Treesearch

Autocorrelation in animal movements can be both a serious nuisance to analysis and a source of valuable information about the scale and patterns of animal behavior, depending on the question and the techniques employed. In this paper we present an approach to analyzing the patterns of autocorrelation in animal movements that provides a detailed picture of seasonal variability in the scale and patterns of movement. We used a combination of moving window Mantel correlograms, surface correlation and crosscorrelation analysis to investigate the scales and patterns of autocorrelation in the...

An exotic bark beetle from Asia, the banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi, has been discovered in 21 states of the United States. Although its point of entry is not known, a survey of museum specimens suggests that it has been in the US for at least 10 years. It is most abundant in western states, attacks primarily American and Siberian elms, and carries spores of the fungal pathogen for Dutch elm disease. In Colorado, S. schevyrewi appears to compete successfully with the more familiar smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus. The host range, chemical ecology, and...

Management of riparian vegetation is difficult because these communities are frequently impacted by herbivores, invasive weeds, and altered hydrologic regimes. Multiple and intertwined factors affecting rare species recruitment are particularly difficult to identify. Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis Munz (Gaura) is a short-lived perennial forb endemic to riparian areas in mixed-grass prairies of Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado, U.S.A. It became a federally listed threatened species in October 2000. Because the species is a recruitment-limited monocarpic perennial, we studied the effects...

Dalmatian toadflax, Linaria dalmatica (L.) P. Mill. ssp. dalmatica (Fig. 1a), and yellow toadflax, Linaria vulgaris (L.) P. Mill. (Fig. 1b), are exotic [see Glossary] weeds of rangeland, forests and cropland. Although several species of weedy toadflax have been intentionally or accidentally introduced to North America, these two species are by far the most common and problematic for land managers. Both species are known to thrive particularly well in disturbed, open habitats, are most competitive, and can easily dominate native or desirable plant communities in areas characterized by dry...

To date, eight exotic toadflax-feeding insect species have been accidentally or intentionally introduced to North America. Reports on their establishment and impact have been recorded for more than 60 years. Environmental risks linked to biological control of toadflax were identified in terms of host resources and undesirable impacts on the target species through the critical review of this record. Data gaps revealed during this retrospective analysis are addressed through suggestions for future research and associated experimental methodologies. Known and potential impacts of toadflax-feed...

Successful biological control of invasive weeds with specialist herbivorous insects is predicated on the assumption that the injury stresses the weeds sufficiently to cause reductions in individual fitness. Because plant gas exchange directly impacts growth and fitness, characterizing how injury affects these primary processes may provide a key indicator of physiological impairment - which then may lead to reductions in fitness. The objective of this study was to use physiological methods to evaluate how the invasive weed, Linaria dalmatica L. Miller (Dalmatian toadflax), is affected by...

The spiral intestines of 40 specimens of Urobatis halleri from the northern Gulf of California, Mexico, were examined for cestodes. Four new species, Rhinebothrium chollaensis n. sp., Rhinebothrium gravidum n. sp., Eutetrarhynchus cortezensis n. sp., and Prochristianella minima n. sp., are described. This is the first record of these 3 genera in the Gulf of California and the first report of Eutetrarhynchus in U. halleri.

Several randomization methods have been used to investigate the influence of competitive interactions in shaping parasite community structure. Marine fish parasite communities have often been regarded as unstructured assemblages with little or no resource limitation and, therefore, not prone to competitive influences. In this study, null models were used to assess the niche overlap of cestode communities of two distinct but closely related elasmobranch hosts: the round stingray, Urobatis halleri, Cooper (1863) and the skate, Leucoraja naevus, Muller and Henle (1841). Cestode species...

Light transmittance estimates under open, heterogeneous woodland canopies such as those of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests report high spatial and temporal variation in the quantity of the light environment. In addition, light quality, that is, the ratio of red to far-red light (R:FR), regulates important aspects of plant development including stem extension, specific leaf area, and seed germination. We conducted two experiments to document sources of variation in R:FR (using a LI-COR 1800 portable spectroradiometer with a cosine-corrected light sensor) in a 70- to 90-year-old...

The use of molecular genetics can play a key role in reintroduction efforts. Prior to the introduction of any individuals, molecular genetics can be used to identify the most appropriate source population for the reintroduction, ensure that no relic populations exist in the reintroduction area, and guide captive breeding programs. The use of molecular genetics post-reintroduction has received less attention. Yet, it is after the reintroduction that molecular genetics combined with non-invasive genetic sampling provide the greatest results. Most reintroduction programs install a weak...