My work focused on the study of road effects and mitigation of negative impacts of roads on wildlife. Two different studies were conducted on Interstate 15, in southern Utah. My first study reported on road effects on small mammal communities. The results suggested that overall, there was no clear effect on small mammal populations relative to distance from the road. Most small mammal species did not appear to be negatively affected by the presence of the road. Instead, the road seemed to have either a neutral or a positive effect. The abundance and diversity of small mammals responded more markedly to microhabitat than to the presence of the highway. I suggest that other factors such as water runoff during rainy periods may be responsible for the detected patterns by increasing primary productivity in areas close to the road. I conclude that roads may often provide favorable micro-habitat in the desert landscape for many small mammals and that the disturbance caused by the highway use (e.g., noise, road surface vibration) seemed to have a negligible effect on these organisms . My second study examined the effectiveness of a mitigation strategy to reduce mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) road mortality. Mitigation included exclusion fencing, earthen escape ramps, and underpass crossing structures . Results comparing mortality data before and after the mitigation showed 76-96% reductions of deer vehicle collisions. There was no evidence that the mitigation caused "end-of-the-fence" problems, i.e., higher mortality at the ends of the exclusion fencing . Results from underpass camera monitoring showed an increasing deer use of the underpasses over time. The volume of crossings recorded on new underpass structures approached the volume of crossings observed in a 20-year-old control underpass. My results suggest that human use and location of structures influenced deer use of underpasses. Overall results show that the mitigation strategy was effective and has reduced the number of deer-vehicle accidents while allowing easier wildlife movement across the landscape. I presented future maintenance recommendations to assure a long-term success for this strategy.

Sagebrush shrubsteppe ecosystems have increasingly garnered attention as an endangered ecosystem. Ninety nine percent of all sagebrush ecosystems are thought to have been impacted by humans, and over 50% of grassland and shrubsteppe species are believed to be in decline. Most of the research on sagebrush ecosystems has been conducted at lower elevations and in large expanses of sagebrush. A considerable amount of sagebrush is found at higher elevations, often in meadows found within a forest matrix. The role of this high-elevation habitat is poorly understood. We conducted bird, small mammal, vegetation, and soil surveys in sagebrush-dominated mountain meadows within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in northeastern Utah. Meadows ranged from 0.6 to 782 hectares in size and included an impressive list of associated plant species. We detected two sagebrush-obligate species and numerous shrubsteppe-associated species. Each species appears to respond to different habitat characteristics, but all species that showed a significant relationship with meadow size were more likely to occur in larger meadows. Many species showed no relationship with size, suggesting that while larger meadows were preferred by some species, small meadows could also play an important role as habitat. While sagebrush-dominated mountain meadows were important for some species, we also failed to detect a number of species of interest. In particular, Sage Thrasher, Sage Sparrow, and pygmy rabbit were not found within the study area. North American Breeding Bird data suggests that Sage Thrashers can be found nearby. It is likely that these birds are only found in large expanses, and none of our meadows were large enough to support them. Sagebrush-dominated mountain meadows appear to be an important supplement to large expanses of sagebrush shrubsteppe habitat, but are not substitutable for all species.

Understanding species’ distribution, density, and sources of bias in population estimates is critical for reliable conservation strategies. I assessed American black bear distribution, density, and abundance in southern Missouri. Using anecdotal occurrence data, I demonstrated support for a northward trend in extent of occurrences over time and a positive correlation between bear distribution and human–bear incidents. I also used GPS telemetry and camera traps to investigate detection biases in DNA hair snare methods and tested efficacy of two sampling designs for estimating density using spatial capture-recapture models. Results demonstrated that detection probability decreased following a negative asymptotic relationship with decreasing bear proximity to snares and that hair deposition rates decreased over time. Precision of estimates for low density populations with non-uniform distribution increased when using multiple arrays with intensive snare spacing. Optimizing the tradeoff among snare spacing, coverage, and sample size is important for estimating parameters with high precision.

Context: On airport runways, monitoring is done by Precision Runway Monitor (PRM) method with the help of radar. Most of the airports are built near the forests so there is a greater chance of mam-mal intrusion onto the runways leading to massive accidents. At many airports, there are applied old traditional, mostly manual methods in detecting mammals on the runway. Accidents caused by wildlife strikes between aircraft and mammals are increasing day to day, and this is approximately 3%-10% of all reported collisions [1]. We propose a system that monitors the airport runway by detecting mammals. Objectives: The main objective of this project is to investigate and evaluate the possibility of using thermal vision methods to detect the obstacles encountered on the runways. The system should work in real time. Methods: Mammals detection can be done by using a thermal camera with a thermal sensitivity of less than 50mK and a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. The thermal camera uses an uncooled microbolometer sensor which is lighter, consumes less power and can see through almost all weather conditions like mist, fog, snow etc. Machine Learning based algorithms like background subtraction are used in detecting the mammal, and contours are used to estimate the size and distance. Results: As a result, the mammals moving on the runway can be detected at a distance of up to 400 m. The system estimates a distance of a moving animal and its size with an accuracy of around 90%. Conclusions: A runway monitoring system is needed to prevent wildlife strikes in airports. The proposed system prevents accidents to some extent. However, further tests are required before its commercialisation. There is a need for further quantitative and qualitative validation of the models in full-scale industry trials.

Pliocene-Pleistocene sediments in the southeastern Acambay graben, central Mexico have yielded mammal fossils, including Equus simplicidens, cf. Rhynchotherium, ?Camelops, Mammuthus sp., Bison sp., and Antilocapra sp. The fossiliferous sediments include a period of lacustrine sedimentation in the late Pliocene-early Pleistocene that interrupted fluvial and alluvial sedimentation during the early Pliocene and Pleistocene. The sediments deposited in this late Pliocene paleolake record a history of lake level fluctuations, shown by lithologic variations in lacustrine sediments and abundance of vertebrate burrows. Volcanic and tectonic events in the Acambay graben were the major controls on sedimentation during Pliocene-Pleistocene time. Various local volcanic structures produced source rocks for Pliocene-Pleistocene sediments, and intra-arc extensional tectonics caused basin subsidence. Blockage of stream drainages by lava flows or perhaps increased basin subsidence contributed to the appearance of and fluctuations in the lacustrine system during the late Pliocene. Diatom assemblages from lacustrine sediments indicate slightly higher precipitation and humidity than present-day conditions in the Acambay graben. Therefore, climatic forcing may have also contributed to the development of the late Pliocene paleolake in the Acambay graben. Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanic rocks in this part of the Acambay graben range from basaltic andesite to rhyolite. The calc-alkaline composition of these volcanic rocks is similar to others in the modern Mexican Volcanic Belt; they have a continental arc affinity, which is consistent with a tectonic setting within the Mexican Volcanic Belt. The major eruptive episode in the Acambay graben occurred during the early Pliocene, although volcanism, represented by small volcanic structures, continued until the late Pleistocene. This observed decline in volcanism in the Acambay graben correlates with a early Pliocene through Quaternary trenchward migration of volcanism in the Mexican Volcanic Belt.

Successful recovery of the federally threatened southeastern beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris) depends in part on an understanding of their habitat requirements. I studied habitat use by beach mice at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida from March 2005 until March 2006. I livetrapped six grids, three on coastal dunes and three within scrub located inland from the coast. On each grid and trap station, I quantified the extent of bare ground, woody vegetation, non-woody vegetation, height of vegetation, and percentage of coarse sand in the surface soil. I assessed trap success relative to these habitat variables using linear and multiple regression, correlation, and ordination. Significantly higher numbers of mice were captured in the scrub habitat relative to the coastal habitat. Linear regression of trap success against the habitat variables did not reveal any significant relationships at the level of grids. A non-metric multidimensional scaling model was designed to capture the vegetation heterogeneity at the trapping sites and clarify the results. This methodology identified a predominantly dune and predominately scrub cluster of trap sites. A bubble plot showed higher densities of beach mice using the scrub habitat types. These results suggest beach mice are selecting for those habitat variables defined by the ordination: higher vegetation height, more woody vegetation types, less bare ground, and less heterogeneity.

Background: Northern elephant seals transition from terrestrial nursing pups to pelagic foraging juveniles in a short period of just 8-12 weeks. During the post-weaning period, pups rely solely on the energy reserves gained during nursing for their caloric demands and water supply. The prolonged absence of food after weaning is the first of many fasts for which the seals have evolved adaptations such as decreased urine production and increased blubber reserves. The stressors experienced from learning to dive for the first time are also stressors that they will experience frequently as an adult and for which they have evolved adaptations. The purpose of this study was to understand the tissue-specific molecular fasting- and diving- induced adaptive responses of pups during this critical transition. Methods: To investigate these adaptive responses to fasting and diving, we collected skeletal muscle and (inner and outer) adipose tissue from early-fasting (< 1 week post-weaning) and late-fasting (8 weeks post-weaning) pups. We analyzed the samples with mass-spectrometry-based proteomics using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Proteomics is an invaluable tool for analyzing marine mammal physiology, as it provides a large, unbiased data set of proteins that offer a comprehensive set of mechanisms involved with the cellular processes being studied. Proteomics has only been used as analytical tool for marine mammal biology in two other studies, and it can be used as a tool leading to the discovery of novel, unanticipated results. Results and Discussion: Because muscles are utilized during locomotion, we expected the proteome of skeletal muscle to highlight important physiological changes as the pups learn to dive. Inner adipose is more metabolically active than outer adipose, so we anticipated it would show important changes in metabolism throughout their fast. Outer adipose was useful to detect changes in the proteome due to thermoregulation, as it experiences the most drastic change in temperature and pressure while the pups learn to dive. In all tissues, we found significant shifts in energy metabolism proteins that show a decrease in lipid metabolism and urine production, and an increase in alternative metabolic pathways, such as the pentose phosphate pathway, which produces precursors for nucleic acid synthesis. We also found increases in cytoskeletal proteins, skeletal muscle proteins, and oxygen-binding proteins that facilitate the development of diving ability in late-fasting pups. Lastly, changes in the abundance of oxidative stress related proteins showed increased use of antioxidant proteins to control the production of reactive oxygen species in late-fasting pups. This study provides insight into cellular and physiological responses in marine mammals during ontogeny and their adaptive capacity during a key transition from a terrestrial to aquatic lifestyle.

No description available.

I conducted surveys of amphibian, reptile, and small mammal communities surrounding 4 isolated, upland and 6 stream-connected temporary wetlands on Tombigbee National Forest and Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in north Mississippi from May 2001 - March 2006. Trap captures yielded 17 amphibian species (n = 11,142), 21 reptile species (n = 541), and 10 small mammal species (n = 472). Upland pools supported greater diversity of Ambystomatid salamanders, anurans, lizards, and mice (Peromyscus spp.), than floodplain pools. Factors including landscape position of pools, proximity to alternate water sources, and barriers to dispersal potentially influenced faunal communities of temporary wetlands. Infrared-triggered cameras were used to monitor mammalian activity surrounding ephemeral wetlands to determine potential depredation of pitfall traps. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) accounted for most images (35% total images). I assessed relative effectiveness of sampling techniques to capture and retain herpetiles in presence of depredation. I tested pitfall trap, funnel trap, and pitfall trap combined with exclusion cover along driftence arrays. Overall, pitfall traps of both designs produced more captures than funnels, and excluded-pitfalls yielded greater captures than un-excluded pitfalls for most amphibians. Overall mortality rates were <2% of total captures with anurans accounting for most (63.30%) mortality. I submit that in long-term studies, pitfall traps with exclusion are prudent to limit sampling bias and mortality occurring with depredation of captured herpetofauna. During trapping, pit-traps of both designs yielded incidental captures of small mammals. Capture rates for small mammals were similar in un-excluded pitfall traps and excluded pitfall traps. Southern short-tailed shrews (Blarina carolinensis) and mice accounted for 93% of total captures and suffered 76% and 52% mortality, respectively, potentially due to exposure, starvation, flooding, and/or depredation. Additionally, one species listed as rare in Mississippi was captured during herpetofaunal surveys, oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus). Due to potential impact of pitfall trapping on small mammals, I recommend that researchers either alter trapping methods to address non-target hazards (frequency of checking traps, providing shelter) or work cooperatively using an integrated survey approach for herpetiles and small mammals to limit trap mortality.

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) has undergone losses of bottomland hardwood forests due to agricultural conversion. Hardwood establishment on marginal croplands has been proposed to mitigate effects of deforestation and related loss of carbon-capture potential. However, a possible concern with reforestation is low seedling survival from mammalian herbivory. I surveyed two afforested fields in the MAV of northwest Mississippi to assess damage and mortality from four herbivores on nine species of hardwood seedlings (n = 868). Percentage survival of seedlings was 35%. Mortality of seedlings caused by herbivores was: hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus; 6.45%), rabbit ((Sylvilagus spp.; 1.95%), pine vole (Microtus pinetorum; 2.99%), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginiana; 0.69%). Of surviving seedlings (n = 316), 10.82% were damaged by cotton rats, pine vole (2.99%), rabbit (8.06%), and deer (7.02%). Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), water oak (Quercus nigra), and Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii) had greatest survival.