Kevin P Kenow (Former Employee)

We measured the daily energy expenditure of free-living Common Loon (Gavia immer) chicks using doubly labeled water (DLW). Average body mass of chicks during the DLW measures were 425, 1,052, and 1,963 g for 10 day-old (n = 5), 21 day-old (n = 6), and 35 day-old (n = 6) chicks, respectively, and their mean daily energy expenditures (DEE) were 686 kJ day−1, 768 kJ day−1, and 1,935 kJ day...

We compared the toxicokinetics of methylmercury in captive common loon chicks during two time intervals to assess the impact of feather growth on the kinetics of mercury. We also determined the oral bioavailability of methylmercury during these trials to test for age-related changes. The blood concentration-time curves for individuals dosed during feather development (initiated 35 days...

Radiotelemetry has been used commonly to remotely determine habitat use by a variety of wildlife species. However, habitat misclassification can occur because the true location of a radiomarked animal can only be estimated. Analytical methods that provide improved estimates of habitat use from radiotelemetry location data using a subsampling approach have been proposed previously. We...

The lack of a truly satisfactory sensor which can characterize the thermal environment at the spatial scale experienced by small endotherms has hindered study of their thermoregulatory behavior. We describe a general design for a rugged, easily constructed sensor to measure standard operative temperature, Tes. We present specific designs for adult dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) and...

Studies using mounts have an inherently nested error structure; calibration and standardization should use the appropriate procedures and statistics. One example is that individual mount differences are nested within morphological factors related to species, age, or gender; without replication, mount differences may be confused with differences due to morphology. Also, the sensitivity of...

Most duckling mortality occurs during the week following hatching and is often associated with cold, windy, wet weather and scattering of the brood. We estimated the thermoregulatory demands imposed by cold, windy weather on isolated 1‐d‐old mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings resting in cover. We measured O2 consumption and evaporative water loss at air temperatures from 5° to 25°C...

No abstract available.

Number, total biomass, and individual mass of winter buds of Vallisneria americana was significantly related to the depth of the 1% of surface irradiance (Z) and the photosynthetic photon irradiance calculated for each shading treatment imposed during this study. Between the range of 23.8 and 111.2 cm depth for the 1% Z, total biomass of winterbuds produced ranged from 0.63 to 0.01 g...

Many telemetry transmitter attachments disrupt downy insulation, and may bias survival studies during cold weather by making ducklings more susceptible to chilling. We compared thermal responses of untreated 1-day-old mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) to ducklings carrying external sutured backpack or subcutaneously implanted transmitters. Ducklings carrying external transmitters showed...

We developed and evaluated a surgical procedure for implanting radio transmitters in 1-d-old Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) ducklings. Transmitters (1.5 g) were implanted subcutaneously on the back of ducklings while under a general anesthetic, isoflurane, within a few hours of hatching. Evaluations indicate that the procedure is a reliable method for radio-marking ducklings.

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...

Duckling survival, an important factor affecting annual recruitment, has not been determined adequately for canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria). We investigated the magnitude, timing, and causes of mortality of canvasback ducklings from hatch to fledging at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in northwestern Minnesota during 1987-90. During the 4 years, 217 day-old ducklings were...