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At least 1,243 records · Page 69Linked to original sources

USGS1999

Estimation of nitrate contamination of an agro-ecosystem outwash aquifer using a nitrogen mass-balance budget

A mass-balance budget of N cycling was developed for an intensive agricultural area in west-central Minnesota to better understand NO3/- contamination of ground water in the Otter Tail outwash aquifer. Fertilizer, biological fixation, atmospheric deposition, and animal feed were the N sources, and crop harvests, animal product exports, volatilization from fertilizer and manure, and denitrification were the N sinks in the model. Excess N, calculated as the difference between the sources and sinks, was assumed to leach to ground water as NO3/-. The budget was developed using ground water data collected throughout the 212-km2 study area. Denitrification was estimated by adjusting its value so the predicted and measured concentrations of NO3/- in ground water agreed. Although biological fixation was the largest single N source, most was removed when crops were harvested, indicating that inorganic fertilizer was the primary source of N reaching the water table. It was estimated that denitrification removed almost half of the excess NO3/- that leached below the root zone. Even after accounting for denitrification losses, however, it was concluded that the ground water system was receiving approximately three times as much N as would be expected under background conditions.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

USGS2008

Environmental occurrence and shallow ground water detection of the antibiotic monensin from dairy farms

Pharmaceuticals used in animal feeding operations have been detected in various environmental settings. There is a growing concern about the impact on terrestrial and aquatic organisms and the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms. Pharmaceutical use in milking cows is relatively limited compared with other livestock operations, except for the ionophore monensin, which is given to lactating cows as a feed. By weight, monensin can be the most significant antibiotic used in a dairy farm. This study investigates the potential of monensin to move from dairy operations into the surrounding ground water. Using two dairy farms in California as study sites, we twice collected samples along the environmental pathway-from flush lanes, lagoon waters, and shallow ground water beneath the dairies and beneath its associated manured fields. Monensin concentrations were determined using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with positive electrospray ionization. Monensin was detected in all of the flush lane and lagoon water samples. Theoretical maximum concentration estimated from the actual dosing rate and the theoretical excretion rate assuming no attenuation was one order of magnitude greater than observed concentrations, suggesting significant attenuation in the manure collection and storage system. Monensin was also detected, at levels ranging from 0.04 to 0.39 microg L(-1), in some of the ground water samples underneath the production area of the dairy but not from the adjacent manured fields. Concentrations in ground water immediately downgradient of the lagoons were one to two orders of magnitude lower than the concentrations detected in lagoons, suggesting attenuation in the subsurface. The data suggest the possibility of monensin transport into shallow (2-5 m) alluvial ground water from dairy management units, including manure storage lagoons and freestalls occupied by heifers, lactating cows, and dry cows.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

USGS2009

Comparing wastewater chemicals, indicator bacteria concentrations, and bacterial pathogen genes as fecal pollution indicators

The objective of this study was to compare fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli [EC], and enterococci [ENT]) concentrations with a wide array of typical organic wastewater chemicals and selected bacterial genes as indicators of fecal pollution in water samples collected at or near 18 surface water drinking water intakes. Genes tested included esp (indicating human-pathogenic ENT) and nine genes associated with various animal sources of shiga-toxin–producing EC (STEC). Fecal pollution was indicated by genes and/or chemicals for 14 of the 18 tested samples, with little relation to FIB standards. Of 13 samples with <50 EC 100 mL −1 , human pharmaceuticals or chemical indicators of wastewater treatment plant effluent occurred in six, veterinary antibiotics were detected in three, and stx 1 or stx 2 genes (indicating varying animal sources of STEC) were detected in eight. Only the EC eae A gene was positively correlated with FIB concentrations. Human-source fecal pollution was indicated by the esp gene and the human pharmaceutical carbamazepine in one of the nine samples that met all FIB recreational water quality standards. Escherichia coli rfb O157 and stx 2c genes, which are typically associated with cattle sources and are of potential human health significance, were detected in one sample in the absence of tested chemicals. Chemical and gene-based indicators of fecal contamination may be present even when FIB standards are met, and some may, unlike FIB, indicate potential sources. Application of multiple water quality indicators with variable environmental persistence and fate may yield greater confidence in fecal pollution assessment and may inform remediation decisions

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

USGS2015

Fecal indicator and pathogenic bacteria and their antibiotic resistance in alluvial groundwater of an irrigated agricultural region with dairies

Surveys of microbiological groundwater quality were conducted in a region with intensive animal agriculture in California, USA. The survey included monitoring and domestic wells in eight concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and 200 small (domestic and community supply district) supply wells across the region. Campylobacter was not detected in groundwater, whereas Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella were each detected in 2 of 190 CAFO monitoring well samples. Nonpathogenic generic E. coli and Enterococcus spp. were detected in 24.2% (46/190) and 97.4% (185/190) groundwater samples from CAFO monitoring wells and in 4.2% (1/24) and 87.5% (21/24) of CAFO domestic wells, respectively. Concentrations of both generic E. coli and Enterococcus spp. were significantly associated with well depth, season, and the type of adjacent land use in the CAFO. No pathogenic bacteria were detected in groundwater from 200 small supply wells in the extended survey. However, 4.5 to 10.3% groundwater samples were positive for generic E. coli and Enterococcus. Concentrations of generic E. coli were not significantly associated with any factors, but concentrations of Enterococcus were significantly associated with proximity to CAFOs, seasons, and concentrations of potassium in water. Among a subset of E. coli and Enterococcus isolates from both surveys, the majority of E. coli (63.6%) and Enterococcus (86.1%) isolates exhibited resistance to multiple (≥3) antibiotics. Findings confirm significant microbial and antibiotic resistance loading to CAFO groundwater. Results also demonstrate significant attenuative capacity of the unconfined alluvial aquifer system with respect to microbial transport.

California↗

USGS2015

Geochemistry and occurrence of selenium: An overview

Selenium (Se) is both beneficial and toxic to animals, plants, and humans. Consequently, it is imperative to know its concentration in the environment and to understand the processes controlling its distribution. Determinations of Se concentrations in a variety of materials indicate that Se is widely distributed throughout the environment. The processes responsible for its distribution include volcanic activity, the burning of fossil fuels, the weathering of rocks and soils, groundwater transport, precipitation of minerals, adsorption, chemical or bacterial reduction and oxidation, and metabolic uptake and release by plants and animals. The importance of a particular process in controlling the distribution of Se is intimately linked to the speciation of Se, which is controlled by the pH and redox conditions of the environment. Selenium can exist as selenide (Se 2− ), elemental Se (Se 0 ), selenite (SeO 2− 3 ), and selenate (SeO 2− 4 ). Each oxidation state exhibits different chemical behavior. Selenide and elemental Se occur in acidic, reducing, and organic-rich environments. Metal selenides, Se-sulfides, and elemental Se are insoluble, and therefore biologically unavailable. For the pH and redox conditions of most soil and aquatic environments, SeO 2− 3 and SeO 2− 4 ; should be the dominant forms of Se. Selenite is immobilized by adsorption onto particles, particularly Fe oxyhydroxides. Selenate is highly mobile and biologically available because of the solubility of its salts and its weak adsorption by particles. Microbial action can change the speciation of Se through oxidation or reduction, or through the formation of organic Se compounds.

Book chapter↗

USGS2014

Dietary breadth of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos ) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) are opportunistic omnivores that eat a great diversity of plant and animal species. Changes in climate may affect regional vegetation, hydrology, insects, and fire regimes, likely influencing the abundance, range, and elevational distribution of the plants and animals consumed by GYE grizzly bears. Determining the dietary breadth of grizzly bears is important to document future changes in food resources and how those changes may affect the nutritional ecology of grizzlies. However, no synthesis exists of all foods consumed by grizzly bears in the GYE. We conducted a review of available literature and compiled a list of species consumed by grizzly bears in the GYE. We documented >266 species within 200 genera from 4 kingdoms, including 175 plant, 37 invertebrate, 34 mammal, 7 fungi, 7 bird, 4 fish, 1 amphibian, and 1 algae species as well as 1 soil type consumed by grizzly bears. The average energy values of the ungulates (6.8 kcal/g), trout (Oncorhynchus spp., 6.1 kcal/g), and small mammals (4.5 kcal/g) eaten by grizzlies were higher than those of the plants (3.0 kcal/g) and invertebrates (2.7 kcal/g) they consumed. The most frequently detected diet items were graminoids, ants (Formicidae), whitebark pine seeds (Pinus albicaulis), clover (Trifolium spp.), and dandelion (Taraxacum spp.). The most consistently used foods on a temporal basis were graminoids, ants, whitebark pine seeds, clover, elk (Cervus elaphus), thistle (Cirsium spp.), and horsetail (Equisetum spp.). Historically, garbage was a significant diet item for grizzlies until refuse dumps were closed. Use of forbs increased after garbage was no longer readily available. The list of foods we compiled will help managers of grizzly bears and their habitat document future changes in grizzly bear food habits and how bears respond to changing food resources.

Idaho, Montana, Wyoming↗

USGS2005

Estimating site occupancy and abundance using indirect detection indices

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. We present an extension of the Royle and Nichols (2003) generalization of the MacKenzie et al. (2002) site-occupancy model that incorporates length of the sampling interval into the model for detection probability. As a result, we obtain a modeling framework that shows how useful information can be extracted from a class of index methods we call indirect detection indices (IDIs). Examples of IDIs include scent station, tracking tube, snow track, tracking plate, and hair snare surveys. Our model is maximum likelihood, and it can be used to estimate site occupancy and model factors influencing patterns of occupancy and abundance in space. Under certain circumstances, it can also be used to estimate abundance. We evaluated model properties using Monte Carlo simulations and illustrate the method with tracking tube and scent station data. We believe this model will be a useful tool for determining factors that influence animal distribution and abundance.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗

USGS2004

From the field: Efficacy of detecting Chronic Wasting Disease via sampling hunter-killed white-tailed deer

Surveillance programs for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in free-ranging cervids often use a standard of being able to detect 1% prevalence when determining minimum sample sizes. However, 1% prevalence may represent >10,000 infected animals in a population of 1 million, and most wildlife managers would prefer to detect the presence of CWD when far fewer infected animals exist. We wanted to detect the presence of CWD in white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) in Pennsylvania when the disease was present in only 1 of 21 wildlife management units (WMUs) statewide. We used computer simulation to estimate the probability of detecting CWD based on a sampling design to detect the presence of CWD at 0.1% and 1.0% prevalence (23-76 and 225-762 infected deer, respectively) using tissue samples collected from hunter-killed deer. The probability of detection at 0.1% prevalence was <30% with sample sizes of ???6,000 deer, and the probability of detection at 1.0% prevalence was 46-72% with statewide sample sizes of 2,000-6,000 deer. We believe that testing of hunter-killed deer is an essential part of any surveillance program for CWD, but our results demonstrated the importance of a multifaceted surveillance approach for CWD detection rather than sole reliance on testing hunter-killed deer.

Pennsylvania↗

USGS2010

Activity budgets derived from time-depth recorders in a diving mammal

We describe a method to convert continuously collected time–depth data from archival time–depth recorders (TDRs) into activity budgets for a benthic-foraging marine mammal. We used data from 14 TDRs to estimate activity-specific time budgets in sea otters ( Enhydra lutris ) residing near Cross Sound, southeast Alaska, USA. From the TDRs we constructed a continuous record of behavior for each individual over 39–46 days during summer of 1999. Behaviors were classified as foraging (diving to the bottom), other diving (traveling, grooming, interacting), and nondiving (assumed resting). The overall average activity budget (proportion of 24-hr/d) was 0.37 foraging (8.9 hr/d), 0.11 in other diving (2.6 hr/d), and 0.52 nondiving time (12.5 hr/d). We detected significant differences in activity budgets among individuals and between groups within our sample. Historically, the sea otter population in our study area had been expanding and sequentially reoccupying vacant habitat since their reintroduction to the area in the 1960s, and our study animals resided in 2 adjacent yet distinct locations. Males ( n = 5) and individuals residing in recently occupied habitat ( n = 4) spent 0.28–0.30 of their time foraging (6.7–7.2 hr/d), 0.17–0.18 of their time in other diving behaviors (4.1–4.3 hr/d), and 0.53–0.54 of their time resting (12.7–13.0 hr/d). In contrast, females ( n = 9) and individuals residing in longer occupied habitat ( n = 10) spent 0.40 of their time foraging (9.6 hr/d), 0.08–0.09 of their time in other diving behaviors (1.9–2.2 hr/d), and 0.51–0.52 of their time resting (12.2–12.5 hr/d). Consistent with these differences, sea otters residing in more recently occupied habitat captured more and larger clams ( Saxidomus spp., Protothaca spp., Macoma spp., Mya spp., Clinocardium spp.) and other prey, and intertidal clams were more abundant and larger in this area. We found that TDRs provided data useful for measuring activity time budgets and behavior patterns in a diving mammal over long and continuous time periods. Fortuitous contrasts in time budgets between areas where our study animals resided suggest that activity time budgets estimated from TDRs may be a sensitive indicator of population status, particularly in relation to prey availability.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗

USGS2010

Evaluation of harmonic direction-finding systems for detecting locomotor activity

We conducted a physical simulation experiment to test the efficacy of harmonic direction finding for remotely detecting locomotor activity in animals. The ability to remotely detect movement helps to avoid disturbing natural movement behavior. Remote detection implies that the observer can sense only a change in signal bearing. In our simulated movements, small changes in bearing (<5.7??) were routinely undetectable. Detectability improved progressively with the size of the simulated animal movement. The average (??SD) of reflector tag movements correctly detected for 5 observers was 93.9 ?? 12.8% when the tag was moved ???11.5??; most observers correctly detected tag movements ???20.1??. Given our data, one can assess whether the technique will be effective for detecting movements at an observation distance appropriate for the study organism. We recommend that both habitat and behavior of the organism be taken into consideration when contemplating use of this technique for detecting locomotion.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗

USGS2010

Visual implant elastomer mark retention through metamorphosis in amphibian larvae

Questions in population ecology require the study of marked animals, and marks are assumed to be permanent and not overlooked by observers. I evaluated retention through metamorphosis of visual implant elastomer marks in larval salamanders and frogs and assessed error in observer identification of these marks. I found 1) individual marks were not retained in larval wood frogs ( Rana sylvatica ), whereas only small marks were likely to be retained in larval salamanders ( Eurycea bislineata ), and 2) observers did not always correctly identify marked animals. Evaluating the assumptions of marking protocols is important in the design phase of a study so that correct inference can be made about the population processes of interest. This guidance should be generally useful to the design of mark–recapture studies, with particular application to studies of larval amphibians.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗

USGS2010

Revisions of rump fat and body scoring indices for deer, elk, and moose

Because they do not require sacrificing animals, body condition scores (BCS), thickness of rump fat (MAXFAT), and other similar predictors of body fat have advanced estimating nutritional condition of ungulates and their use has proliferated in North America in the last decade. However, initial testing of these predictors was too limited to assess their reliability among diverse habitats, ecotypes, subspecies, and populations across the continent. With data collected from mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ), elk ( Cervus elaphus ), and moose ( Alces alces ) during initial model development and data collected subsequently from free-ranging mule deer and elk herds across much of the western United States, we evaluated reliability across a broader range of conditions than were initially available. First, to more rigorously test reliability of the MAXFAT index, we evaluated its robustness across the 3 species, using an allometric scaling function to adjust for differences in animal size. We then evaluated MAXFAT, rump body condition score (rBCS), rLIVINDEX (an arithmetic combination of MAXFAT and rBCS), and our new allometrically scaled rump-fat thickness index using data from 815 free-ranging female Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk ( C. e. roosevelti and C. e. nelsoni ) from 19 populations encompassing 4 geographic regions and 250 free-ranging female mule deer from 7 populations and 2 regions. We tested for effects of subspecies, geographic region, and captive versus free-ranging existence. Rump-fat thickness, when scaled allometrically with body mass, was related to ingesta-free body fat over a 38–522-kg range of body mass ( r 2 = 0.87; P < 0.001), indicating the technique is remarkably robust among at least the 3 cervid species of our analysis. However, we found an underscoring bias with the rBCS for elk that had >12% body fat. This bias translated into a difference between subspecies, because Rocky Mountain elk tended to be fatter than Roosevelt elk in our sample. Effects of observer error with the rBCS also existed for mule deer with moderate to high levels of body fat, and deer body size significantly affected accuracy of the MAXFAT predictor. Our analyses confirm robustness of the rump-fat index for these 3 species but highlight the potential for bias due to differences in body size and to observer error with BCS scoring. We present alternative LIVINDEX equations where potential bias from rBCS and bias due to body size are eliminated or reduced. These modifications improve the accuracy of estimating body fat for projects intended to monitor nutritional status of herds or to evaluate nutrition's influence on population demographics.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗

USGS1985

The effects of catastrophic ecosystem disturbance: the residual mammals at Mount St. Helens

Individuals that survive the direct effects of community- or ecosystem-level disturbances, i.e., "residuals", can have major roles in determining the rate and pathway of subsequent secondary succession. The explosive eruption of the Mount St. Helens volcano on 19 May 1980 resulted in severe damage to a cast array of animal and plant populations (Edwards and Schwartz, 1981; MacMahon, 1982; Hayward et al., 1982). We apply the term "catastrophic" to this event because of its intensity and the large area (>600 km 2 ) over which successional processes were initiated. We present here the results of surveys for mammals, particularly small mammals (excluding bats), conducted in the Mount St. Helens region during the 40 months following the eruption. Our purpose was to elucidate any patterns in species representation that might exist along a gradient of disturbance "intensity", and thus document which species could potentially influence early plant successional patterns there. We infer whether individuals captured were more likely to have been residuals (or their descendants), or immigrants from areas less affected by the eruption, from consideration of the time span between the eruption and the capture date, the trapping location, and life history data. We also make inferences concerning the animal-environment relationships that led to our survey results, and thereby address the question of the likelihood of other types of disturbance, either natural or anthropogenic, producing similar results. Data concerning survival of Thomomys talpoides , the northern pocket gopher, have been presented elsewhere (Andersen, 1982). Initial results from our studies of the relationships among residual small mammals and plant population dynamics are detailed in MacMahon and Warner (1984), Allen et al. (1984) and Andersen and MacMahon (in press).

Washington↗

USGS1988

Tunnel-construction methods and foraging path of a fossorial herbivore, Geomys bursarius

The fossorial rodent Geomys bursarius excavates tunnels to find and gain access to belowground plant parts. This is a study of how the foraging path of this animal, as denoted by feeding-tunnel systems constructed within experimental gardens, reflects both adaptive behavior and constraints associated with the fossorial lifestyle. The principal method of tunnel construction involves the end-to-end linking of short, linear segments whose directionalities are bimodal, but symmetrically distributed about 0°. The sequence of construction of left- and right-directed segments is random, and segments tend to be equal in length. The resulting tunnel advances, zigzag-fashion, along a single heading. This linearity, and the tendency for branches to be orthogonal to the originating tunnel, are consistent with the search path predicted for a "harvesting animal" (Pyke, 1978) from optimal-foraging theory. A suite of physical and physiological constraints on the burrowing process, however, may be responsible for this geometric pattern. That is, by excavating in the most energy-efficient manner, G. bursarius automatically creates the basic components to an optimal-search path. The general search pattern was not influenced by habitat quality (plant density). Branch origins are located more often than expected at plants, demonstrating area-restricted search, a tactic commonly noted in aboveground foragers. The potential trade-offs between construction methods that minimize energy cost and those that minimize vulnerability to predators are discussed.

Journal of Mammalogy↗

USGS1994

Black bears in Arkansas: Characteristics of a successful translocation

In 1958, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began translocating black bears ( Ursus americanus ) from Minnesota to the Interior Highlands (Ozark and Ouachita mountains) of Arkansas where bears had been extirpated early in this century. This project continued for 11 years with little public imput, during which time an estimated 254 bears were released. We estimate there are now >2,500 bears in the Interior Highlands of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, making it one of the most successful translocations of a Carnivora. Factors that contributed to the success include use of wild-captured animals, elimination of major factors associated with extirpation, release into prime habitats within the former range, multiple release sites, release of 20–40 animals/year for eight years, and release of mostly males prior to release of mostly females. Studies on two allopatric populations demonstrate that they are now diverging in some demographic characteristics, including litter size, cub survivorship, and adult sex-ratio. Translocation of black bears to the Interior Highlands is successful in terms of numbers of animals, but it will not be truly successful until people accept black bears as part of the regional fauna. To that end, those associated with management and research of bears in Arkansas are now focussing on public education and control of nuisance bears.

Arkansas↗

USGS1998

Analysis of the influence of spatial pattern in habitat selection studies

Design and analysis of wildlife habitat selection studies typically do not assess the effect of spatial pattern on the habitat selection process. Effects of landscape scale pattern on habitat selection cannot be accomplished without replicate study areas, because pattern is a single, albeit multifaceted, attribute of an area. For a single area, however, the influence of pattern-related characteristics, such as shape and edge shared with adjacent patches, can be estimated by using GLIM (McCullough and Neider 1983) procedures to model patch-specific frequency counts of animal use as a function of these parameters. This approach is evaluated and illustrated with simulated breeding-bird counts in a South Carolina study area for which a GIS land cover classification is available. A related technique for evaluating whether movement from patch to patch is selective is developed and illustrated for designs that involve collection of trajectory data from monitored individuals. These designs and analyses are feasible given current GIS and GPS technology. Statistical inferences from habitat selection studies should be interpreted within the context of a range of scales at which animals differentiate between patch attributes.

Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environme↗

USGS1997

A monoclonal antibody to inclusion body disease of cranes virus enabling specific immunohistochemistry and competitive ELISA

Inclusion body disease of cranes (IBDC) herpesvirus kills some infected cranes and persists in convalescent animals. To enable further study and rapid identification of carrier animals, we developed a monoclonal antibody (MAb) to IBDC virus and used it in immunohistochemistry and a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We used conventional techniques to make murine MAbs directed against IBDC virus purified from infected duck embryo cells. Hybridomas reacting in an ELISA with IBDC virus but not uninfected duck embryo cells were characterized by radioimmunoprecipitation, in situ immunohistochemistry, and competitive ELISA with neutralizing and nonneutralizing crane sera. MAb 2C11 immunoprecipitated 59-, 61-, and 110-kD proteins from IBDC virus-infected but not uninfected cells and stained glutaraldehyde-fixed IBDC virus plaques but not surrounding uninfected duck embryo cells in vitro. Antibody 2C11 did not react with duck embryo cells infected with falcon herpesvirus, psittacine herpesvirus, infectious laryngotracheitis, pigeon herpesvirus, or duck plague virus. A competitive ELISA using antibody 2C11 identified most sera that were positive in the neutralization test. This antibody will be useful in further characterizing IBDC virus, its pathogenesis, and its natural history.

Avian Diseases↗

USGS1980

The comparison of usage and availability measurements for evaluating resource preference

Modern ecological research often involves the comparison of the usage of habitat types or food items to the availability of those resources to the animal. Widely used methods of determining preference from measurements of usage and availability depend critically on the array of components that the researcher, often with a degree of arbitrariness, deems available to the animal. This paper proposes a new method, based on ranks of components by usage and by availability. A virtue of the rank procedure is that it provides comparable results whether a questionable component is included or excluded from consideration. Statistical tests of significance are given for the method. The paper also offers a hierarchical ordering of selection processes. This hierarchy resolves certain inconsistencies among studies of selection and is compatible with the analytic technique offered in this paper.

Ecology↗