Publications

Eighty-one barn owls (Tyto alba) and five Hawaiian owls or pueo (Asio flammeus sandwichensis) from Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii (USA) were evaluated for cause of death, November 1992 through August 1994. The most common cause of death in barn owls was trauma (50%) followed by infectious disease (28%) and emaciation (22%). Most traumas apparently resulted from vehicular...

The growth of the southern sea otter population has been steady, but slow in comparison to Alaskan subspecies, and range expansion in California has faltered. Slower growth is occurring in California despite birth rates comparable to those in Alaska, so biologists have reasoned that mortality is hindering the growth of the California population (Riedman and Estes 1990; see Estes et al...

Between 1988 and 1994, 16 definitive and 26 presumptive cases of tick paralysis were diagnosed in 10 species of birds from five southeastern states in the USA. All birds had engorged adult female Ixodes brunneus ticks on the head region and were partially paralyzed or dead. Cases occurred in the winter and early spring months, and most birds were passerines found in private yards or near...

We developed an ELISA procedure to assess the presence of M. Anatis-specific serum antibody in ducks. Sera from exposed and unexposed Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were used to standardize tile ELISA and to establish reference ranges to classify ELISA results as exposed or not exposed. We conducted serological surveys of female waterfowl in the central and eastern United States...

Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were collected during an epizootic in southeastern North Carolina (USA). Activity of brain cholinesterase (ChE) was inhibited by 14 to 48% in three of five specimens, and returned to normal levels after incubation. Gastrointestinal tracts were analyzed for 30 anti-ChE agents. Carbofuran, the only compound detected, was present in all specimens...

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

A floristic summary and analysis was performed on a list of the plant species that have been studied for the effects of gaseous and chemical air pollutants on vegetation in order to compare the species with the flora of North America north of Mexico. The scientific names of 2081 vascular plant species were extracted from almost 4000 journal articles stored in two large literature...

A total of 28 species of helminths (17 trematodes, 3 cestodes, 7 nematodes, and 1 acanthocephalan) was recovered from 17 ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) from the United States. Intensities of infection were low and no lesions were attributed to the parasites. Seven species appear to be specialists in ospreys, 2 species generalists in raptors, and the remainder generalists in other orders of...

Biological diversity is studied at many geographical scales, but specimen collecting is invariably done at a local level. Collecting of animal and plant specimens leads to the compilation of checklists for multiple small areas, which are sometimes merged to produce larger, regional checklists. Such an approach was employed to study the regional vascular flora of 22 national parks of the...

We studied necropsy results from carcasses of 163 red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center from 1975 through 1992. The most frequent postmortem finding was emaciation of unknown etiology, diagnosed in 33 (20%) carcasses. Proportionally more juveniles than adults were emaciated. Evidence of non-gunshot trauma, often suggestive of collision with...

We reviewed diagnostic findings for 132 great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) carcasses that were submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center from 1975-93. The carcasses were collected in 24 states but most came from Colorado (N = 21), Missouri (N = 12), Oregon (N = 12), Wyoming (N = 11), Illinois (N = 10), and Wisconsin (N = 9). Forty-two birds were emaciated but presumptive causes...