Fossil shrews from Honduras and their significance for late glacial evolution in body size (Mammalia: Soricidae: Cryptotis)
N. Woodman, D. A. Croft
2005, Fieldiana Geology (51)
Our study of mammalian remains excavated in the 1940s from McGrew Cave, north of Copán, Honduras, yielded an assemblage of 29 taxa that probably accumulated predominantly as the result of predation by owls. Among the taxa present are three species of small-eared shrews, genus Cryptotis. One species, Cryptotis...
Rejoinder to "The performance of mixture models in heterogeneous closed population capture-recapture"
Robert Dorazio, J. Andrew Royle
2005, Biometrics (61) 874-876
No abstract available....
Double-observer approach to estimating egg mass abundance of vernal pool breeding amphibians
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Robin E. Jung, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines
2005, Wetlands Ecology and Management (13) 305-320
Interest in seasonally flooded pools, and the status of associated amphibian populations, has initiated programs in the northeastern United States to document and monitor these habitats. Counting egg masses is an effective way to determine the population size of pool-breeding amphibians, such as wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and spotted salamanders...
Climate patterns as predictors of amphibians species richness and indicators of potential stress
W. Battaglin, L. Hay, G. McCabe, P. Nanjappa, Alisa L. Gallant
2005, Alytes (22) 146-167
Amphibians occupy a range of habitats throughout the world, but species richness is greatest in regions with moist, warm climates. We modeled the statistical relations of anuran and urodele species richness with mean annual climate for the conterminous United States, and compared the strength of these relations at national and...
The effects of captive rearing on the behavior of newly-released whooping cranes (Grus americana)
M.D. Kreger, Jeff S. Hatfield, I. Estevez, G.F. Gee, D.A. Clugston
2005, Applied Animal Behaviour Science (93) 165-178
Rearing treatments used in captivity to prepare animals for reintroduction to the wild may have a profound effect on behavior and, possibly, affect their survival after reintroduction. This study examined the behaviors of captive-reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) upon their release in Florida to determine if rearing treatments may affect...
A general class of multinomial mixture models for anuran calling survey data
J. Andrew Royle, William A. Link
2005, Ecology (86) 2505-2512
We propose a general framework for modeling anuran abundance using data collected from commonly used calling surveys. The data generated from calling surveys are indices of calling intensity (vocalization of males) that do not have a precise link to actual population size and are sensitive to factors that influence anuran...
Plant species invasions along the latitudinal gradient in the United States
Thomas J. Stohlgren, David Barnett, Curtis Flather, John Kartesz, Bruce G. Peterjohn
2005, Ecology (86) 2298-2309
It has been long established that the richness of vascular plant species and many animal taxa decreases with increasing latitude, a pattern that very generally follows declines in actual and potential evapotranspiration, solar radiation, temperature, and thus, total productivity. Using county-level data on vascular plants from the United States (3000...
Fine-scale spatial variation in plant species richness and its relationship to environmental conditions in coastal marshlands
J.E. Mancera, G.C. Meche, P.P. Cardona-Olarte, E. Castaneda-Moya, R.L. Chiasson, N.A. Geddes, L.M. Schile, H.G. Wang, G.R. Guntenspergen, J.B. Grace
2005, Plant Ecology (178) 39-50
Previous studies have shown that variations in environmental conditions play a major role in explaining variations in plant species richness at community and landscape scales. In this study, we considered the degree to which fine-scale spatial variations in richness could be related to fine-scale variations in abiotic and biotic factors....
Correlates of vernal pool occurrence in the Massachusetts USA, landscape
Evan H. Campbell Grant
2005, Wetlands (25) 480-487
Vernal pool wetlands are at risk of destruction across the northeast United States, due in part to their diminutive size and short hydroperiolds. These characteristics make it difficult to locate vernal pool habitats in the landscape during much of the year, and no efficient method exists for predicting their occurrence....
Disturbance of eelgrass Zostera marina by commercial mussel Mytilus edulis harvesting in Maine: Dragging impacts and habitat recovery
Hilary A. Neckles, Frederick T. Short, Seth Barker, Blaine S. Kopp
2005, Marine Ecology Progress Series (285) 57-73
We studied the effects of commercial harvest of blue mussels Mytilus edulis on eelgrass Zostera marina L. in Maquoit Bay, Maine, USA, at a hierarchy of scales. We used aerial photography, underwater video, and eelgrass population- and shoot-based measurements to quantify dragging impacts within 4 sites that had been disturbed...
Pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae (Deuteromycetes) and permethrin to Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphs
V.L. Hornbostel, Elyes Zhioua, Michael A. Benjamin, Howard S. Ginsberg, Richard S. Ostfeld
2005, Experimental and Applied Acarology (35) 301-316
Effectiveness of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, for controlling nymphal Ixodes scapularis, was tested in laboratory and field trials. In the laboratory, M. anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin strain ESC1 was moderately pathogenic, with an LC50 of 107 spores/ml and induced 70% mortality at 109 spores/ml. In...
Effects of forest structure and composition on food availability for Varecia variegata at Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar
E.A. Balko, H.B. Underwood
2005, American Journal of Primatology (66) 45-70
We present a summary of a long-term field study that examined the effects of forest disturbance on the availability of palatable fruit and its utilization by V. variegata. Forest structure and tree species composition were measured in three adjacent study areas, with different histories of disturbance, in Ranomafana National...
Reservoir competence of native North American birds for the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi
Howard S. Ginsberg, P. A. Buckley, Maxon G. Balmforth, Elyes Zhioua, Shaibal Mitra, Francine G. Buckley
2005, Journal of Medical Entomology (42) 445-449
Reservoir competence for the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, was tested for six species of native North American birds: American robin, gray catbird, brown thrasher, eastern towhee, song sparrow, and northern cardinal. Wild birds collected by mist netting on Fire Island, NY, were held in a field laboratory in cages...
Estimating size and composition of biological communities by modeling the occurrence of species
Robert Dorazio, J. Andrew Royle
2005, Journal of the American Statistical Association (100) 389-398
We develop a model that uses repeated observations of a biological community to estimate the number and composition of species in the community. Estimators of community-level attributes are constructed from model-based estimators of occurrence of individual species that incorporate imperfect detection of individuals. Data from the North American Breeding Bird...
Efficient statistical mapping of avian count data
J. Andrew Royle, C. K. Wikle
2005, Environmental and Ecological Statistics (12) 225-243
We develop a spatial modeling framework for count data that is efficient to implement in high-dimensional prediction problems. We consider spectral parameterizations for the spatially varying mean of a Poisson model. The spectral parameterization of the spatial process is very computationally efficient, enabling effective estimation and prediction in large problems...
Modelling occurrence and abundance of species when detection is imperfect
J. Andrew Royle, James D. Nichols, Marc Kery
2005, Oikos (110) 353-359
Relationships between species abundance and occupancy are of considerable interest in metapopulation biology and in macroecology. Such relationships may be described concisely using probability models that characterize variation in abundance of a species. However, estimation of the parameters of these models in most ecological problems is impaired by imperfect detection....
Effects of contaminant exposure on reproductive success of ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) nesting in Delaware River and Bay, USA
P. C. Toschik, Barnett A. Rattner, P. C. McGowan, M. C. Christman, Daniel B. Carter, R. C. Hale, C. W. Matson, M. A. Ottinger
2005, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (24) 617-628
Despite serious water-quality problems and pollutant loading and retention, Delaware River and Bay(USA) provide important wildlife habitat. In 2002, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of contaminant exposure and reproduction of ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) breeding in Delaware River and Bay. Sample eggs were collected from 39 nests and analyzed for organochlorine...
Individual quality, survival variation and patterns of phenotypic selection on body condition and timing of nesting in birds
Peter Blums, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Mark S. Lindberg, Aivars Mednis
2005, Oecologia (143) 365-376
Questions about individual variation in “quality” and fitness are of great interest to evolutionary and population ecologists. Such variation can be investigated using either a random effects approach or an approach that relies on identifying observable traits that are themselves correlated with fitness components. We used the latter approach with...
Demographic estimation methods for plants with unobservable life-states
Marc Kery, Katharine B. Gregg, Michael Schaub
2005, Oikos (108) 307-320
Demographic estimation of vital parameters in plants with an unobservable dormant state is complicated, because time of death is not known. Conventional methods assume that death occurs at a particular time after a plant has last been seen aboveground but the consequences of assuming a particular duration of dormancy have...
Assessing spatial coupling in complex population dynamics using mutual prediction and continuity statistics
J.M. Nichols, L. Moniz, J.D. Nichols, L.M. Pecora, E. Cooch
2005, Theoretical Population Biology (67) 9-21
A number of important questions in ecology involve the possibility of interactions or ?coupling? among potential components of ecological systems. The basic question of whether two components are coupled (exhibit dynamical interdependence) is relevant to investigations of movement of animals over space, population regulation, food webs and trophic interactions,...
Improving inferences in population studies of rare species that are detected imperfectly
Darry I. MacKenzie, James D. Nichols, N. Sutton, K. Kawanishi, Larissa Bailey
2005, Ecology (86) 1101-1113
For the vast majority of cases, it is highly unlikely that all the individuals of a population will be encountered during a study. Furthermore, it is unlikely that a constant fraction of the population is encountered over times, locations, or species to be compared. Hence, simple counts usually will not...
Research for the development of best management practices for minimizing horse trail impacts on the Hoosier National Forest
M.W. Aust, J. L. Marion, K. Kyle
2005, Report
This research investigates horse trail impacts to gain an improved understanding of the relationship between various levels of horse use, horse trail management alternatives, and subsequent horse trail degradation. A survey of existing horse trails on the Hoosier National Forest was used to collect data on use-related, environmental and...
Urbanization effects on fishes and habitat quality in a southern Piedmont river basin
D.M. Walters, Mary C. Freeman, D.S. Leigh, B. J. Freeman, C.P. Pringle
Larry R. Brown, Robert H. Gray, Robert H. Hughes, Michael Meador, editor(s)
2005, Book chapter, Effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems
We quantified the relationships among urban land cover, fishes, and habitat quality to determine how fish assemblages respond to urbanization and if a habitat index can be used as an indirect measure of urban effects on stream ecosystems. We sampled 30 wadeable streams along an urban gradient (5?37% urban...
Modern open-population capture-recapture models
J.D. Nichols
Steven C. Amstrup, Trent L. McDonald, Bryan F.J. Manly, editor(s)
2005, Book chapter, Handbook of capture-recapture analysis
Approaches for the direct estimation of rate of increase in population size using capture-recapture data
J.D. Nichols, T. Scott Sillett, J.E. Hines, Richard T. Holmes
C. John Ralph, Terrell D. Rich, editor(s)
2005, Book chapter, Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International Partners in Flight Conference 2002
Recent developments in the modeling of capture-recapture data permit the direct estimation and modeling of population growth rate Pradel (1996). Resulting estimates reflect changes in numbers of birds on study areas, and such changes result from movement as well as survival and reproductive recruitment. One measure of the...
