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White-Tailed Deer Habitat and Winter Diets in the Black Hills, South Dakota
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to determine available plant production, gain a better understanding of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus ) diets from rumen contents and to determine the relationship between availability of plants and diets during winter months. This study was conducted in the Black Hills of South Dakota in two areas, Experimental Forest and McVey Burn. Available plant production was collected on the McVey burn during 1972-1973 and one year in the Experimental Forest in 1981, on 14 m2 / ha basal area, representative of Forest Management. Microhistological analysis of white tailed deer rumens was used to identify and quantify diets by plant species and life forms. Deer diets on the Experimental Forest consisted of 63 percent shrubs, 22 percent graminoids and 6 percent forbs. Diets of deer on the McVey Burn were similar with 59 percent shrubs, 14 percent graminoids, and 12 percent forbs. For both study areas, five common species comprised the greatest portion of deer diets. Key forage species were prairie sagewort (Artemisia frigida ), willow (Salix species ), kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa ), and bluegrasses (Poa species ). Shrubs were the most important food items in deer diets. Future habitat management efforts should be directed toward improving shrub production for white-tailed deer winter consumption. Similarity indices ranged from 0 to 88 percent, an indication that some plants were highly selected or avoided by deer (low similarities) and other plants were consumed in similar proportions as available on both areas. Rank order correlations were low and ranged from r = -0.22 on the Experimental Forest to r = 0.11 indicating white-tailed deer were not selecting plants in the same proportions as their availability
Editor's Column
Get PDFThis is the final issue that we will bring to you as co-editors of PNLA Quarterly. We are passing the mantle on to a new editor (or editors) in order to pursue pressing projects at our own library. We regret this, but also look forward to new perspectives in the journal and to our own next chapters.What a great learning experience the past two years have been for us! We’ve been able to experiment with new content for the journal, discover people eager to share ideas and viewpoints across the region, develop a new platform for the journal on Open Journal Systems software, and implement new procedures for author permissions and other open access features
Baseline Indices for Calling Amphibians and Western Toads Across Montana
Get PDFAmphibian populations are undergoing global decline, and nearly one-third of the world’s amphibian species are threatened. Structured surveys can use a variety of invasive and noninvasive techniques to assess the status of a species while repeatable surveys allow for longterm monitoring to identify population trends. To establish baselines for species occupancy and indices for abundance we conducted two projects to inventory amphibians during May and June of 2016. We conducted roadside calling surveys for species that advertise breeding through calls and lentic surveys at known breeding locations of the Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas). Roadside surveys were broken into west and east regions based on species distributions. We detected two species at seven of the eight western transects, Pacific Tree Frog (Pseudacris regilla) and American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus). The Pacific Tree Frog was identified at 19% of the stations sampled, but at low densities. In the east, we detected five species of amphibians at 18 of the 19 transects, Boreal Chorus Frog (P. maculate), Northern Leopard Frog (L. pipiens), Great Plains Toad (A. cognatus), Woodhouse’s Toad (A. woodhousii), and Plains Spadefoot Toad (Spea bombifrons). The Boreal Chorus Frogs were most commonly detected (39%) followed by Woodhouse’s Toad (13%) and Plains Spadefoot (12%). Of the 76 sites we surveyed for Western Toad, 63% had evidence of breeding. These surveys can be used as primary indices for future surveys to determine trends in abundance and occupancy through time and inform state status ranks
Assessing Maternal Energetic Allocation During Lactation for the Weddell Seal Using Photogrammetric Techniques
Get PDFLife history theory predicts that allocation of resources to reproduction varies across an individual’s life as one’s reproductive value changes with age. As individuals reach late life and residual reproductive value declines, they should increase the proportion of energy allocated to reproduction at a cost to future survival or reproduction, this is referred to as terminal investment. Characteristics of Weddell seal life history make this marine-mammal a model organism for investigating terminal investment. Previous research from this population has indicated that pups of older females exhibit a higher growth rate from birth to weaning compared to pups from mothers of prime and young ages. We offer three competing hypotheses that may explain observed increased growth rates of pups born to older mothers and hypothesize that this finding may be a result of terminal allocation. Maternal volume measurements obtained with photogrammetric techniques will be used to explore variation in maternal energetic allocation during lactation. A simple linear regression of maternal volume against maternal measured mass was used to obtain the prediction regression equation. We found a very strong relationship between measured masses and those estimated from our predictive equation (Adjusted R2:0.8958, n=31). Estimated mass loss of mothers and apparent mass conversion efficiency from mother to pup over the course of lactation will be used to assess support for competing hypotheses. Results from this study may improve our understanding of life history theory and highlight sources of variation in population vital rates
Effects of Grazing Management on Sharp-Tailed Grouse Nest Survival in Mixed Grass Prairies
Get PDFGrazing is the predominant land use across western North America and directly affects the structure, composition, and productivity of native grasslands. Thus, grazing management has a significant impact on the quality and extent of wildlife habitat. Sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) have large home ranges and utilize a wide range of habitat types, allowing them to serve as an ideal indicator species for grassland habitats. To better understand the relationship between rangeland management, habitat conditions, and nesting ecology, we monitored 50 radio-collared sharp-tailed grouse in eastern Montana to assess the effects of grazing management, local habitat, and female attributes on nest survival. In the first year of a three-year study, we monitored 73 nests, 27 of which successfully hatched at least one chick. Probability of daily nest survival was 0.96 ± 0.006 and overall nest survival during the nesting period was 0.24 ± 0.05. Variables at the home-range scale, including grazing system and grassland shape complexity, were better predictors of nest survival than variables at the nest-scale. Nest survival declined with female age, and was higher for nests located in pastures managed with season-long grazing than for pastures managed with rotation and rest-rotation grazing. However, confidence intervals of effects overlapped 0 and a null model was considered parsimonious, suggesting little to no direct effect of grazing system on nest survival during our first year of study. By evaluating the influence of different rangeland management practices on demographic rates, this project will develop specific management recommendations for the conservation of sharp-tailed grouse
Use of Camera Collars to Reassess the Foraging Strategies of Bears in Yellowstone National Park
Get PDFBlack bears and grizzly bears are opportunistic omnivores that consume a seasonally dynamic diet that varies over time and space. Changes in climate may influence the abundance and distribution of foods consumed by bears, which may place bears in closer proximity to humans and increase human-bear interactions. Therefore, reliable data on bear diets will remain important information for managers. Previous studies of bear foraging relied on visiting locations from GPS collars and documenting bear activity, but evidence of activity or foraging was observed at only 30–50% of locations. Emerging technologies, such as GPS camera collars, can provide new insights into the ecology of cryptic animals, including bears, and could be used to better understand the dynamic nature of their diets. During 2014–2016, we deployed GPS camera collars on 3 grizzly bears and 3 black bears in Yellowstone National Park as a pilot study to gain insights about the nutritional ecology of these species. Field crews observed sign of bear activity at ~52% of the GPS locations searched, which is comparable to other studies. However, when we compared the sign found by field crews to videos recorded by the collars at the same locations, the two methods matched only 18.6% of the time. This low congruence demonstrates a need to improve methods to understand foraging activities. Inference may be improved by matching rich datasets from GPS-tracking devices (i.e., location information and accelerometer data) with video documentation to predict bear foraging behaviors
Future Upland Gamebird Extension Programs in Montana: Assessing the Needs of County Agents
Get PDFIn cooperation with Pheasants Forever and Montana State University, I surveyed all 48 county extension agents in Montana who have roles in addressing wildlife and natural resource issues. Twenty-five replies were received, which was a response rate of 52%. Agents expressed considerable interest by landowners and producers in various aspects of upland gamebird management. Sixty-eight percent of agents perceived that the current interest in gamebirds by ranchers, agricultural producers, and other landowners is either medium or high, and that interest will remain stable through 2021. Information on food plots was expressed as being the greatest need, with recommendations for plantings to improve game bird habitat being foremost. Nearly all agents (88%) indicated that producers have considerable interest in cover crops in small grain, including the implications for upland gamebirds. Based on responses received, I recommend that demonstration days and field tours will be the most useful tools to incorporate in future extension program development. Agents also expressed a need for making wildlife expertise available via email. Seventy-nine percent of agents placed substantial priority on in-service training for themselves in gamebird ecology and management, so this is also a valuable future program. I believe that county extension agents can have a significant effect on providing guidance to the future of upland gamebird management by agricultural producers. In so doing, gamebird habitat and numbers might be positively affected across a large portion of Montana
Using GPS/Iridium Radio Collars with Geofence Technology to Monitor Management Grizzly Bears in Northwest Montana
Get PDFGrizzly bears that come into conflict with humans may be captured, fitted with a radio transmitter, and released. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Guidelines require these management bears be radio-collared and monitored monthly. Radio collars typically used are VHF and bears can only be located by ground or aerial tracking. Locating these translocated bears is challenging, unproductive, expensive, and results in few locations. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has greatly improved the ability to monitor bears. Advancements in technology have resulted in radio collars such as the GPS/Iridium with Geofence technology and auxiliary schedules. In 2016, we captured and radio-collared eleven grizzly bears. Ten were fitted with Telonics TGW-4577-4 Iridium collars with a CR-5 release mechanism. These collars provided 13,864 GPS locations. One bear was fitted with a Telonics VHF collar which only provided two locations. The Iridium collars had geofencing, which was a polygon created in Google Earth that included all the private land. The collar was programmed so when a bear was outside the geofence, a GPS location was acquired every six hours. When a bear was in the geofence, a GPS location was acquired every 30 minutes. This provided more locations when a bear was on private land and near residences. The Iridium platform also provided two-way communication with the collar which allowed changing GPS acquisition rates, downloading all of the data every other day, detecting mortality, monitoring battery level, and triggering the collar to release. The advantages of this new technology to monitor grizzly bears are presented
Cardiac and Perceptual Responses to Performing Tandem Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Get PDFIntroduction: Information regarding the physiological and perceptual response of the human body in the act of performing tandem cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) relative to solo CPR is lacking. Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to compare rescuer heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and CPR quality during TandemCPR and Solo-CPR. Methods: Thirteen healthy young adults (aged 26.5±4.3 yrs) were recruited from MSUB campus community. Participants completed two 6-minute bouts of CPR during a single session. Tandem and solo techniques were counterbalanced, with a 15-minute rest period separating the bouts. Values for HR and RPE were recorded using a Polar V800 HR monitor and Adult OMNI-RPE scale, respectively. A Laerdal ResusciAnne CPR manikin was used to record compression score (0-100%), which is a value that incorporates compression rate and depth to illustrate CPR quality. Mean HR, peak RPE and CPR compression scores were examined with dependent t-tests between CPR techniques. Statistical significance was accepted at p<0.05. Results: Sample mean HR per bout was significantly lower in Tandem-CPR than in Solo-CPR (111.2±16.8 vs. 126.1±19.3, p<0.0001). Peak RPE was significantly lower during Tandem-CPR compared to Solo-CPR (3.2±2.0 vs. 5.0±2.5, p<0.05). Compression scores were significantly higher for Tandem-CPR when compared to Solo-CPR (96±3% vs. 94±5%, p<0.05). Discussion: Current findings call for a professional recommendation that tandem CPR be used when available, based on perception, performance, and physiological differences. This confirms professional guidelines. This study does not account for the anecdotally reported stress incited in CPR context; further research should examine this aspect
The Use of Trichostatin A to Rescue TRKA+ Neurons in a Mouse Model of Familial Dysautonomia
Get PDFFamilial dysautonomia is a severe, recessive disease that devastates the peripheral nervous system, culminating in death of most patients by age 40. Studies have shown that there is a reduced number of both TrkA+ neurons and acetylation in familial dysautonomia patients and our mouse model of familial dysautonomia. Another feature of familial dysautonomia is a decrease in histone acetylation. This study evaluated the ability of the histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A, to rescue the reduced number of TrkA+ neurons in the dorsal root ganglia in our mouse model of familial dysautonomia. Pregnant dams were treated with either 1mg/kg of Trichostatin A (experimental) or vehicle alone (control), at E8.5, E10.5, and E12.5, a time frame corresponding to neurogenesis in the mouse dorsal root ganglia. Immunohistochemistry was used to quantify the number of TrkA+ neurons at E17.5. Trichostatin A-treated knockout embryos (n=3) showed a significant increase in the number of TrkA+ neurons over vehicle only knockout embryos (n=3) (132.9% increase; p<.00001). Trichostatin A (1mg/kg) effectively rescues the number of TrkA+ neurons in our mouse model. Further studies will explore the cellular mechanisms via which histone deacetylase inhibition prevents neuronal cell death as well as the possible benefits of using these therapeutics for familial dysautonomia symptom management