Over the last several decades, the use of solitary bees as an alternative to honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) for pollination of commercial crops has increased, in part as a response to ongoing problems faced by commercial honey bee populations. Two solitary bee species have exhibited great commercial potential: the blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria Say, and the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). However, growth of O. lignaria and M. rotundata populations is limited in commercial systems, mainly due to low establishment of females at provided nesting sites, possibly due to mortality, dispersal, or other causes. Rough handling of pre-emergent bees may possibly contribute to post-emergence dispersal in O. lignaria. The current work addressed this hypothesis by using shaking as a proxy for rough handling. However, shaken bees did not establish fewer nests than unshaken bees. Therefore, commercial fruit growers using O. lignaria as pollinators should be able to remove cocoons from their nests as part of their management plan, without fear of increasing bee dispersal. When searching for a nest site, M. rotundata females are known to be attracted to previously used nest materials. The current work verified the attraction of M. rotundata females to old conspecific nests. It also sought to determine which nest components were most attractive to females. It was found that all components were equally attractive. It may be useful to establish these species' learning abilities in a laboratory setting. The current work attempted to design a conditioning protocol for solitary bees. Initially, a method utilizing the proboscis extension reflex was sought. However, O. lignaria and M. rotundata did not reflexively extend their proboscises upon antennal stimulation with sucrose solution. Therefore, another method of conditioning was implemented. Bees were conditioned to respond to floral odors in a feeding bioassay. Results are compared for both species, as well as for males and females. The research completed for this dissertation may provide helpful information for commercial managers of solitary bees seeking to decrease both bee dispersal and the incidence of disease and parasites.

Although nest reuse is most commonly associated with costs such as nest instability and increased ectoparasite loads,contrary evidence supports the possibility that nest reuse might provide an adaptive function in the form of time and energy savings. The Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva), which nests under bridges and culverts in east-central Texas, chooses predominately to reuse nests when old nests are available. I conducted a field experiment involving bridge pairs and single bridges, in which I applied a treatment of nest removal to one bridge of each pair and one half of each single bridge in order to test whether control bridges and nests exhibited increased productivity from the availability of old nests. I found that a higher percentage of young fledged from control bridges and more fledged per clutch from control bridges. Small sample sizes diminished the ability to detect differences within the single bridge experiment. Results from this research support the time-energy savings concept and may be reconciled with conflicting research through fundamental differences between studies in immunity to ectoparasites, infestation type, and nest microclimate.

Coloniality and nest defence were examined in black brant <i>Branta bernicla nigricans</i> and lesser snow geese Chen caerulescens caerulescens. Increased nest density had no effect on nest survival, egg survival, or likelihood of partial clutch predation in snow geese. In brant, nest survival declined as nest density increased in 1992 and with increased distance from shore in 1993. Brant with conspecific nearest neighbours were less likely to suffer partial clutch predation in 1993, but not in 1992. Egg survival in brant increased with nest density in 1993, but decreased as density increased in 1992, however, the decrease occurred only in nests with three or four eggs. Nesting at high densities, in central positions, or far from shorelines commonly travelled by glaucous gulls <i>Larurs hyperboreus</i> and parasitic jaegers <i>Stercorarius parasiticus</i>, the primary egg predators in this study, did not provide geese with a nest or egg survival advantage because effects were lacking in snow geese and were inconsistent and contradictory in brant. Female snow geese had very high nest attendance and both sexes had high territory attendance so snow goose nests were rarely unattended during incubation. Brant had lower nest attendance than snow geese, and due to a lack food near their nests, brant left their territories to feed resulting in lower territory attendance as well. Although male brant were capable of defending the nest from avian predators and usually remained on their territories when females were absent, males were less effective defenders than incubating females. Increased vigilance and decreased resting by female brant as incubation progressed provided support for the prediction, from parental investment theory, that nest guarding effort would increase with offspring age, but there were no changes in male brant or in snow geese. However, declining nest and territory attendance by female brant and males of both species contradicted predictions from parental investment theory but were consistent with an increased need to forage as nutrient reserves declined through incubation as expected due to energetic constraints.

Bird¡¦s nest is the saliva from the Colloclia that have a lot of mucin and sialic acid. However the sialic acid is an important intermediate of influenza virus infection. In 2006, Guo et al was confirmed the Inhibitory effect of bird¡¦s nest extract on influenza virus infection. But the anti-virus component has not been isolated and purified. First, the bird's nest used in this study was proved to be a pure bird¡¦s nest by SDS-PAGE, sialic acid content and protein content. Qualification analysis by SDS-PAGE showed sample possessed three bands at about 50 kDa, 100 kDa and 150 kDa, by Warren assay showed sample possessed a sialic acid content about 10% of dry weight, by Kjeldahl method showed sample possessed a protein content about 50% of dry weight, and by fluorescence analysis in 365 nm showed sample emitted a blue-white light. According to the criteria on previous studies, the sample was considered to be a real and pure bird¡¦s nest. Subsequently, the sample was applied to pronase digestion and then separated by Bio-gel P2 for size exclusion chromatography. All fractions were performed carbohydrate analysis including sialic acid. In lectin blotting, Maackia amurensis agglutinin (MAA) lectin can interact with the fraction that suggest the structure of sialic acid is sialic acid-2,3 galactose in bird¡¦s nest. And carbohydrate membrane array to demonstrate the influenza virus of H5N1 and H1N1 can bind the fractions that suggest the antivirus effect of bird¡¦s nest. These fractions will be further analyzed by neutralization assay to study their antivirus effects in vitro.

The endangered willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) breeds in mountain meadows in the Sierra Nevada, which have been intensively modified, especially reducing meadow wetness, which favors easy access for mammalian predators to reach nesting areas in the meadow interior. High nest predation frequency is one of the main factors for willow flycatcher and other passerines? populations decline. I conducted trapping in wet and dry areas on 10 meadows in May?August of 2007 and 2008 to identify the assemblage of potential mammalian nest predators. I compared the predator activity between wet and dry areas of the meadows and determined the relationship between predator activity with vegetation and hydrology of the meadows. In 2008, I used radio-telemetry on deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and yellow-pine chipmunks (Tamias amoenus) to determine their movement patterns across wet and dry areas, and between forest and meadow. My results showed that chipmunks? and squirrels? activity was restricted almost to dry areas. The activity of yellow-pine chipmunks was 96% and 97% higher in dry versus wet areas in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Voles, mice, and shrews were active in both site types. Voles (Microtus spp.) and shrews (Sorex spp.) were in general more active in wet areas versus dry areas in 2007. Deer mice were equally active in both site types in 2007 and more active in wet areas in 2008. Between years, predators were 68% more active in wet areas in 2007 compared to 2008, and similarly 52% more active in dry areas. Radio-tagged deer mice used the forest and the meadow and were more common in dry areas, whereas yellowpine chipmunks used more the forest than the meadows and were active only in dry areas. Passerines nesting in drier areas are exposed to a larger assemblage of potential predators and are more likely to be predated. My results suggest that increasing the proportion of inundated areas in the meadows would help reduce predator activity (especially chipmunks and squirrels) and consequently nest predation, helping increase flycatcher numbers. In addition, wetter conditions will favor an increment in food availability for flycatchers and an increment in willow cover, which consequently will provide more nesting substrate and will help increase nest concealment.

Although nest reuse is most commonly associated with costs such as nest instability and increased ectoparasite loads,contrary evidence supports the possibility that nest reuse might provide an adaptive function in the form of time and energy savings. The Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva), which nests under bridges and culverts in east-central Texas, chooses predominately to reuse nests when old nests are available. I conducted a field experiment involving bridge pairs and single bridges, in which I applied a treatment of nest removal to one bridge of each pair and one half of each single bridge in order to test whether control bridges and nests exhibited increased productivity from the availability of old nests. I found that a higher percentage of young fledged from control bridges and more fledged per clutch from control bridges. Small sample sizes diminished the ability to detect differences within the single bridge experiment. Results from this research support the time-energy savings concept and may be reconciled with conflicting research through fundamental differences between studies in immunity to ectoparasites, infestation type, and nest microclimate.

Franklin’s ground squirrels (Poliocitellus franklinii; FGS) are increasingly considered of conservation concern throughout much of their range, yet little is known about this species as compared to their congeners. The main objectives of this thesis were to (1) collate and summarize demographic and life-history data to present an up-to-date account of population characteristics for a FGS population near Delta Marsh, Manitoba, (2) document nest movements wherein female FGS relocate their nests and litter during the energetically demanding lactation period and to investigate proximate factors mediating movements, including intraspecific interaction, ectoparasite burden, and nest habitat associations, and, (3) investigate the influence of ectoparasite infestation on dam and litter attributes. Dams consistently relocated litters during lactation in response to conspecific nest discovery, ectoparasite pressure and habitat type. Relocations may compensate for major costs of ectoparasitism, as beyond the frequency of relocation, only litter sex ratio was influenced by ectoparasite burden in this study. / October 2015

Grassland songbird populations have experienced declines due to habitat loss. In Canada, gas well development continues to fragment and disturb prairie habitat. From 2010-2012, I monitored a total of 374 nests in mixed-grass prairie located in southeastern Alberta. I estimated the probabilities of nesting success relative to gas well infrastructure to test for effects on reproductive success. There was very little effect of well pads on nesting success, while roads had a greater impact. Savannah sparrow and chestnut-collared longspur clutch sizes and fledgling numbers per nest were lower near gas well pads and cattle water sources, suggesting lower quality habitat in these areas. Large-sized predators occurred less in areas with older well pads. Concentrations of new well pads may have greater effects on chestnut-collared longspur reproductive success. Minimizing habitat disturbance surrounding gas well pads, and reducing abundance of roads, should minimize impacts on reproductive success for most grassland songbirds.

Thesis (M.S.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2007. / Vita. Appendices: leaves 23-75. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-79).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-103). Also available on the Internet.