The movements of Western Chorus Frogs, Pseudacris triseriata triseriata, were studied from May 1, 1975, to May 16, 1975, on the Robert H. and Esther L. Cooper Woodland Area near Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana. The purpose of the study was to obtain detailed information on the day-to-day and hour-to-hour movements and habitat selection of the species immediately following the breeding season.Five Chorus Frogs were tagged with approximately 50 μc Co60 , and were released at a common point near a forest grassland interface. Study frogs were then located at two hour intervals for several 24-hour or 48-hour periods by searching the area of previous contact with a portable survey meter equipped with a scintillation probe.Horizontal movements are apparently random in direction and not influenced by habitat or meteorologic conditions other than moisture. They occur during daylight hours and at night and seem only to be influenced by moisture conditions of the microhabitat.Vertical movements are also influenced by moisture conditions, and occur primarily just before and after dawn.Chorus Frog preference for either a grassland or forest habitat was not determined by this study.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Thesis (M.S.)--North Carolina State University, 2002. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Dec. 15, 2005). Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Striped bass larvae, native to the Shubenacadie River, catch invertebrates in darkness using mechanoreception via lateral line neuromasts. The neuromast total increased from 17 at first feeding (5 to 7 dph) to 135 by the juvenile stage (27 dph). A 5 mM neomycin dose ablated neuromasts, confirmed by fluorescent and confocal microscopy. In feeding trials, larvae with and without functional neuromasts were offered Artemia salina in darkness or light. To identify ontogenetic changes in feeding, experiments were repeated at 10, 13, 17, and 20 dph. In darkness, neomycin treated larvae caught fewer prey (~5 Artemia h-1 at all ages, p<0.05) than larvae with intact neuromasts (10 dph, 16 Artemia h-1; 20 dph, 72 Artemia h-1). In light, neomycin did not affect feeding, indicating no deleterious side-effects. Neomycin did not damage olfactory or taste cells judged by FM1-43FX and calretinin staining. The results support the contribution of mechanoreception to non-visual feeding. / Master's thesis

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-117). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-75).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2008 / Title from PDF title page (viewed May 26, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-33)

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-62). Also available on the World Wide Web.

The striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, is an oceanic dolphin found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate waters. Globally populations are threatened through direct fishing, bycatch and pollution. Little is known about the life history of this species in South African waters and it is currently listed as ‘Data Deficient’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Critical to the conservation and management of this species is an understanding of basic life history parameters. For the present study, metadata and tissues from 101 stranded S. coeruleoalba along the south-east coast of southern Africa between 1969 and 2012 were analyzed to examine age and growth, male and female reproduction and sexual dimorphism. Age and growth were determined by counting the number of growth layer groups (GLG’s) present in their teeth. A von Bertalanffy growth curve gave the best fit to the data and indicated that physical maturity was reached around 21 years in males and 18 years in females. Additionally, asymptotic lengths were reached at 231cm and 224cm in males and females, respectively. The maximum ages obtained were 21 years for males and 20 years for females. Length at birth was estimated to be between 116cm and 119cm for males and between 112cm and 114cm for females. The reproductive status of the adult dolphins was assessed by histological and macroscopic analyses of gonadal tissue. Sexual maturity was attained before physical maturity in both sexes. The males reached sexual maturity between 8 and 12 years of age and between 209 and 224cm in total body length. The maximum combined testis weight comprised about 0.24% of the total body weight and sexual maturity was reached between a combined testis weight of 16 and 41g, a mean testis length of 8 and 10cm, and a mean seminiferous tubule diameter of 44 and 70μm. Females attained sexual maturity between 7 and 8 years of age and between 213 and 216 cm in total body length. The ovulation rate was 0.32 per year and the majority of ovulations occurred in the left ovary, with ovulations occurring in the right ovary only in individuals older than 10 years of age. The annual pregnancy rate was calculated to be 26%. Reproductive seasonality could not be established due to the small sample size and the absence of samples throughout the year. However, both conceptions and births appear to occur in both August and December/January. Additionally, testis weight and seminiferous tubule diameters appear to fluctuate throughout the year, which could suggest reproductive seasonality in this species. Sexual size dimorphism in mature adults was evident for a number of external measurements, however, sexual shape dimorphism was not present in this species. Mature males had significantly longer and wider pectoral fins, dorsal fins and flukes than females (p<0.05 in all cases). It was suggested that the larger appendages are required for male on male combat during intraspecific competition for females. Additionally, larger appendages aid in thermoregulation, propulsion and maneuverability. Females had a significantly greater distance between the tip upper jaw and the genital aperture and anus, which was expected due to differences in anatomy between male and female genital openings. Overall, S. coeruleoalba did not exhibit distinct sexual dimorphism and together with the relatively small testes in relation to the total body weight (0.24%) it was proposed that this species demonstrates a less extreme form of polygyny. Additionaly, the results of this study are important to the understanding of the basic biology of the species.

Since 1995, California State Fish Hatcheries (Feather River, Nimbus, and Mokelumne) and Coleman National Fish Hatchery have raised approximately 29 million 4 fall run Central Valley Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) per season for stock enhancement. From April through June, fish are acclimated in net-pens prior to release at one of three sites: the Carquinez Strait at Conoco Phillips (CP), the mouth of the Napa River at Mare Island (MI), and the San Joaquin River at Jersey Point (JP). Striped Bass, Marone saxatilis, are known to congregate at the release location to feed on the hatchery fish as they enter the Delta and Bay, and are suspected to be reducing numbers of Chinook recruitment. Dual-Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) was used to capture video-like images to enumerate and estimate sizes of potential predators in the area. Stomach analysis was used to obtain consumption rate data and a simple model was used to estimate predator impacts on the hatchery fish. Data was collected in 2011 and 2012. In 2011 the striped bass population at CP was significantly larger than MI (p=0.009) and JP (p=0.038) and in 2011 , and MI (p=0.046) in 2012. Predators were significantly smaller (range 11.8-61.7 em, mean 34.6 em in 2011 ; 21-67 em, 42.9 in 2012) atJP (p<0.001). Average size predator at MI was 47.3 em (range 31-59 em) in 2011 and 50.9 em (range 33-73 em) in 20 12; and at CP was 48.3 em (range 16-77 em) in 2011 and 52.7 em (range 31-78 em) in 2012. On average an estimated 2.2% of hatchery fi sh are consumed each year by striped bass and predator impacts are greatest at CP (p<0.001). Changing the release site often could improve salmon survival by decreasing predator attraction to the site and reducing immediate predator-prey encounters.

Striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) are distributed across much of North America with variable habitat preferences and behaviors recorded throughout their range. Striped skunks also readily adapt to human activity and act as hosts to many common pathogens and parasites that infect other wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. Despite how common striped skunks are in both anthropogenic and natural landscapes, few studies have investigated the influence of human activity on striped skunk ecology, and regional studies of the species in the lower Midwest are uncommon. I captured, radiocollared, and tracked striped skunks in southern Illinois during April 2018-August 2021. I used these data along with camera trap photos, necropsies, and spatial data layers in a GIS to quantify winter denning behavior, pathogen prevalence, habitat selection, and survival. Individual striped skunks used 3-21 unique dens during a single winter and denned consecutively in 1 location for 2-59 days. Three striped skunks participated in communal denning, and ≤3 striped skunks were observed at a den concurrently. Eleven mammalian species were observed at striped skunk dens, and the presence of a striped skunk at a den was positively associated with the presence of Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana). Human modification had no significant effect on the number of dens used by a striped skunk, but human modification, distance to stream/shoreline, and mean daily temperature had significant negative effects on striped skunk denning duration. Winter denning behavior of striped skunks in southern Illinois followed the latitudinal gradient of behavior across North America, and dens are a shared resource where direct and indirect intraspecific and interspecific interactions occur. No striped skunks tested positive for canine parvovirus (CPV) or Toxoplasma gondii, 55 striped skunks (83.33%) tested positive for Babesia microti, 24 striped skunks (28.6%) tested positive for Leptospira spp., and 5 striped skunks (6%) tested positive for canine distemper virus (CDV). As distance to permanent water increased, so did probability of infection with Leptospira spp. and CDV, which may be due to pathogen persistence in temporary water sources. No other spatial or temporal covariates affected pathogen presence indicating that pathogen transmission via striped skunks is equally likely across the urban-rural gradient. However, the high prevalence of B. microti indicates further study of vectors is needed in the area. I radiotracked 41 (20 F, 21 M) striped skunks and estimated 3,255 locations (x ̅ per individual =79 ± 43 locations; SD) for analyses of home ranges and habitat selection. Annual home ranges varied in size from 14.2-1196.0 ha (x ̅ =270.5 ±257.1 ha) and annual core areas ranged from 2.7-201.1 ha (x ̅ =55.0 ±48.5 ha). Male home ranges and core areas were larger than those of females (Home range: W =86, P <0.001, Core area: W =85, P <0.001) but did not differ by season (Home range: F3,43 =1.2, P =0.317, Core area: F3,43 =1.3, P =0.276). At the second order of habitat selection, striped skunks preferred developed, grassland/pasture, and forest cover types, areas with less canopy cover, areas with moderate levels of human modification, and spaces closer to permanent water and roads. At the third order of habitat selection, selection by individuals was significant but was so variable that trends were difficult to identify. Although striped skunk preferences are expected to differ across their geographic range, my study indicates striped skunk home ranges and habitat selection within one region can vary drastically, making it difficult to elucidate trends and further reinforcing striped skunks as a quintessential generalist species. I radiocollared 63 striped skunks and tracked them for 6,636 radiodays (x ̅ per individual =105 ± 11 days; SE) for survival analysis. Fifty-seven percent of individuals in my study had unknown fates and 43% were found deceased. I attributed 8% of mortalities to predation, 25% to vehicle collisions, 33% to disease or poor body condition, and 33% to unknown causes. Disease or poor body condition and vehicle collisions are top causes of mortality for striped skunks in other populations. I used the null model to estimate a monthly survival rate of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87-0.94) and annual survival rate of 0.32 (95% CI: 0.20-0.48). This estimated annual survival rate is similar to reports from other stable striped skunk populations, so I expect it represents a stable striped skunk population in southern Illinois. Overall, my study highlighted variability in striped skunk preferences and behavior across an urban-rural gradient and discussed pathogen transmission implications of this variability.