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...
A curious pellet from a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)
N. Woodman, C.J. Dove, S.C. Peurach
2005, Northeastern Naturalist (12) 127-132
One of the traditional methods of determining the dietary preferences of owls relies upon the identification of bony remains of prey contained in regurgitated pellets. Discovery of a pellet containing a large, complete primary feather from an adult, male Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) prompted us to examine in detail...
Estimation of stream salamander (Plethodontidae, Desmognathinae and Plethodontinae) populations in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA
R.E. Jung, J. Andrew Royle, J.R. Sauer, C. Addison, R.D. Rau, J.L. Shirk, J.C. Whissel
2005, Alytes (22) 72-84
Stream salamanders in the family Plethodontidae constitute a large biomass in and near headwater streams in the eastern United States and are promising indicators of stream ecosystem health. Many studies of stream salamanders have relied on population indices based on counts rather than population estimates based on techniques such...
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...
Retrospective ecotoxicological data and current information needs for terrestrial vertebrates residing in coastal habitat of the United States
Barnett A. Rattner, K.M. Eisenreich, N. H. Golden, M.A. McKernan, R. L. Hothem, T. W. Custer
2005, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (49) 257-265
The Contaminant Exposure and Effects—Terrestrial Vertebrates (CEE-TV) database was developed to conduct simple searches for ecotoxicological information, examine exposure trends, and identify significant data gaps. The CEE-TV database contains 16,696 data records on free-ranging amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals residing in estuarine and coastal habitats of the Atlantic, Gulf, and...
A new species of Lonchophylla Thomas (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from Ecuador
Luis Albuja V., Alfred L. Gardner
2005, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington (118) 442-449
We describe Lonchophylla orcesi, sp. nov., from the Choco, a region of high biotic diversity, endemism, and rainfall along the western Andean slopes and Pacific lowlands of Colombia and Ecuador. One of the largest known Lonchophylla, it occurs sympatrically with at least two other species of Lonchophylla including the similar,...
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...
Salt tolerance underlies the cryptic invasion of North American salt marshes by an introduced haplotype of the common reed Phragmites australis (Poaceae)
Edward A. Vasquez, Edward P. Glenn, J. Jed Brown, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Stephen G. Nelson
2005, Marine Ecology Progress Series (298) 1-8
A distinct, non-native haplotype of the common reed Phragmites australis has become invasive in Atlantic coastal Spartina marshes. We compared the salt tolerance and other growth characteristics of the invasive M haplotype with 2 native haplotypes (F and AC) in greenhouse experiments. The M haplotype retained 50% of its growth...
Estimating moist-soil seeds available to waterfowl with double sampling for stratification
Kenneth J. Reinecke, Kevin M. Hartke
2005, Journal of Wildlife Management (69) 794-799
No abstract available....
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....
Dynamic design of ecological monitoring networks for non-Gaussian spatio-temporal data
C. K. Wikle, J. Andrew Royle
2005, Environmetrics (16) 507-522
Many ecological processes exhibit spatial structure that changes over time in a coherent, dynamical fashion. This dynamical component is often ignored in the design of spatial monitoring networks. Furthermore, ecological variables related to processes such as habitat are often non-Gaussian (e.g. Poisson or log-normal). We demonstrate that a simulation-based design...
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...
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....
Auditory brainstem responses in the Eastern Screech Owl: An estimate of auditory thresholds
E.F. Brittan-Powell, B. Lohr, D.C. Hahn, R.J. Dooling
2005, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (118) 314-321
The auditory brainstem response (ABR), a measure of neural synchrony, was used to estimate auditory sensitivity in the eastern screech owl (Megascops asio). The typical screech owl ABR waveform showed two to three prominent peaks occurring within 5 ms of stimulus onset. As sound pressure levels increased,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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
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...
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....
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....
Stream salamander species richness and abundance in relation to environmental factors in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Robin E. Jung, Karen C. Rice
2005, American Midland Naturalist (153) 348-356
Stream salamanders are sensitive to acid mine drainage and may be sensitive to acidification and low acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) of a watershed. Streams in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, are subject to episodic acidification from precipitation events. We surveyed 25 m by 2 m transects located on the stream bank...
