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Food web contaminant dynamics of a large Atlantic Slope river: Implications for common and imperiled species
Persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants often reach concentrations that threaten aquatic life by causing alterations in organism behavior and development, disruption of biological processes, reproductive abnormalities, and mortality. The objectives of this research were to determine the aquatic food web structure and trophic transfer and...
Kwak, Thomas J.; Penland, Tiffany N.; Grieshaber, Casey A.; Cope, W. Gregory; Heise, Ryan J.; Sessions, Forrest W. Quantifying population-level effects of water temperature, flow velocity and chemical-induced reproduction depression: A simulation study with smallmouth bass
Evaluating stochastic abiotic factors and their combined effects on fish and wildlife populations have been challenging in environmental sciences. Contributing to this challenge is the paucity of data describing how observations made on individuals related to exposure to chemical compounds ultimately effect population vital rates, and how this...
Wagner, Tyler; Blazer, Vicki S.; Yan Li Landscape composition mediates movement and habitat selection in bobcats (Lynx rufus): Implications for conservation planning
The analysis of individual movement choices can be used to better understand population-level resource selection and inform management.
Abouelezz, Hanem; Donovan, Therese M.; Mickey, Ruth M.; Murdock, James N.; Freeman, Mark; Royar, Kim Implicit decision framing as an unrecognized source of confusion in endangered species classification
Legal classification of species requires scientific and values‐based components, and how those components interact depends on how people frame the decision. Is classification a negotiation of trade‐offs, a decision on how to allocate conservation efforts, or simply a comparison of the biological status of a species to a legal standard? The answers...
Cummings, Jonathan; Converse, Sarah J.; Smith, David R.; Morey, Steve; Runge, Michael C. Survival and cause-specific mortality of translocated female mule deer in southern New Mexico, USA
Context: Many mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations in New Mexico have failed to recover from previous population declines, while some populations near urban areas have increased, resulting in more frequent human–wildlife conflicts. Translocations were used in an effort to simultaneously reduce an urban mule deer population and augment...
Cain, James W.; Ashling, Jana B.; Liley, Stewart Wildlife management is science based: Myth or reality?
In the January/February issue of The Wildlife Professional, a group of wildlife leaders discussed what they considered "myths" in wildlife management and invited other wildlife professionals to contribute their favorites. Here, five wildlife professionals take up that theme with their discussions of the scientific basis of wildlife management.
Decker, Daniel J.; Organ, John F.; Forstchen, Ann; Schiavone, Michael V.; Fuller, Angela K. Comparison of a prepositioned areal electrofishing device and fixed underwater videography for sampling riverine fishes
Prepositioned areal electrofishing devices (PAEDs) are used to evaluate microhabitat use by fishes because they minimize fright biases associated with traditional electrofishing techniques (e.g., boat electrofishing). Similarly, fixed underwater videography (FUV) is commonly used to minimize the effect of observers on fish behavior. The specific...
Branigan, Philip R.; Quist, Michael C.; Shepard, Bradley B.; Ireland, Susan C. Message in a bottle: The story of drifting plastic in the eastern Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a closed basin with limited water exchange through the Strait of Gibraltar, and sites along its shores show the greatest densities of marine debris in the world. Plastic bottles, which are a growing concern due to high consumption of soft drinks and bottled water, constitute most of the floating marine debris. In this...
Pasternak, Galia; Zviely, Dov; Ariel, Asaf; Spanier, Ehud; Ribic, Christine Animal movement models for migratory individuals and groups
Animals often exhibit changes in their behaviour during migration. Telemetry data provide a way to observe geographic position of animals over time, but not necessarily changes in the dynamics of the movement process. Continuous‐time models allow for statistical predictions of the trajectory in the presence of measurement error and during periods...
Hooten, Mevin B.; Scharf, Henry R.; Hefley, Trevor J.; Pearse, Aaron T.; Weegman, Mitch D. Age and performance at fledging are a cause and consequence of juvenile mortality between life stages
Should they stay or should they leave? The age at which young transition between life stages, such as living in a nest versus leaving it, differs among species and the reasons why are unclear. We show that offspring of songbird species that leave the nest at a younger age have less developed wings that cause poorer flight performance and greater...
Martin, Thomas E.; Tobalske, Bret; Riordan, Margaret M.; Case, Samuel B.; Dial, Kenneth P. Nonbreeding duck use at Central Flyway National Wildlife Refuges
Within the U.S. portion of the Central Flyway, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages waterfowl on numerous individual units (i.e., Refuges) within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Presently, the extent of waterfowl use that Refuges receive and the contribution of Refuges to waterfowl populations (i.e., the proportion of the Central Flyway...
Andersson, Kent; Davis, Craig A.; Harris, Grant; Haukos, David A. Evaluating outcomes of management targeting the recovery of a migratory songbird of conservation concern
Assessing outcomes of habitat management is critical for informing and adapting conservation plans. From 2013 – 2019, a multi-stage management initiative aims to create >25,000 ha of shrubland and early-successional vegetation to benefit Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) in managed forested landscapes of the western Great Lakes...
Streby, Henry M.; Kramer, Gunnar R.; Peterson, Sean M.; Andersen, DavidSocial Media
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