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At least 1,171 records · Page 65Linked to original sources
USGS2019

Age and growth of cottonwood trees along the Missouri River, North Dakota

The relict plains cottonwood ( Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera ) forest along the Missouri River between Lakes Sakakawea and Oahe includes trees as large as two meters in diameter. We cored 24 of these trees to determine their age and suitability for flow reconstruction. Because most of the trees were rotten in the center, we developed a method to estimate the date of the center ring that accounts for the increase in ring width toward the center. Estimated center ring dates were as early as 1806. Cottonwood growth at a dry site was correlated with April–August flow prior to construction of Lake Sakakawea (1929–1953; r = 0.50, P = 0.011) and to Palmer Drought Severity Index following construction (1954–2014; r = 0.38, P = 0.003). We conclude that cottonwood rings can be used to improve reconstructions of Missouri River flows before the beginning of stream-gage records.

North Dakota↗
USGS2007

First Record of Corisella inscripta (Uhler) (Heteroptera: Corixidae) from North Dakota

Corisella inscripta is a water boatman species that was reported in H. B. Hungerford's (1948) seminal monograph as occurring throughout Mexico and nine western states of the United States. Subsequently, additional records of C. inscripta have been reported for British Columbia in Canada (Maw et al. 2000) and for Montana (Roemhild 1976), Arkansas (Cochran and Harp 1990), Missouri (Polhemus et al. 1988), Ohio (Chordas and Armitage 1998), and Michigan (Chordas et al. 2002) in the United States. There have been no published records of C. inscripta from North Dakota (Fig. I). We collected one male C. inscripta at the Cottonwood Lake Study Area in western Stutsman County, North Dakota in September 2005 and a second individual there in September 2006.

North Dakota↗
USGS2021

Observations of acrobat ants (Crematogaster sp.) preying on the eggs of the invasive giant applesnail (Pomacea maculata)

Herein we provide direct evidence for the consumption of Pomacea maculata (Giant Applesnail) eggs by ants in the genus Crematogaster . The observations were made during removal of snail egg masses at the Hudson Woods Unit of the Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge, TX. We observed acrobat ants ( Crematogaster sp.) removing snail eggs from an egg mass and carrying eggs back to their nest. While predation on Pomacea applesnail eggs has been reported elsewhere, to our knowledge this is the first time that it has been observed in North America.

Texas↗
USGS2020

Comparing native bee communities on reconstructed and remnant prairie in Missouri

The tallgrass prairie of North America is an imperiled ecosystem that has been the subject of considerable restoration effort and research in the past two decades. While native prairie plant species are purposely introduced during restoration, prairie invertebrates, including native bees (Anthophila), are not, and must colonize from surrounding remnants. Prairie restorations may not support the same bee communities as remnant prairies because of habitat differences and dispersal limitations. We sampled native bees on reconstructed and remnant prairies in Missouri in the summers of 2016 and 2017 and compared the communities by evaluating species richness, diversity, and community composition. We detected no differences in bee species richness or diversity between reconstructions and remnants; remnants and reconstructions shared all but three of the 57 taxa observed. Community composition of bees on reconstructions was different from that of remnants because of differences in the relative abundance of taxa. Several species were associated with either reconstructed or remnant prairies. At a functional level, stem nesters were more common on reconstructed than remnant prairie. We also examined whether bee communities on reconstructions converged with those observed on remnants over time by comparing bee communities across restorations of different ages and found that reconstruction communities did not appear to be converging with remnants. Reconstructing prairie bee communities may depend on restoring soil conditions and disturbance regimes that influence bee nesting habitat.

Missouri↗
USGS2021

Acoustic interaction between a pair of owls and a wolf

During summer 2019, we recorded an apparent vocal interaction, lasting just under 4 min, between a pair of Great Horned Owls ( Bubo virginianus ) and a gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) in Yellowstone National Park. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such an acoustic interaction in the scientific literature. The increased use of passive acoustic recorders, which record spontaneous vocalizations emitted by animals over long periods, will allow us to better document and study the importance of such interspecific interactions.

Wyoming↗
USGS2020

Using biodiversity metrics to guide conservation planning in altered tropical landscapes

Biodiversity metrics are frequently used to guide conservation planning because they can summarize biogeographical attributes of plant and animal communities quickly and at multiple scales. Attributes include habitat features of high conservation value, representativeness, and redundancy of biological communities. We conducted a rapid ecological assessment of resident avian species in the west-central mountainous region of Puerto Rico in 2015, a landscape dominated by coffee cultivation. We focused on this landscape because shade-grown and restored shade-grown coffee plantations offer an opportunity to complement protected habitat (e.g., reserves) to enhance species persistence. We used species richness, which tallies the number of unique species, and a quadratic entropy index of diversity, which incorporates interspecific taxonomic differentiation to evaluate species representativeness and redundancy across sun- and shade-grown coffee plantations and secondary forest. We surveyed 120 sites, calculating both metrics using species-specific occupancy probabilities estimated from community-level occupancy models. Species representativeness and redundancy were high as neither metric was able to discriminate among habitat types, possibly because plant communities were redundant, and the avian community was dominated by species adept at exploiting altered habitats. Similarly, we could not discriminate among avian communities modeling each biodiversity metric as a function of site-specific habitat covariates. Our findings and available knowledge on avian community demographics suggest that conservation strategies could couple protected habitat (e.g., reserves) and restored habitat (e.g., coffee plantations) to enhance species diversity and persistence across human-modified landscapes.

Caribbean Naturalist↗
USGS2020

Avian community responses to management of vegetation and water levels in restored wetlands at the Humacao Nature Reserve, Puerto Rico

Coastal wetlands of the Caribbean have been greatly reduced in area and quality, and information on wildlife responses to management is lacking. We applied wetland management practices (disking, control of water levels) in a site historically disturbed by Saccharum spp. (sugarcane) cultivation at the Humacao Nature Reserve, southeastern Puerto Rico, and evaluated avian community response. We conducted weekly bird surveys and nest searches on disked and non-disked plots within recently constructed impoundments. The avian community shifted from 16 upland dominated species pre-restoration, to 67 wetland-dependent species at the end of our study (2001–2002). Ordination analysis indicated avian guild use of plots varied with environmental variables. Bird species diversity was not influenced by treatment, month, or salinity levels but was influenced by water depth and vegetation cover. Bird abundance was influenced by water depth, but not by treatment, month, salinity or vegetation cover. Furthermore, water depths of 0.10–0.20 m and salinity of ≤15 ppt promoted habitat conditions suitable for a diverse wetland avian community. We located 268 nests of 8 wetland bird species and observed adults with young of various other waterbirds, including species of conservation concern such as Dendrocygna arborea (West Indian Whistling Duck) and Porzana flaviventer (Yellow-breasted Crake). Bird community responses suggest that management practices (i.e., soil disturbance and control of water levels) can improve wetland biodiversity in abandoned sugarcane fields of Puerto Rico. Moreover, these practices may benefit wetland biodiversity in other Caribbean islands with a similar history of land use and habitat degradation.

Humacao Nature Reserve↗
USGS2021

Coastal observations of alligator snapping turtles in the Florida Panhandle

The genus Macrochelys (alligator snapping turtles) inhabits river systems that empty into the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas and contains the largest freshwater turtles in North America (Pritchard 2006). This paper details observations of Macrochelys on the coast and barrier islands in Franklin and Gulf counties, Florida, that contribute to our knowledge of their movements in brackish or saltwater ecosystems and occurrence on islands. Thomas et al. (2014) described turtles from this geographical area as a new species, Apalachicola alligator snapping turtle ( M. apalachicolae ), but Folt and Guyer (2015) disputed this designation, and many authorities still consider them to be alligator snapping turtles ( M. temminckii ; e.g., Crother 2017, Turtle Taxonomy Working Group 2017).

Florida Field Naturalist↗
USGS2003

Historical and recent records and first nest records of Henslow's sparrow in North Dakota

The northwestern limit of the Henslow's sparrow ( Ammodramus henslowii ) breeding distribution occurs in southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin. In North Dakota, observations of Henslow's sparrows are reported infrequently, and there are no published nest records in the state. Herein, we summarize and review previous reports of Henslow's sparrows in North Dakota and document the first two nest records of Henslow's sparrow in the state.

North Dakota↗
USGS2003

Guidelines for finding nests of passerine birds in tallgrass prairie

The productivity of birds is one of the most critical components of their natural history affected by habitat quality. Birds might occur at high densities in a given habitat patch but have low nesting success. Such "population sinks" would not be detected if observers relied solely on estimates of bird density. Therefore, it is essential to monitor nests and determine their outcomes. Although interest in grassland-nesting passerines has increased greatly during the last decade, we still know little about factors affecting their nesting success. To stimulate more research in this area, we summarize several methods for nest-searching and provide suggestions for optimizing its success in tall grass prairie. As a case study, we provide some data from a study on grassland-nesting birds in the northern tallgrass prairie.

Prairie Naturalist↗
USGS2022

Are canned sardines or dry cat food more effective as bait for capturing Northwestern Pond Turtles (Actinemys marmorata) and Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans)?

During an occupancy study of Northwestern Pond Turtles ( Actinemys marmorata ) and Red-eared Sliders ( Trachemys scripta elegans ) in California’s Sacramento Valley in 2018, we tested the relative effectiveness of 2 bait types: sardines packed in soybean oil and Meow Mix ® Original Choice dry cat food. We sampled 116 sites with 2 traps each: one baited with sardines and one baited with dry cat food. Sardines were 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.2–2.6) times more effective than dry cat food at capturing turtles in our study, and 63% of all captured turtles were caught in traps baited with sardines. Despite the slightly lower capture rate in traps baited with dry cat food, the significantly lower cost of cat food (about one-tenth the cost of sardines) makes it an appealing alternative bait if cost-effectiveness is a primary concern.

California↗