Nomenclature of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes for Oncorhynchus mykiss
Sara L. Graziano, K. H. Brown, Jennifer L. Nielsen
2005, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (134) 1271-1273
Congruence of genetic data is critical for comparative and collaborative studies on natural fish populations. A comprehensive list of reported mitochrondrial DNA haplotypes for Oncorhynchus mykiss generated using the S‐Phe/P2 primer set is presented as a resource for future investigations of this species....
Ecology of Florida black bears in the Okefenokee-Osceola ecosystem
S. Dobey, D.V. Masters, B.K. Scheick, J. D. Clark, M.R. Pelton, M.E. Sunquist
2005, Wildlife Monographs 1-41
The population status of the Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) is problematic within many portions of its range and its potential listing as a federally threatened species has been the subject of legal debate. We studied Florida black bears in 2 areas in the Okefenokee-Osceola ecosystem in southeast Georgia...
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...
Effects of hunting on survival of American woodcock in the Northeast
Daniel G. McAuley, Jerry R. Longcore, David A. Clugston, R. Bradford Allen, A. Weik, Simon Williams, J. Dunn, B. Palmer, K. Evans, W. Staats, Greg F. Sepik, W. Halteman
2005, Journal of Wildlife Management (69) 1565-1577
Numbers of American woodcock (Scolopax minor) males counted on the annual singing ground survey (SGS) have declined over the last 35 years at an average rate of 2.3% per year in the Eastern Region and 1.8% per year in the Central Region. Although hunting was not thought to be...
Using Christmas Bird Count data to assess population dynamics and trends of waterbirds
G.S. Butcher, D.K. Niven, J.R. Sauer
2005, American Birds (59) 23-25
USGS bird and land-cover data: Regional bird conservation internet mapping tool takes flight with GIS
J.C. Nelson, M.G. Fox, M. G. Knutson, J.R. Sauer, W.E. Thogmartin
2005, ArcNews Online (Summer)
Designing occupancy studies: General advice and allocating survey effort
Darryl I. MacKenzie, J. Andrew Royle
2005, Journal of Applied Ecology (42) 1105-1114
1.The fraction of sampling units in a landscape where a target species is present (occupancy) is an extensively used concept in ecology. Yet in many applications the species will not always be detected in a sampling unit even when present, resulting in biased estimates of...
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...
Modeling association among demographic parameters in analysis of open population capture-recapture data
William A. Link, Richard J. Barker
2005, Biometrics (61) 46-54
We present a hierarchical extension of the Cormack–Jolly–Seber (CJS) model for open population capture–recapture data. In addition to recaptures of marked animals, we model first captures of animals and losses on capture. The parameter set includes capture probabilities, survival rates, and birth rates. The survival rates and birth rates are...
Using the North American Breeding Bird Survey as a tool for conservation: A critique of Bart et al. (2004)
John R. Sauer, William A. Link, James D. Nichols, J. Andrew Royle
2005, Journal of Wildlife Management (69) 1321-1326
Bart et al. (2004) develop methods for predicting needed samples for estimation of long-term trends from Count survey data, and they apply these methods to the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). They recommend adding approximately 40% more survey routes ill the BBS to allow for estimation of long-term...
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...
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...
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...
Estimating site occupancy and abundance using indirect detection indices
Thomas R. Stanley, J. Andrew Royle
2005, Journal of Wildlife Management (69) 874-883
Knowledge of factors influencing animal distribution and abundance is essential in many areas of ecological research, management, and policy-making. Because common methods for modeling and estimating abundance (e.g., capture–recapture, distance sampling) are sometimes not practical for large areas or elusive species, indices are sometimes used as surrogate measures of abundance....
Sex ratio and early growth patterns of Roseate Tern chicks during five breeding seasons at Falkner Island, Connecticut, USA
Patricia Szczys, Jeffrey A. Spendelow, Ian C. T. Nisbet
2005, Waterbirds (28) 273-279
Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) nests were monitored at Falkner Island, Connecticut, USA between 1998 and 2002. A total of 586 chicks were sexed and their growth measured during the first three days. These data were used to derive growth parameters and predict survival to fledging with high confidence. In...
A comparison of campfire impacts and policies in seven protected areas
S. E. Reid, Jeffrey L. Marion
2005, Environmental Management (36) 48-58
Using resource-monitoring data from seven protected areas, the effectiveness of three campfire policies—campfire ban, designated campfires, and unregulated campfires—were assessed based on the number of fire sites and the amount of tree damage. Results indicate that unregulated campfire policies permitted substantial numbers of fire sites and tree damage in campsites,...
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...
A simple, inexpensive video camera setup for the study of avian nest activity
J. B. Sabine, J. Michael Meyers, Sara H. Schweitzer
2005, Journal of Field Ornithology (76) 293-297
Time-lapse video photography has become a valuable tool for collecting data on avian nest activity and depredation; however, commercially available systems are expensive (>USA $4000/unit). We designed an inexpensive system to identify causes of nest failure of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) and assessed its utility at Cumberland Island National...
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...
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...
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...
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...
