Publications

We documented 12 sites in the Yellowstone ecosystem where grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) had purposefully consumed soil (an activity known as geophagy). We also documented soil in numerous grizzly bear feces. Geophagy primarily occurred at sites barren of vegetation where surficial geology had been modified by geothermal activity. There was no evidence of ungulate use at most...

We studied pairing success in male rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) in northern Alaska to learn whether males obtaining more females possessed phenotypic traits that influenced female choice directly, whether these traits permitted males to obtain territories favored by females, or whether both processes occurred. The number of females per male varied from zero to three. Several male and...

No abstract available.

The parthenogenetic whiptail lizard Cnemidophorus neomexicanus is known primarily from the vicinity of the Rio Grande Valley from Espanola, Rio Arriba Co., New Mexico south to near Candelaria, Presidio Co., Texas, and extending westward in southwestern New Mexico to west of Lordsburg, Hidalgo Co. (Fig. 1; Axtell 1966; Cole et al. 1988; Cordes et al. 1989; Degenhardt et al. 1996; Pough...

We inventoried amphibians and reptiles on 5 U.S. Naval holdings located on the Kitsap and Toandos Peninsulas, western Washington. Eight amphibians, including an introduced anuran, and 4 reptiles were detected, resulting in 87 new locality records. Six species were found on the Toandos Peninsula where no previous records exist. Of the species that historically or currently occur on the...

No abstract available.

The 13 chapters in this book were selected from the 75 research papers presented at the Fourth Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Plateau. The theme of this meeting centered around research, inventory, and monitoring on lands over the Colorado Plateau, with a focus on the newly created BLM Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The conference, held on 15-18 September...

No abstract available.

We studied a nesting population of Prairie Falcons (Falco mexicanus) in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) from 1974-1997 to identify factors that influence abundance and reproduction. Our sampling period included two major droughts and associated crashes in Townsend's ground squirrel (Spermophilus townsendii) populations. The number of Prairie Falcon pairs...

Rockland pine forests of south Florida dominated by Pinus elliottii var. densa characteristically have poor soil development in relation to neighboring hardwood hammocks. This has led to the hypothesis that Everglades hammock trees are more reliant on soil moisture derived from local precipitation whereas pineland plants must depend more on groundwater linked to broader regional...

The Klamath-Siskiyou region of southwest Oregon and northwest California (USA) has some of the most complex landscape mosaics and plant communities in western North America, reflecting its marked diversity of precipitation and topography. With 38 native species of amphibians and reptiles, the Klamath-Siskiyou region has the most species-rich herpetofauna of any similarly sized mountain...

We investigated chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants in aquatic mustelid species on the Fraser and Columbia Rivers of northwestern North America. Carcasses of river otter (Lutra canadensis) (N=24) and mink (Mustela vison) (N=34) were obtained from commercial trappers during the winters of 1990–91 and 1991–92. Pooled liver samples were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides...