Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Using Motion Sensor Cameras To Examine Wildlife Use Of Water Bodies In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, Julia S. Alva^, Vicente Mata-Silva, Jerry Johnson, Vanessa Lougheed*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011

Indio Mountains Research Station (IMRS), in the northern Chihuahuan Desert, contains only one natural, permanent spring but many man-made ephemerally-full tanks, both of which are presumably important for the survival of many species residing in that area.  The goal of this study was to examine the utility of utilizing motion sensor cameras to monitor wildlife use of these water bodies, and to determine species-specific preferences for individual water bodies and temporal activity patterns. We installed motion sensor cameras at five different water bodies throughout IMRS. Preliminary results indicate that the dominant mammal visiting these water bodies is peccary (Pecari …

Preliminary Ecological Assessment Of Stream Quality In The Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico., Ector M. Martell^, Bianca C. Luong^, Vanessa Lougheed*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011

Pollution in freshwater ecosystems has reduced the ability of freshwater habitats to host a variety of organisms. Algal biomass and macroinvertebrate assemblages can reflect stream quality, due to their rapid response to nutrients and limited dispersal ability, respectively. In this study, we used algae and macroinvertebrates as bio-indicators of river quality in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico, which is largely forested with some low-level development and cattle grazing. All of our sites (n = 3) had a macroinvertebrate Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera (EPT) index of 50% or greater, which suggest high quality conditions in the river. More specifically, all sites …

Climate Related Changes In Chemical Characteristics Of Arctic Tundra Ponds Over The Past 40 Years., David A. Hernandez^, Francisco R. Reyes, Christian G. Andresen, Vanessa L. Lougheed*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011

The Arctic tundra ponds at the International Biological Program (IBP) site in Barrow, AK were first studied in the 1970s and were re-visited in 2010. Recognizing modifications in the ponds’ structure and activity is critical to distinguishing possible climate-related impacts on Arctic freshwater ecosystems.  The main objective of this project was to re-sample historical pond research sites in order to establish how the physical and chemical characteristics of the ponds have been altered over the past 40 years.  Preliminary data from the same IBP ponds sampled in 2009-10 and the 1970’s demonstrate an increase of phosphorus and a decrease in …

Changes In Dissolved Organic Carbon (Doc) In Arctic Tundra Ponds Over The Past 40 Years, Gabriela Contreras^, Vanessa L. Lougheed*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011

With a warming Arctic, degradation of permafrost is expected to release organic and inorganic materials into aquatic ecosystems; however, there are few long-term datasets with which to test this prediction. The Arctic tundra ponds at the International Biological Program (IBP) site in Barrow, Alaska, studied for the first time in the 1970s, represent one of the very few locations in the Arctic where long-term data are available on freshwater ecosystem structure and function.

Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) is used to describe the thousands of dissolved compounds found in water that derive from organic materials. The objective of this study was …

Changes In Relative Abundance Of Adult Walleye And Egg Density Following The Addition Of Walleye Spawning Habitat In A Midwest Irrigation Reservoir, Jordan D. Katt, Brian C. Peterson, Keith D. Koupal, Casey W. Schoenebeck, W. Wyatt Hoback

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

Cobble substrate for walleye (Sander vitreus) spawning was added at Sherman Reservoir, Nebraska, in January 2008. We evaluated changes in relative adult walleye abundance and egg density in response to the cobble substrate and estimated site fidelity of adult walleye during the spawning seasons of 2007, 2008, and 2009. A 15% increase in electrofishing catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of adult walleye was observed on the cobble substrate the first season it was available (2008), but a 5% decrease in electrofishing CPUE was observed the second season (2009) compared to the 2007 season. While gill nets were not run during the …

The Relationship Between 11-Ketotestosterone, Cortisol, And Testosterone And Condition Index For Poecilia Reticulata, Shelly Gupta, Brandy G. Kalbach

Biological Sciences

The guppy, Poecilia reticulata, is a common study organism for behavioral and other ecological experiments (Houde, 1997).  As far as we know, no previous data have been compiled regarding hormones and condition index of guppies.  In this experiment we examined the relationship between circulating levels of three hormones (testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone and cortisol) and condition index in males and also made comparisons among the hormone levels, for three guppy sites from the northern range of Trinidad – Aripo River, Marianne River and Small Crayfish River.  Hormone samples were obtained using non-invasive water borne techniques and quantified by our collaborator.  The condition …

Factors Affecting Space Use Overlap By White-Tailed Deer In An Urban Landscape, W. David Walter, Jeff Beringer, Lonnie P. Hansen, Justin W. Fischer, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Variation in the size and overlap of space use by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has broad implications for managing deer–human conflicts and disease spread and transmission in urban landscapes. Understanding which factors affect overlap of home range by various segments (i.e., age, sex) of an urban deer population has implications to direct contact between deer on disease epidemiology. We assessed size of home range and overlap of space use using the volume of intersection index (VI) for deer in an urban landscape by sex, age, season, and time of day. We found mean space use was larger for …

Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Quarterly Report, Period Ending January 31, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1

• Technical assistance with the implementation of the Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (I-MAP) for Quagga Mussels is ongoing. During this quarter, analysis was completed for 21 adult/juvenile samples and analyses of the remaining samples are underway. A manuscript describing the I-MAP and its history, current recommended monitoring, and recommended future monitoring and a separate manuscript describing the I-MAP’s monitoring protocol were accepted for publication in the journal Aquatic Invasions. Two other manuscripts describing other aspects of the I-MAP program were published in Lake and Reservoir Management.

Project 2

• Annual summary sheets are under development for the topics listed within …

Reproduction And Genetic Detection Of Veligers In Changing Dreissena Populations In The Great Lakes, Jeffrey L. Ram, Aos S. Karim, Payel Acharya, Pranav Jagtap, Sonal Purohit, Donna R. Kashian

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Dreissenid bivalves, Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) and Dreissena bugensis (quagga mussel) are biofouling species that invaded the Great Lakes region of North America from source populations in Europe in the 1980s. Initially, D. polymorpha spread faster and farther; however, D. bugensis have recently displaced D. polymorpha in many areas of the Great Lakes and was the first to be found west of the Continental Divide. Early detection of dreissenids is important in anticipating and preventing potentially high economic impacts. To study population dynamics and to enhance detection methods, we assessed “spawnability” using a serotonin bioassay and developed a new, sensitive, …

Contrasting Effects Of Flow On Adult And Juvenile Ascidian Life History Stages, Including The Global Invasive Didemnum Vexillum, Tren C. Kauzer, C Sarah Cohen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Few studies have quantified a relationship between recruitment, growth, survival and flow with colonial filter feeders. In this study, the growth of D. vex and larval recruitment were evaluated under different local flow conditions in Half Moon Bay, California, USA. Tunicates were subjected to four different flow conditions, three of which included objects to differentially obstruct flow, and growth and recruitment were measured. A direct relationship was seen between increases in flow and adult growth, and an inverse relationship was seen between increases in flow and recruitment. These trends suggest that optimal flow conditions differ for juveniles and adults. The …

The Missing Link: The Ecology Of The Serpentine And The Implications For East And North Ponds [Presentation], Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

No abstract provided.

The Missing Link: The Ecology Of The Serpentine And The Implications For East And North Ponds, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

During the fall of 2011, the Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) studied the Serpentine connecting East Pond and North Pond. East and North Ponds are members of the larger seven-lake system known as the Belgrade Lakes, located in central Maine. There are over 5,500 lakes in Maine that contribute $6.7 billion to the economy annually through activities including boating, fishing, swimming etc. Additionally, Maine’s lakes are sources of municipal and agricultural water, act as flood buffers, and host a wide range of plant, animal, and fish life. Lakes in Maine are a crucial part society and should be studied and …

Conservation Cuantitativa De Los Vertebrados, Michael J. Conroy, John P. Carroll, Juan Carlos Senar, Jeffrey J. Thompson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Este libro es destinado para el uso por biólogos del campo y otras personas, incluso biólogos de campo en el futuro que podrían estar en un curso de la universidad y trabajando en estudios y conservación de animales. Nuestro objetivo es que los biólogos usen este libro como (haciendo apología a nuestro colega Evan Cooch) una ´´introducción suave´´ al campo de la ecología cuantitativa. Esperamos convencer a los lectores que los métodos y aproximaciones del libro no son solo para los matemáticos, estadísticos y programadores de computadoras, sino que de hecho son herramientas esenciales para practicar la conservación en el …

Plesiosaur Body Shape And Its Impact On Hydrodynamic Properties, Courtney D. Richards

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Despite the variability of cross-sectional body shape within Plesiosauria, its impact on plesiosaur buoyancy and stability has never been investigated. This study focused on Tatenectes, Cryptoclidus, and Muraenosaurus due to their variable body morphologies. Reconstructions were created based on measurements and photographs from fossil remains. The ability of computer models, based upon the reconstructions, to reach equilibrium after submersion, sink via lung deflation, and recover from a lateral roll was tested. For the computer models, Muraenosaurus was replaced with Thalassomedon, which had a similar morphology. Cryptoclidus and Thalassomedon recovered from submersion faster than Tatenectes. All models achieved negative buoyancy with …

The Little Coal River Improvement Project, West Virginia: An Initial Study Of Sediment, Bacteria And Benthic Macroinvertebrates, Emily Vargo

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Little Coal River, located in southern West Virginia, has undergone many changes over the last few years in an effort to reverse the negative effects of various point source and non-point source pollutions. Marshall University, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Army Corp of Engineers, and the Coal River Group, has designed and implemented a plan for rehabilitation known as the Little Coal Improvement Project. Several improvement structures were strategically installed within the Little Coal River during the summer of 2007. The functions of these structures include sediment flushing and overall habitat improvement. Monitoring these …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys) In West Virginia Streams, Samantha Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Blacknose dace (Rhinichthys) are one of the most common cyprinid fishes in eastern North America. They also have been a topic of debate for over 30 years because morphology-based systematics has failed to clearly define their taxa. Taxonomists classify the complex into two species and one subspecies: the eastern form, R. atratulus atratulus; and the western form R. obtusus obtusus, and southern form R. obtusus meleagris. This research uses the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and genomic RAG 2 gene in a phylogenetic analysis to help clarify species relations according to differences between each current species. Maps have been created to …

Temperature Increase Effects On Sagebrush Ecosystem Forbs: Exprimental Evidence And Range Manager Perspectives, Hilary Louise Whitcomb

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

No abstract provided.

Infectious Diseases In Yellowstone’S Canid Community, Emily S. Almberg, Paul C. Cross, L. David Mech, Doug W. Smith, Jennifer W. Sheldon, Robert L. Crabtree

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Each summer Yellowstone Wolf Project staff visit den sites to monitor the success of wolf reproduction and pup rearing behavior. For the purposes of wolf monitoring, Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is divided into two study areas, the northern range and the interior, each distinguished by their ecological and physiographical differences. The 1,000 square kilometer northern range, characterized by lower elevations (1,500–2,200 m), serves as prime winter habitat for ungulates and supports a higher density of wolves than the interior (20–99 wolves/1,000 km² versus 2–11 wolves/1,000 km²). The interior of the park encompasses 7,991 square kilometers, is higher …

Environmental Factors Affecting Settlement Of Quagga Mussel (Dreissena Rostriformis Bugensis) Veligers In Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, Usa, Dong Chen, Shawn Gerstenberger, Sara Ann Mueting, Wai Hing Wong

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Environmental factors that can affect the settlement rate of quagga mussel veligers include flow velocity, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, total organic carbon (TOC), and the surface roughness of monitoring substrates. In the present study, six artificial substrates, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, Concrete Underlayment Board (CUB), aluminum, stainless steel and fiberglass, were used to monitor the settlement of quagga mussel veligers at different water depths in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, USA. Considering the hierarchical data structure of observed mussel densities, we investigated the relationship between mussel settlement on monitoring substrates and the surrounding …

Quagga Mussels In The Western United States: Monitoring And Management, Wai Hing Wong, Shawn Gerstenberger

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Dreissenid mussels including zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha Pallas, 1771), originating from the Ponto-Caspian area, and quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis Andrusov, 1897), originating from the mouths of the Rivers Southern Bug and Dnieper are both species native to Eastern Europe, which were accidently introduced into the Laurentian Great Lakes in North America in the 1980s in ballast water (Carlton 2008; Van der Velde et al 2010). Dreissenid mussels have created severe ecological, recreational and economic impacts on many systems because they are biofoulers and efficient ecological engineers that filter large quantities of water. Examples of these wide-ranging impacts are discussed …