Due to the loss and degradation of wetland habitat it has become accepted that active management of remaining habitat is needed to provide sufficient resources for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Numerous studies have documented increased seed production and waterfowl use on actively managed wetlands; however, no studies have evaluated the cost of active management or compared the cost effectiveness of actively and passively managed wetlands. I surveyed a random sample of restored wetlands in southern Illinois in 2005 and 2006 to compare the cost effectiveness of actively and passively managed wetlands. Actively managed wetlands had a greater percent cover of common waterfowl foods, Echinochloa spp. and Panicum spp., but also tended to have a greater percent cover of Xanthium strumarium, a common nuisance species. Actively managed wetlands also had greater waterfowl densities in 2005 and 2006. Duck energy-days were calculated from fall 2005 and fall 2006 seed biomass data and used as an effectiveness measure in the cost effectiveness analysis. In 2005, actively managed wetlands tended to provide more "duck energy-days" than passively managed wetlands, however, no difference was observed in 2006. Actively managed wetlands cost nearly 7 times more to restore per hectare, and nearly 3 times more to manage per hectare, than passively managed wetlands. My results suggest that although actively managed wetlands have the potential to provide more foraging resources for waterfowl, the cost effectiveness of actively and passively managed wetlands is similar. Choosing passive management as the typical restoration option would allow for more acres restored and may therefore be more beneficial to waterfowl, as well as other wildlife groups. When managers are faced with fixed budgets, management effectiveness could be enhanced if costs were considered in addition to the benefits of each management alternative.

No description available.

No evaluations of plant and wildlife communities in Wetlands Reserve Program wetlands have been conducted in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Therefore, I evaluated active and passive moist-soil management (MTYPE) and early and late draw-down on plant communities, waterbird use, and water quality on 18 WRP lands, Mississippi, 2007-2009. Active-early sites had greater waterfowl Vegetative Forage Quality (VFQI), percentage occurrence of grass, plant diversity, and structural composition than passively managed sites (P < 0.10). I modeled variation in densities of wintering waterbirds; the best model included VFQI*MTYPE and decreased % woody vegetation (wi ≥ 0.79). Additionally, waterbird densities varied positively with active-late management (R2 ≤ 0.27), as did duck species richness with flooded area (R2 = 0.66). I compared water quality parameters among managed wetlands and drainage ditches but did not detect differences due to variability. Therefore, wetland restoration on WRP lands should focus on active management and maximizing wetland area.

Habitat use by waterfowl (breeding pairs and broods) of several Utah marshes was studied during 1978 and 1979. A number of ponds found on 5 different marshes located near Great Salt Lake were studied. Perimeter, area, depth, and emergent vegetative type were measured on each pond. Waterfowl use of the ponds was determined using a fixed point observation system. Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationships between the measured habitat variables and waterfowl use. Area of the pond was the variable most strongly related to both pair and brood use. Perimeter was highly correlated to area, but a calculated edge index reduced the confounding between the two variables. The edge index was positively related to pair use by 3 species of waterfowl and to total brood use, but it explained relatively little of the total variation in waterfowl use. Pond depth had little effect on duck use, but the type of emergent edge often had a significant effect on both pair and brood use. Waterfowl use of the ponds differed slightly between marshes. The multiple regressions explained from 53 to 79 percent of the variation in pair use by species. From 31 to 77 percent of the variation in brood use by group or species was explained. The 1978 data were used to validate the regression models developed with the 1979 data.

A consensus classification for the waterfowl (order Anseriformes) has never been reached. There have been many revisions of the relationships within the order including those of the monotypic Australian genera. The Southern Hemisphere anseriforms comprise a large number of monotypic, endemic genera which have traditionally been linked to the established genera and tribes of the Northern Hemisphere. More recently, however, with the recognition of endemic Australian radiations of marsupial mammals (Main and Bakker 1981) and passerine birds (Cracraft 1976; Sibley and Ahlquist 1985; Christidis et al. 1988; Christidis and Schodde 1991), the affinities of the six monotypic Australian genera of anseriforms have been questioned (Delacour 1954; Frith 1955, 1964a, b, 1982; Johnsgard 196la, b, 1966; Davies and Frith 1964; Fullager 1990). In particular, whether they are more closely related to one another, or whether some or all of these monotypic genera have closer affinities with the Northern Hemisphere genera. Classification of the taxonomic relationships of the aberrant Australian endemic species may also corroborate or refute the recently advanced hypothesis of a Southern Hemisphere origin for the Anseriformes (Cracraft 1976, 1980; Livezey 1986; Olson 1988). A 307bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of the 19 native Australian anseriforms and four Northern Hemisphere species was enzymatically amplified by PCR and manually sequenced. The Chicken (Gallus gallus) and Muscovy Duck (Cairinia moschatd) cytochrome b sequences were obtained from Genbank. The patterns of evolutionary dynamics within the cytochrome b gene of Anseriformes appear to conform to those reported in studies of avian and other vertebrate mtDNA. A new phylogenetic classification for the Anseriformes is proposed. The phylogenetic trees generated in this study indicate that the monotypic Australian genera, the pygmygeese and the swans and geese are members of the subfamily Anserinae which appears to represent a Southern Hemisphere radiation. Within the Anserinae, the Cape Barren Goose and Freckled Duck link most closely with each other, the Pink-eared Duck appears to be closely related to the true geese, the Musk Duck is a sister taxon to the Pink-eared Duck and may be less closely related to the Oxyura than previously thought and the Magpie Goose is the most divergent member of the Anseriformes included in this study. The Maned Duck and the remaining native Australian anseriforms are members of the established European genera and tribes of waterfowl. These species probably represent a secondary radiation of recent Northern Hemisphere invaders of Australia. Finally, the data provides some support for the theory of a Southern origin for the Anseriformes.

Thesis (M.S.)--Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. South Dakota State University, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-82). Available also on the Internet.

Urbanization, which is ever increasing on a global scale, can negatively affect wildlife and habitat as well as biotic realms including air, soil, and water. One of the impacts of urbanization is urban runoff. A method commonly employed to mitigate runoff is the construction of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs). These ponds have created new habitat for urban wildlife, especially waterfowl such as Canada geese and mallard ducks. In some municipalities, increased numbers and densities of waterfowl near SWMPs are considered a nuisance due to their large numbers, considerable amount of fecal matter and because they may create health hazards. This research specifically examines the influence of species composition and height of vegetation around SWMPs on waterfowl use and whether changes in Escherichia coli counts are attributed to waterfowl use. Ponds were visited 140 times between April 2005 and June 2006. At each site, the number of Canada geese, mallard ducks, and other waterfowl species was recorded. Geese significantly preferred ponds with short vegetation (F = 53.45, p < 0.0001) and ducks exhibited no preference (F= 2.17, p = 0.347). The time (day) that observations were made was a factor indicating that there were temporal variations among seasons; geese were slightly more affected by time (F = 16.08, p < 0.0001) than ducks (F = 11.18, p < 0.001). This was not surprising given that waterfowl generally migrate locally across seasons. This result also supported the hypothesis that geese respond to changes in vegetation height. The influence of time coincides with the development of vegetation between spring and summer. Geese moved to the ponds with short vegetation as the growing season progressed, whereas they tended to avoid ponds with more naturalized vegetation due to the increased height. From a management perspective, municipalities can discourage nuisance geese at SWMPs through the naturalization of ponds and decreasing the level of maintenance via less mowing. There was no significant correlation between waterfowl use of ponds and E. coli counts. The Pearson’s correlation ranged from -0.152 to 0.990, associated p values ranged from 0.07 to 0.981. While further study is required, it appears that waterfowl do not offer any noticeable addition of E. coli to stormwater management ponds beyond what is already in the water column from other sources. Therefore, waterfowl may not present a health threat, at least within the pond itself.

Urbanization, which is ever increasing on a global scale, can negatively affect wildlife and habitat as well as biotic realms including air, soil, and water. One of the impacts of urbanization is urban runoff. A method commonly employed to mitigate runoff is the construction of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs). These ponds have created new habitat for urban wildlife, especially waterfowl such as Canada geese and mallard ducks. In some municipalities, increased numbers and densities of waterfowl near SWMPs are considered a nuisance due to their large numbers, considerable amount of fecal matter and because they may create health hazards. This research specifically examines the influence of species composition and height of vegetation around SWMPs on waterfowl use and whether changes in Escherichia coli counts are attributed to waterfowl use. Ponds were visited 140 times between April 2005 and June 2006. At each site, the number of Canada geese, mallard ducks, and other waterfowl species was recorded. Geese significantly preferred ponds with short vegetation (F = 53.45, p < 0.0001) and ducks exhibited no preference (F= 2.17, p = 0.347). The time (day) that observations were made was a factor indicating that there were temporal variations among seasons; geese were slightly more affected by time (F = 16.08, p < 0.0001) than ducks (F = 11.18, p < 0.001). This was not surprising given that waterfowl generally migrate locally across seasons. This result also supported the hypothesis that geese respond to changes in vegetation height. The influence of time coincides with the development of vegetation between spring and summer. Geese moved to the ponds with short vegetation as the growing season progressed, whereas they tended to avoid ponds with more naturalized vegetation due to the increased height. From a management perspective, municipalities can discourage nuisance geese at SWMPs through the naturalization of ponds and decreasing the level of maintenance via less mowing. There was no significant correlation between waterfowl use of ponds and E. coli counts. The Pearson’s correlation ranged from -0.152 to 0.990, associated p values ranged from 0.07 to 0.981. While further study is required, it appears that waterfowl do not offer any noticeable addition of E. coli to stormwater management ponds beyond what is already in the water column from other sources. Therefore, waterfowl may not present a health threat, at least within the pond itself.

Parvoviruses cause dreadful enteritis in waterfowls and lead to tremendous financial losses. This study aims at developing effective way to prevent waterfowl parvoviral infection. Duck parvoviruses (DPVs) and goose parvoviruses (GPVs) were isolated from organs of infected waterfowls. The presence of virus in the specimens was identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. To reveal the genetic variation of viral capsid proteins (VPs), full length VPs gene were amplified and sequenced. The sequence data indicated the sequences diverge 4.1 to 4.4% among viral strains isolated during 1990 to 1999. The variant amino acids cluster in the common regions of VP3 at residues 203-266 and 482-534, which overlaps with the regions proposed to expose on the outer surfaces of parvoviral particles. These data implying that selective pressure from host immune system might play a part. The nucleotide sequences of VPs also reveal that DPV and GPV share 77 % similarity at the DNA, and 84.6% at the protein level. The most variable regions reside in the N-terminal of VP2 before the initiation codon of VP3 with 35% (19/54) amino acids divergence. This study also reveals the presence of conserved strain-specific residues in VPs and these residues seldom vary among different isolates of the same virus, suggesting that they might be important in maintaining viral structure or host specificity which worth further investigation. To investigate the antigenicity of VPs, the GPV genomic DNA encoding common region of VPs was fused in frame with glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene for the expression of GST-GPV (248-516) fusion protein in bacterial cells. Purified fusion protein was used as immunogen for the generation of rabbit anti-GPV (248-516) antiserum. The potential diagnostic usage was confirmed by the fact that this antiserum was able to differentiate between viral infected and uninfected primary embryonic fibroblast cells by immunocytochemical analysis. In addition, VPs in purified DPV and GPV virions were analyzed by Western blotting. This antiserum detected two prominent proteins bands with the molecule weight of 80 and 70 kilodaltons, which correspond to the sizes of VP1 and VP2 reported in the literature. The fact that VP1 of DPV reacts weakly with this antiserum suggests the existence of antigenic discrepancy between DPV and GPV. For the purpose of developing subunit vaccine for the control of Derzy's disease, recombinant full length VPs were expressed using both prokaryotic, GST and histidine-tagged fusion proteins, and eukaryotic, baculovirus and mammalian vero cell, expression systems. After large- scale production and purification, same amount of 4 recombinant VPs were individually used to immunize 1-week-old geese. The antibodies induced after immunization were then evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All four recombinant proteins stimulate approximately 7 to 8 folds increases of ELISA antibodies titers, and together with preliminary data of safety tests suggest a potential usage as subunit vaccine for the control of parvoviral infection.

Waterbird habitat in the Saskatchewan River Delta (SRD) has been altered by numerous upstream and downstream anthropogenic developments. Wetland water-level management has been used in an attempt to mitigate these changes, but the effects on the local waterbird community are unknown. Using an experimental approach, I examined the effects of wetland water-level management on waterfowl and marsh birds in the SRD. In 2007, three wetland basins in the Summerberry Marsh Complex, Manitoba were partially drawn down and paired with three additional wetlands managed with high water levels. In 2008-09, I surveyed waterfowl within the study wetlands during different life stages using point counts and aerial surveys. Abundances of breeding marsh birds, including American Bitterns, Least Bitterns, Soras, Virginia Rails, Yellow Rails, American Coots, and Pied-billed Grebes were estimated using call-response surveys. Generalized linear and generalized linear mixed models were used to determine relationships between relative bird abundances and the physical characteristics, vegetation characteristics, and forage fish and invertebrate abundances within the wetlands. Dabbler species of waterfowl preferred the partial drawdown wetlands during nearly all life stages, except brooding. Diver species preferred the non-drawdown wetlands, but only during the spring-breeding and fall-staging periods. Invertebrate abundance affected wetland use by dabbler and diver species, particularly during the spring-breeding and brooding periods. Subsequently, wetlands with high forage fish abundances were avoided. In the fall, dabbler densities on the partial drawdown wetlands increased from an average of 0.4 birds per hectare to 1.5 birds per hectare. This influx was likely due to the accessibility and availability of submerged aquatic vegetation. The partial water-level drawdowns did not benefit any species of marsh birds examined. American Bitterns, American Coots, and Pied-billed Grebes chose the deeper, non-drawdown wetlands, due to high abundances of forage fish. Vegetation interspersion, particularly that offered by Schoenoplectus, was preferred by these species. Soras and Virginia Rails were not affected by water depth or vegetation characteristics, but were positively correlated to invertebrate abundances. Subsequently, the Sora avoided wetlands with high forage fish abundance. The conditions created by the partial water-level drawdowns did not meet the requirements of all species present in the SRD. Therefore, future wetland management should focus on providing a wide range of water depths within wetland complexes to accommodate the requirements of different avian species.