The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal)
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Conspecific cues encourage Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) prospecting, but not nesting, at new nesting structures
Get PDFShed-like structures are being built to provide Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) nesting habitat in response to population declines. However, Barn Swallow use of these structures is unavailable in the literature. We conducted three manipulative experiments to test if adding conspecific cues (i.e., vocalizations and decoys) to newly-built structures affected prospecting visits by Barn Swallows (1) during pre-breeding, (2) during post-breeding, and (3) during or after broadcasts of vocalizations compared to before broadcasts. Additionally, we monitored nesting following pre- and post-breeding cues. We built one nesting structure with and one without conspecific cues at each of 10 study sites in southern Ontario, Canada where nesting habitat was recently lost. We detected about twice as many Barn Swallows immediately after conspecific broadcasts compared to before. We did not find substantial differences in abundance and interactions with new nesting structures for other comparisons involving conspecific cues. Following pre-breeding cues at 10 sites, six nests were built in three of 10 structures treated with conspecific cues, compared to five nests in four of 10 structures without cues. In the subsequent breeding season following post-breeding cues at eight sites, four nests were built in two of eight structures treated with conspecific cues, compared to four nests in three of eight structures without cues. Conspecific vocalizations appeared to increase prospecting behaviour, but not the number of nests, at new nesting structures. The paucity of nests on new structures suggests that building shed-like structures may not be an effective method of mitigating loss of nesting habitat
First recorded co-occurrence of Valvata lewisi Currier, 1868 and Valvata lewisi ontariensis Baker, 1931 (Gastropoda: Valvatidae) from Alberta, Canada, with notes on morphometric and genetic variability
Get PDFSympatric populations of Loosely Coiled Valve Snail (Valvata lewisi ontariensis Baker, 1931) and Fringed Valvata (Valvata lewisi Currier, 1868) are documented from Alberta, Canada, for the first time. Both forms have been identified concurrently in aquatic invertebrate survey samples collected from three wetlands in northeastern Alberta by the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. Molecular analysis (DNA barcodes) indicates that there is no genetic distinction between V. lewisi (sensu stricto) and V. lewisi var. ontariensis. Morphometric measurements show that the degree of open coiling, the character that defines V. lewisi var. ontariensis, is highly variable in Alberta specimens. Our findings confirm that V. lewisi var. ontariensis is a phenotypic morph of V. lewisi
Disjunctions of Needle-leaved Sedge (Carex duriuscula) and Thread-leaved Sedge (Carex filifolia) in the Husky Lakes area of Northwest Territories—first records for the Canadian true Arctic and possible Pleistocene relicts
Get PDFDisjunctions are reported for Needle-leaved Sedge (Carex duriuscula) and Thread-leaved Sedge (Carex filifolia) into the Arctic region of Northwest Territories at the Husky Lakes south of Tuktoyaktuk. These are significant additions to the Canadian Arctic flora and may be part of a group of relicts of the Arctic vegetation of the Pleistocene, specifically the Tundra-steppe. The occurrence of relict vegetation east of the Mackenzie Delta is east of its frequently cited eastern limit in North America
Sphex ichneumoneus and Sphex pensylvanicus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) in Atlantic Canada: evidence of recent range expansion into the region
Get PDFThe detection of range shifts is an important part of tracking species’ responses to climate warming and anthropogenic disturbance. Here, arguments in support of such change-induced expansion of the thread-waisted wasps, Sphex pensylvanicus and Sphex ichneumoneus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), into Atlantic Canada are made on the basis of collections in southwestern New Brunswick. Despite their large size, bold colouration, and active presence on wildflowers in open areas, no previous records for either species exist from Atlantic Canada. Increases in mean annual temperature, as well as increases in the abundance, regional diversity, and uniformity in the ranges of katydids (Tettigoniidae), the preferred nest provision for both Sphex species, may be promoting northward colonization by Sphex wasps
"Plastic Soup: An Atlas of Ocean Pollution" by Michiel Roscam Abbing, 2019. [book review]
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Late-autumn record of Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) in north-central British Columbia
Get PDFLittle Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) inhabits north-central British Columbia (BC), but its flight activity at the onset of hibernation is not well known. On 31 October 2019, we saw three bats flying in patterns that suggested feeding, near the north shore of the Fraser River near Prince George, BC. Observations of Little Brown Myotis flying this late in the autumn have not previously been documented this far north in interior BC. We photographed the bats, and here we describe the encounter and discuss the scientific value of our observation
"Mammals of Prince Edward Island and Adjacent Marine Waters" by Rosemary Curley, Donald F. McAlpine, Dan McAskill, Kim Riehl, and Pierre-Yves Daoust, 2019. [book review]
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Clarifying late Holocene Coyote (Canis latrans)–Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) sympatry in the western Great Lake states
Get PDFNorth American Canis genetics research varies in interpreting the Pre-Columbian distribution of Coyotes (Canis latrans). Many studies have relied on generalized species-distribution maps and a few actually cite earlier genetics works as secondary sources. I use archaeological, paleontological, and settlement era documents to demonstrate that Coyotes were present in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois thousands of years prior to European arrival. This review provides important clarification of historical Coyote distribution in the region and may have implications on the various interpretations of introgressed Coyote haplotypes present in Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) throughout the Great Lakes region