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...
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...
The role of thyroxine on the production of plumage in the American Kestrel (Falco sparterius)
M.J. Quinn, J.B. French, F.M.A. McNabb, M. A. Ottinger
2005, Journal of Raptor Research (39) 84-88
Head-bobbing behavior in foraging whooping cranes favors visual fixation
Thomas M. Cronin, Matthew R. Kinloch, Glenn H. Olsen
2005, Current Biology (15) R243-R244
No abstract available. ...
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...
Effects of tag loss on direct estimates of population growth rate
Jay J. Rotella, James E. Hines
2005, Ecology (86) 821-827
The temporal symmetry approach of R. Pradel can be used with capture– recapture data to produce retrospective estimates of a population's growth rate, λi, and the relative contributions to λi from different components of the population. Direct estimation of λi provides an alternative to using population projection matrices to estimate asymptotic λ...
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....
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...
Introduced species as evolutionary traps
Martin A. Schlaepfer, P. W. Sherman, Bernd Blossey, Michael C. Runge
2005, Ecology Letters (8) 241-246
Invasive species can alter environments in such a way that normal behavioural decision-making rules of native species are no longer adaptive. The evolutionary trap concept provides a useful framework for predicting and managing the impact of harmful invasive species. We discuss how native species can respond to changes in their...
Combined use of rapid bioassessment protocols and sediment quality triad to assess stream quality
Parley V. Winger, Peter J. Lasier, K. J. Bogenrieder
2005, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (100) 267-295
Physical, chemical and biological conditions at five stations on a small southeastern stream were evaluated using the Rapid Bioassessment Protocols (RBP) and the Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) to assess potential biological impacts of a municipal wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) on downstream resources. Physical habitat, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish assemblages were...
Fecal corticoid monitoring in whooping cranes (Grus americana) undergoing reintroduction
Barry K. Hartup, Glenn H. Olsen, Nancy M. Czekala
2005, Zoo Biology (24) 15-28
We used radioimmunoassay to determine fecal corticoid concentrations and assess potential stress in 10 endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) undergoing reintroduction to the wild. Fecal samples were collected shortly after hatching at a captive facility in Maryland, during field training in Wisconsin, and throughout a human-led migration to Florida....
The role of pH in structuring communities of Maine wetland macrophytes and chironomid larvae (Diptera)
Thomas Woodcock, Jerry R. Longcore, Daniel G. McAuley, Terry Mingo, C. R. Bennatti, Kenneth L. Stromborg
2005, Wetlands (25) 306-316
Aquatic vascular plants, or macrophytes, are an important habitat component for many wetland organisms, and larvae of chironomid midges are ubiquitous components of wetland fauna. Many chironomids are primary consumers of algae and detritus and form an essential energetic link between allochthonous and autochthonous primary production and higher trophic levels,...
The potential conservation value of unmowed powerline strips for native bees
K.N. Russell, H. Ikerd, Sam Droege
2005, Biological Conservation (124) 133-148
The land area covered by powerline easements in the United States exceeds the area of almost all national parks, including Yellowstone. In parts of Europe and the US, electric companies have altered their land management practices from periodic mowing to extraction of tall vegetation combined with the use of...
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...
Enhancing the scientific value of the Christmas Bird Count
Erica H. Dunn, C.M. Francis, P.J. Blancher, S.R. Drennan, M.A. Howe, D. Lepage, Chandler S. Robbins, K.V. Rosenberg, J.R. Sauer, Kimberly G. Smith
2005, The Auk (122) 338-346
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC), conducted by the National Audubon Society (NAS) since 1900, constitutes the longest-running and geographically most widespread survey of bird life in the Western Hemisphere. Starting with 25 count locations in its first year, the program has grown continuously ever since, with...
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...
The adaptive significance of stealing in a marine bird and its relationship to parental quality
D. A. Shealer, J. A. Spendelow, Jeff S. Hatfield, I.C.T. Nisbet
2005, Behavioral Ecology (16) 371-376
Kleptoparasitism (food theft) is a tactic used opportunistically by many foraging birds, but little is known about its fitness benefits. Here we show that habitual kleptoparasitism by individual parent roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) is associated with consistently superior reproductive performance relative to nonkleptoparasitic ('honest') parents, as measured by growth and...
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...
Effects of lead-contaminated sediment and nutrition on mallard duckling behavior and growth
E. Douglas-Stroebel, G. L. Brewer, David J. Hoffman
2005, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A (68) 113-128
Sediment ingestion has become a recognized exposure route for toxicants in waterfowl. The effects of lead-contaminated sediment from the Coeur d’Alene River Basin (CDARB) in Idaho were evaluated on mallard (Anas platyryhnchos) duckling behavior and growth over a 5-wk period using time–activity budgets. Day-old ducklings received either a clean sediment...
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,...
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...
Exposure and effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting along the Woonasquatucket River, Rhode Island, USA
Christine M. Custer, T. W. Custer, C. J. Rosiu, M. J. Melancon, J. W. Bickham, C. W. Matson
2005, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (24) 93-109
Concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting along the Woonasquatucket River northwest of Providence (RI, USA) in 2000 and 2001 were some of the highest ever reported in avian tissues. Mean concentrations in eggs ranged from 300 to > 1,000 pg/g wet weight at the two most...
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...
[Book review] The history of ornithology in Virginia
C.S. Robbins
2005, The Auk (122) 375-377
Virginia is arguably the birthplace of ornithology in North America. Captain John Smith and naturalist Mark Catesby were among the early describers of Virginia's common birds. David Johnston's book, however, begins by taking the reader back to the Tertiary period, some 65 million years ago, with Storrs Olson's description of...
Implications of global climatic change and energy cost and availability for the restoration of the Mississippi delta
John W. Day
2005, Ecological Engineering (24) 253-265
Over the past several thousand years, inputs from the Mississippi River formed the Mississippi delta, an area of about 25,000 km2. Over the past century, however, there has been a high loss of coastal wetlands of about 4800 km2. The main causes of this loss are the...
