Wildlife Monographs最新文献

{"title":"Elk Calf Survival and Mortality Following Wolf Restoration to Yellowstone National Park","authors":"SHANNON M. BARBER-MEYER,&nbsp;L. DAVID MECH,&nbsp;P. J. WHITE","doi":"10.2193/2008-004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2193/2008-004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>ABSTRACT </b> We conducted a 3-year study (May 2003–Apr 2006) of mortality of northern Yellowstone elk (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>) calves to determine the cause for the recruitment decline (i.e., 33 calves to 13 calves/100 adult F) following the restoration of wolves (<i>Canis lupus</i>). We captured, fit with radiotransmitters, and evaluated blood characteristics and disease antibody seroprevalence in 151 calves ≤6 days old (68M:83F). Concentrations (x̄, SE) of potential condition indicators were as follows: thyroxine (T4; 13.8 μg/dL, 0.43), serum urea nitrogen (SUN; 17.4 mg/dL, 0.57), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT; 66.4 IU/L, 4.36), gamma globulins (GG; 1.5 g/dL, 0.07), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1; 253.6 ng/mL, 9.59). Seroprevalences were as follows: brucellosis (<i>Brucella abortus</i>; 3%), bovine-respiratory syncytial virus (3%), bovine-viral-diarrhea virus type 1 (25%), infectious-bovine rhinotracheitis (58%), and bovine parainfluenza-3 (32%). Serum urea nitrogen, GGT, GG, and IGF-1 varied with year; T4, SUN, and GG varied with age (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.01); and SUN varied by capture area (<i>P</i> = 0.02). Annual survival was 0.22 (SE = 0.035, <i>n</i> = 149) and varied by calving area but not year. Neonates captured in the Stephens Creek/Mammoth area of Yellowstone National Park, USA, had annual survival rates &gt;3× higher (0.54) than those captured in the Lamar Valley area (0.17), likely due to the higher predator density in Lamar Valley. Summer survival (20 weeks after radiotagging) was 0.29 (SE = 0.05, <i>n</i> = 116), and calving area, absolute deviation from median birth date, and GG were important predictors of summer survival. Survival during winter (Nov-Apr) was 0.90 (SE= 0.05, <i>n</i> = 42), and it did not vary by calving area or year. Sixty-nine percent (<i>n</i> = 104) of calves died within the first year of life, 24% (<i>n</i> = 36) survived their first year, and 7% (<i>n</i> = 11) had unknown fates. Grizzly bears (<i>Ursus arctos</i>) and black bears (<i>Ursus americanus</i>) accounted for 58–60% (<i>n</i> = 60–62) of deaths, and wolves accounted for 14–17% (<i>n</i> = 15–18). Summer predation (95% of summer deaths) increased, and winter malnutrition (0% of winter deaths) decreased, compared with a similar study during 1987–1990 (72% and 58%, respectively). Physiological factors (e.g., low levels of GG) may predispose calves to predation. Also, the increase in bear numbers since wolf restoration and spatial components finer than the northern range should be considered when trying to determine the causes of the northern Yellowstone elk decline. This is the first study to document the predation impacts from reintroduced wolves on elk calf mortality in an ecosystem already containing established populations of 4 other major predators (i.e., grizzly and black bears, cougars [<i>Puma concolor</i>], and coyotes [<i>Canis latrans</i>]). The results are relevant to resource managers of the Yellowstone ecosystem in understanding ","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"169 1","pages":"1-30"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2010-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2193/2008-004","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"6235253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aspects of the Thermal Ecology of Bobwhites in North Texas","authors":"FRED S. GUTHERY,&nbsp;ALEXANDR R. RYBAK,&nbsp;SAMUEL D. FUHLENDORF,&nbsp;TIM L. HILLER,&nbsp;STEVEN G. SMITH,&nbsp;WILLIAM H. PUCKETT JR.,&nbsp;ROBERT A. BAKER","doi":"10.2193/0084-0173(2004)159[1:AOTTEO]2.0.CO;2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2193/0084-0173(2004)159[1:AOTTEO]2.0.CO;2","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Abstract: &lt;/b&gt; We studied the thermal ecology of northern bobwhites (&lt;i&gt;Colinus virginianus&lt;/i&gt;) to better understand the role of temperature in the field behavior of these birds. We obtained descriptive data on thermal aspects of the landscape; bobwhite selection for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI; vegetation biomass) classes and cover associations relative to their thermal properties; and thermal conditions at nests, mid-day coverts, and roosts. We collected data on a 796-ha area in the Texas Rolling Plains during May 2000-July 2003 using satellite imagery, black-bulb temperature probes, mortality- and temperature-sensing radiotransmitters, and continuous-recording video cameras for nest observations. Linear models of black-bulb temperature (&lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bb&lt;/sub&gt;) as a function of air temperature (&lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt;) at a base weather station explained 42–70% of the variation in &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bb&lt;/sub&gt; in 10 NDVI classes during daylight and 78% during night in summer (all NDVI classes; Jul 2001). During February 2002, &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt; explained 38–92% of the variation during day and 89% of the variation at night. The linear models provided a means of qualitatively assessing thermal space on the landscape as &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt; changed and of predicting &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bb&lt;/sub&gt; in NDVI classes. At &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt; = 42 °C, 100% of the 796-ha landscape under study had predicted &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bb&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; 39 °C, the approximate threshold leading to hyperthermia in bobwhites. Based on 9,287 radiolocations of 217 bobwhites, bobwhites selected for all NDVI classes in mixed-shrub cover (sand plum, [&lt;i&gt;Prunus angustifolia&lt;/i&gt;]; fragrant sumac, [&lt;i&gt;Rhus aromatica&lt;/i&gt;]) on an annual and seasonal basis. If &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt; was &lt;35 °C, the approximate upper critical temperature, the operative temperature (&lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;e&lt;/sub&gt;) experienced by bobwhites exceeded &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt; in 699 of 818 simultaneous readings (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 24 bobwhites with thermal transmitters) and the difference between &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;e&lt;/sub&gt; and &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt; increased as air temperature declined. Data from video cameras indicated thermal stress (i.e., gular flutter) in 25 of 26 incubating bobwhites. Gular flutter began at an average &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt; of 30.4 ± 0.2 ±C SE (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 158) and total bouts of gular flutter averaged 87 minutes/bird/day after 16 June. Data from thermal radiotransmitters indicated 91.3 ± 6.1% of incubating adults were in thermal stress at &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;a&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; 35 °C. Temperature of nest contents averaged about 30 °C and incubating bobwhites appeared to protect nest contents more rigorously from hyperthermia than from hypothermia. Mid-day covert selection (NDVI 6, mixed-shrub cover; &lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 58) during summer reduced bobwhite exposure to &lt;i&gt;T&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bb&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; 39 °C by an average of 1,600.7 heating-degree minutes in comparison with random points (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 58) during 1200–1600 hours. The roosting disc ap","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"159 1","pages":"1-36"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2010-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2193/0084-0173(2004)159[1:AOTTEO]2.0.CO;2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"6207310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pathogens, Nutritional Deficiency, and Climate Influences on a Declining Moose Population","authors":"DENNIS L. MURRAY,&nbsp;ERIC W. COX,&nbsp;WARREN B. BALLARD,&nbsp;HEATHER A. WHITLAW,&nbsp;MARK S. LENARZ,&nbsp;THOMAS W. CUSTER,&nbsp;TERRI BARNETT,&nbsp;TODD K. FULLER","doi":"10.2193/0084-0173(2006)166[1:PNDACI]2.0.CO;2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2193/0084-0173(2006)166[1:PNDACI]2.0.CO;2","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Several potential proximate causes may be implicated in a recent (post-1984) decline in moose (Alces alces andersoni) numbers at their southern range periphery in northwest Minnesota, USA. These causes include deleterious effects of infectious pathogens, some of which are associated with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), negative effects of climate change, increased food competition with deer or moose, legal or illegal hunting, and increased predation by gray wolves (Canis lupus) and black bears (Ursus americanus). Long-standing factors that may have contributed to the moose decline include those typically associated with marginal habitat such as nutritional deficiencies. We examined survival and productivity among radiocollared (n = 152) adult female and juvenile moose in northwest Minnesota during 1995–2000, and assessed cause of death and pathology through carcass necropsy of radiocollared and non-radiocollared animals. Aerial moose surveys suggested that hunting was an unlikely source of the numerical decline because the level of harvest was relatively low (i.e., approx. 15% / 2 yr) and the population usually grew in years following a hunt. The majority of moose mortalities (up to 87% of radiocollared moose [n = 76] and up to 65% of non-radiocollared moose [n = 84]) were proximally related to pathology associated with parasites and infectious disease. Liver fluke (Fascioloides magna) infections apparently constituted the greatest single source of mortality and caused significant pathology in the liver, thoracic and peritoneal cavities, pericardial sac, and lungs. Mortality due to meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) was less prevalent and was manifested through characteristic neurological disease. Several mortalities apparently were associated with unidentified infectious disease, probably acting in close association with malnutrition. Bone-marrow fat was lower for moose dying of natural causes than those dying of anthropogenic factors or accidents, implying that acute malnutrition contributed to moose mortality. Blood profiles from live-captured animals indicated that those dying in the subsequent 18 months were chronically malnourished. Relative to other populations, average annual survival rates for adult females (0.79 [0.74–0.84; 95% CI]) and yearlings (0.64 [0.48–0.86]) were low, whereas those for calves (0.66 [0.53–081]) were high. Pregnancy (48%) and twinning (19%) rates were among the lowest reported for moose, with reproductive senescence among females being apparent as early as 8 years. Pregnancy status was related to indices of acute (i.e., bone-marrow fat) and chronic (i.e., blood condition indices) malnutrition. Opportunistic carcass recovery indicated that there likely were few prime-aged males (&gt;5 yr old) in the population. Analysis of protein content in moose browse and fecal samples indicated that food quality was probably adequate to support moose over winter, but the higher fecal protein among anim","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"166 1","pages":"1-30"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2010-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2193/0084-0173(2006)166[1:PNDACI]2.0.CO;2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"6207312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"SURVIVAL, MOVEMENTS, AND HARVEST OF EASTERN PRAIRIE POPULATION CANADA GEESE","authors":"SUSAN E. SHEAFFER,&nbsp;DONALD H. RUSCH,&nbsp;DALE D. HUMBURG,&nbsp;JEFFERY S. LAWRENCE,&nbsp;GUY G. ZENNER,&nbsp;MURRAY M. GILLESPIE,&nbsp;F. DALE CASWELL,&nbsp;STEVE WILDS,&nbsp;SCOTT C. YAICH","doi":"10.2193/0084-0173(2004)156[1:SMAHOE]2.0.CO;2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2193/0084-0173(2004)156[1:SMAHOE]2.0.CO;2","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Abstract: &lt;/b&gt; The Eastern Prairie Population (EPP) of Canada geese (&lt;i&gt;Branta canadensis interior&lt;/i&gt;) nests in the Hudson Bay lowlands of Manitoba and migrates through south-central Manitoba, western Minnesota, and Iowa, with a wintering terminus primarily in Missouri, Arkansas, and southern Illinois. The southern range of the EPP historically extended through Arkansas and along coastal southwestern Louisiana and Texas. However, during the 1950s and 1960s a progressive northern shift in wintering distribution occurred as numbers of geese wintering in Louisiana and Arkansas declined while numbers wintering in Missouri increased. Continued temporal and geographic shifts in fall and winter distributions were suspected during the 1980s when numbers of wintering Canada geese increased in Minnesota and declined in Missouri. However, concurrent increases in numbers of Mississippi Valley Population (MVP; &lt;i&gt;B. c. interior&lt;/i&gt;) and Mississippi Flyway Giant Population (MFGP; &lt;i&gt;B. c. maxima&lt;/i&gt;) Canada geese in portions of the winter range shared with EPP geese confounded interpretations of winter population and harvest surveys. During 1984-93, researchers conducted a cooperative banding and observation effort to improve information on survival rates, harvest rates, and winter distributions of EPP Canada geese. Consistent harvest regulations within 3-year periods during 1984-93, combined with extensive observations of marked geese, allowed for an integrative analysis of survival and movements of this population relative to changes in harvest pressure. We used observations, recaptures, and hunter recoveries of marked geese to provide information on survival, harvest, and movements of the EPP that is needed for long-term management of this population.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Annual survival rates of neck-banded adult geese averaged (x ± SE) 0.707 ± 0.019 during 1984-86, 0.651 ± 0.022 during 1987-89 when harvest seasons were restricted, and 0.595 ± 0.028 during 1990-93 when harvest seasons were liberalized. Annual survival rates for neck-banded adults were lower versus leg-banded adults during 1987-89 and 1990-93 (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; ≤ 0.05). Mean survival of neck-banded adults during the harvest seasons in 1987-89 was lower than the mean rate in the harvest seasons of 1984-86, primarily due to a low survival estimate in 1989. Survival averaged 0.918 ± 0.0129 during the 1987 and 1988 harvest seasons but declined to 0.665 ± 0.051 during 1989. Restrictions in harvest correlated with a decrease in direct recovery rates and an increase in survival rates of neck-banded adults during the 1987 and 1988 harvest seasons, but not in 1989. Higher recovery rates in 1989-92 suggested that increased harvest mortality contributed to lower survival of adult geese. However, mortality rates during the 1989-92 harvest seasons increased at a greater proportion than increases in direct recovery rates, suggesting that factors other than harvest could have significantly impacted fall mortality rates of","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"156 1","pages":"1-54"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2010-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2193/0084-0173(2004)156[1:SMAHOE]2.0.CO;2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"6235258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Behavior, energetics and management of refuging waterfowl: a simulation model","authors":"R. Frederick","doi":"10.31274/RTD-180813-5034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31274/RTD-180813-5034","url":null,"abstract":"A stochastic simulation model, designed to test the effects of alternative management schemes on refuging waterfowl populations, was constructed from data on fall-migrating lesser snow geese (Chen c. caerulescens) at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa. Components of the model include goose population level, food density and distribution, food-searching flight characteristics, feeding rates, activity and energy budgets, migration rates, and the effects of weather, hunting pressure, and land management practices on the system. Independent data were collected to test the model's validity. The model validly describes movement from the refuge core to distant feeding areas, and it provides insight into factors affecting emigration. Refuge population level was not sensitive to shifts (?20%) in the input values of 25 selected parameters, but hunting mortality and daily foraging distances were sensitive to several combinations of parameter perturbations. Model outcome was most sensitive to changes in digestive efficiency, mean food density, and the proportion of refuge fields in which food was available. In other model experiments, increased hunting pressure caused significant (P < 0.05) increases in hunting mortality and a reduction in the refuge population. The direct effect of hunting was less important in reducing waterfowl population size than the associated disturbance of feeding geese by hunters, which reduced energy gains and subsequently hastened emigration. Geese in the vicinity of the DeSoto Refuge feed almost exclusively on waste corn. Simulated hunting mortality increased significantly (P < 0.0001) when waste-corn density was moderately reduced because increased goose movement resulted in more shooting opportunities for hunters, but, at extremely low levels of food density, refuge use by waterfowl declined and hunting mortality was reduced. When superabundant food was provided on the refuge, hunting mortality was reduced and waterfowl use of the refuge increased. An artificial reduction in size of the feeding arena, from a radius of 121 km to 8 km, did not affect waterfowl population levels because food supplies were adequate within 8 km of the refuge core. The model can be used to simulate the effects of other management scenarios and is a valuable tool for identifying and meeting management objectives. WILDL. MONOGR. 96, 1-35 Journal Paper J-11908 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa, Project 2427. 2 Present Address: Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY 40475. 3 Supported jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Iowa Conservation Commission, Iowa State University, and Wildlife Management Institute. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.35 on Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:14:15 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"148 1","pages":"4-25"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"1983-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69350799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}