sharpe, a Missouri River mainstem reservoir, and are common in angler catches. Channel catfish growth has declined since the formation of the reservoir in 1963. Mean lengths at time of capture for channel catfish ages 9, 10, II, and 12 have decreased by 69, 55, 115, and 21S mm, respectively, since impoundment. The objective of this study was to document monthly food habits of channel catfish throughout the growing season (May-August) in Lake Sharpe to assess potential effects of diet on growth. Although channel catfish consumed both macro invertebrates and …