Mineral of the month: aluminum
Patricia A. Plunkert
2005, Geotimes (2005)
Aluminum is the second most abundant metallic element in Earth’s crust after silicon. Even so, it is a comparatively new industrial metal that has been produced in commercial quantities for little more than 100 years. Aluminum is lightweight, ductile, malleable and corrosion resistant, and is a good conductor of heat...
Bait stations, hard mast, and black bear population growth in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Joseph D. Clark, Frank T. van Manen, Michael R. Pelton
2005, Journal of Wildlife Management (69) 1633-1640
Bait-station surveys are used by wildlife managers as an index to American black bear (Ursus americanus) population abundance, but the relationship is not well established. Hard mast surveys are similarly used to assess annual black bear food availability which may affect mortality and natality rates. We used data collected in...
Efficacy of selected coccidiostats in sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) following challenge
James W. Carpenter, Meliton N. Novilla, Jeffrey Hatfield
2005, Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (36) 391-400
The anticoccidial efficacy of amprolium, clazuril, and monensin were studied in sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) infected with a mixture of Eimeria spp. oocysts. Five groups of four 1-day-old sandhill crane chicks were maintained on a crumbled ration containing no coccidiostat, amprolium at 2.2 ppm, clazuril at 1.1 ppm, clazuril at...
Modeling anuran detection and site occupancy on North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) routes in Maryland
Linda Weir, J. Andrew Royle, Priya Nanjappa, Robin E. Jung
2005, Journal of Herpetology (39) 627-639
One of the most fundamental problems in monitoring animal populations is that of imperfect detection. Although imperfect detection can be modeled, studies examining patterns in occurrence often ignore detection and thus fail to properly partition variation in detection from that of occurrence. In this study, we used anuran calling survey...
Phylogeography of the American woodcock (Scolopax minor): Are management units based on band recovery data reflected in genetically based management units?
J.M. Rhymer, D.G. McAuley, H.L. Ziel
2005, The Auk (122) 1149-1160
Information on population connectivity throughout the annual cycle has become more crucial, because populations of many migratory birds are in decline. One such species is the American Woodcock (Scolopax minor), which inhabits early-successional forests in eastern North America. Although band recoveries have proved useful for dividing populations of this game...
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...
Modeling avian abundance from replicated counts using binomial mixture models
Marc Kery, J. Andrew Royle, Hans Schmid
2005, Ecological Applications (15) 1450-1461
Abundance estimation in ecology is usually accomplished by capture–recapture, removal, or distance sampling methods. These may be hard to implement at large spatial scales. In contrast, binomial mixture models enable abundance estimation without individual identification, based simply on temporally and spatially replicated counts. Here, we evaluate mixture models using data...
Skeletal morphology of the forefoot in shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae) of the genus Cryptotis, as revealed by digital x-rays
Neal Woodman, J. P. J. Morgan
2005, Journal of Morphology (266) 60-73
Variation in the forefoot skeleton of small-eared shrews (family Soricidae, genus Cryptotis) has been previously documented, but the paucity of available skeletons for most taxa makes assessment of the degrees of intraspecific and interspecific variation difficult. We used a digital X-ray system to extract images of the forefoot skeleton from 101...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Fecal corticoid monitoring in whooping cranes trained to follow ultralight aircraft
B.K. Hartup, Nancy M. Czekala, Glenn H. Olsen, J.A. Langenberg
Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, editor(s)
2005, Book chapter, Proceedings of the Ninth North American Crane Workshop: 17-20 January 2003, Sacramento, California
The use of fecal corticoid assays to measure stress in North American cranes has been limited to laboratory validation and a single field project involving reintroduced sandhill cranes (Ludders et aI., 1998, 2001; Hartup et aI., 2004). In 2001, we documented trends in corticoid concentrations among a cohort of...
Handbook of capture-recapture analysis
Steven C. Amstrup, Trent L. McDonald, Bryan F.J. Manly, editor(s)
2005, Book
Every day, biologists in parkas, raincoats, and rubber boots go into the field to capture and mark a variety of animal species. Back in the office, statisticians create analytical models for the field biologists' data. But many times, representatives of the two professions do not fully understand one another's roles....
Leachability of protein and metals incorporated into aquatic invertebrates: are species and metals-exposure history important?
J.S. Meyer, M.J. Suedkamp, J.M. Morris, A.M. Farag
2005, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (50) 79-87
To partially simulate conditions in fish intestinal tracts, we leached six groups of metals-contaminated invertebrates at pH 2 and pH 7, and analyzed the concentrations of four metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) and total protein in the leachates. Four of the groups of invertebrates were benthic macroinvertebrates collected from...
Geologic framework, evolution, and sediment resources for restoration of the Louisiana Coastal Zone
Mark Kulp, Shea Penland, S. Jeffress Williams, Chris Jenkins, Jim Flocks, Jack Kindinger
2005, Journal of Coastal Research (44) 56-71
The Louisiana Coastal Zone along the north-central Gulf of Mexico represents one of America's most important coastal ecosystems in terms of natural resources, human infrastructure, and cultural heritage. This zone also has the highest rates of coastal erosion and wetland loss in the nation because of a complex combination of...
Petrogenesis of the Apollo 14 high-alumina basalts: Implications from ion microprobe analyses
Justin Hagerty, Charles K. Shearer, James J. Papike
2005, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (69) 5831-5845
In this study, ion microprobe analyses of individual minerals are used to investigate the petrogenesis of the Apollo 14 high-Al basalts. We use trace element concentrations from individual minerals in the Apollo 14 high-Al basalts to evaluate both endogenic and exogenic models. The data show that if the Apollo 14...
Mercury recycling in the United States in 2000
William E. Brooks, Grecia R. Matos
2005, Circular 1196-U
Reclamation and recycling of mercury from used mercury- containing products and treatment of byproduct mercury from gold mining is vital to the continued, though declining, use of this metal. Mercury is reclaimed from mercury-containing waste by treatment in multistep high-temperature retorts-the mercury is volatized and then condensed for purification and...
Implications for prediction and hazard assessment from the 2004 Parkfield earthquake
W. H. Bakun, Brad T. Aagaard, B. Dost, William L. Ellsworth, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Ruth A. Harris, C. Ji, Malcolm J. S. Johnston, John O. Langbein, James J. Lienkaemper, Andrew J. Michael, Jessica R. Murray, R.M. Nadeau, P.A. Reasenberg, M.S. Reichle, Evelyn A. Roeloffs, A. Shakal, Robert W. Simpson, F. Waldhauser
2005, Nature (437) 969-974
Obtaining high-quality measurements close to a large earthquake is not easy: one has to be in the right place at the right time with the right instruments. Such a convergence happened, for the first time, when the 28 September 2004 Parkfield, California, earthquake occurred on the San Andreas fault in...
Three in one: Multiscale Hardcopy Depiction of the Mars Surface in True3D
Manfred Buchroithner, Thomas Grundemann, Randolph L. Kirk, Klaus Habermann
2005, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (71) 1105-1108
The visualisation of both geospatial Earth data and extra-terrestrial objects is gain- ing increasing importance. Until recently, hardcopy displays were confined to mostly static, two-dimensional or pseudo-three-dimensional depictions. The various effects offered by lenticular foil technology allow the generation of flip-image effects, short animations, and true-3D displays in hardcopy form....
Satellite imagery maps Hurricane Katrina-induced flooding and oil slicks
Russell P. Rykhus
2005, Eos, Earth and Space Science News (86) 381-382
In the early morning of 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane. With wind speeds of about 233 kilometers per hour, a storm surge of 8.5 meters, and heavy rains, Katrina pounded the U.S. Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi...
