Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Filter Total Items: 1994

Thermal characteristics of wild and captive Micronesian Kingfisher nesting habitats

To provide information for managing the captive population of endangered Guam Micronesian kingfishers (Halcyon cinnamomina cinnamomina), four biologically relevant thermal metrics were compared among captive facilities on the United States mainland and habitats used by wild Micronesian kingfishers on the island of Pohnpei (H. c. reichenbachii), Federated States of Micronesia. Additionally, aviarie
Authors
Dylan C. Kesler, Susan M. Haig

Short-term response of songbirds to experimental thinning of young Douglas-fir forests in the Oregon Cascades

Commercial thinning has the potential to increase structural diversity in managed conifer stands and redirect development of young stands towards structure characteristic of late-seral habitats. Thinning to increase diversity, however, is likely to require different strategies than thinning to maximize timber production. To prescribe thinning regimes that will promote diversity, managers need more

Invasion of the Bullfrogs!

No abstract available.
Authors
R. Bruce Bury

Community- and landscape-level responses of reptiles and small mammals to feral-horse grazing in the Great Basin

We investigated species- and community-level responses of squamate reptiles and granivorous small mammals to feral-horse grazing in two elevational strata across nine mountain ranges of the western Great Basin, USA. Although mammal species richness did not differ between horse-occupied and horse-removed sites, occupied sites possessed less community completeness (biotic integrity) and 1.1–7.4 time
Authors
Erik A. Beever, P. F. Brussard

Cannibalism and predation by western toad (Bufo boreas boreas) larvae in Oregon, USA

Larval amphibians have been widely used as model organisms in studies of community ecology of freshwater systems (Morin 1983, Alford 1999). Much of this work has assumed that trophic effects of larval anurans are focused on periphyton and planktonic algae (Dickman 1968, Seale 1980, Duellman and Trueb 1986), a view that has recently been questioned. Recent experiments suggest that anuran larvae can
Authors
D.J. Jordan, C.J. Rombough, Christopher A. Pearl, B. McCreary

Flower and fruit production of understory shrubs in western Washington and Oregon

We observed flower and fruit production for nine understory shrub species in western Washington and Oregon and examined the relationships between shrub reproductive output and plant size, plant age, site factors, and overstory density to determine the factors that control flowering or fruiting in understory shrubs. In Washington, 50 or more shrubs or microplots (for rhizomatous species) were sampl
Authors
B. Wender, C. Harrington, J. C. Tappeiner

Wildfire, fuels reduction, and herpetofaunas across diverse landscape mosaics in northwestern forests

The herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles) of northwestern forests (U.S.A.) is diverse, and many species are locally abundant. Most forest amphibians west of the Cascade Mountain crest are associated with cool, cascading streams or coarse woody material on the forest floor, which are characteristics of mature forests. Extensive loss and fragmentation of habitat resulted from logging across approxi
Authors
R. Bruce Bury

Genetic identification of spotted owls, barred owls, and their hybrids: Legal implications of hybrid identity

Recent population expansion of Barred Owls ( Strix varia) into western North America has led to concern that they may compete with and further harm the Northern Spotted Owl ( S. occidentalis caurina), which is already listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Because they hybridize, there is a legal need under the ESA for forensic identification of both species and their hy
Authors
Susan M. Haig, Liv Wennerberg, Thomas D. Mullins, E.D. Forsman, P. Trail

Seasonal movement and home range of the Mariana Common Moorhen

Adult Mariana Common Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus guami) were radio-marked on Guam (n = 25) and Saipan (n = 18) to determine home range, inter- and intraseasonal space use, and movement patterns among the Mariana Islands of Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Birds were tracked throughout the dry and wet seasons in 2000 and 2001. During the dry season, no interisland movements were detected and most
Authors
Leilani L. Takano, Susan M. Haig

Postfire management in forested public lands of the western USA

Forest ecosystems in the western United States evolved over many millennia in response to disturbances such as wildfires. Land use and management practices have altered these ecosystems, however, including fire regimes in some areas. Forest ecosystems are especially vulnerable to postfire management practices because such practices may influence forest dynamics and aquatic systems for decades to c
Authors
R. L. Beschta, J.J. Rhodes, J.B. Kauffman, Robert E. Gresswell, G.W. Minshall, C.A. Frissell, D.A. Perry, R. Hauer

Winter distribution and abundance of Snowy Plovers in eastern North America and the West Indies

Serum protein changes were studied in immune and nonimmune pigeons infected with three different strains of Trichomonas gallinae. Strain I (nonvirulent) produced no change in the relative concentration of serum components. Strains II (oral canker) and III (Jones' Barn) produced decreases in albumin and alpha globulins, and increases in beta and gamma globulins between the 7th and 20th days post
Authors
Elise Elliott-Smith, Susan M. Haig, C. L. Ferland, Leah Gorman

Optical characteristics of natural waters protect amphibians from UV-B in the U.S. Pacific Northwest: Reply

Few ecologists would dispute that exposure to high levels of ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) is detrimental to organisms. It is well established that UV-B has been a critical factor shaping the physiology (Blum et al. 1949, Hansson 2000), behavior (Pennington and Emlet 1986, van de Mortel and Buttemer 1998), and distribution (Williamson et al. 2001, Leavitt et al. 2003) of many aquatic species. Rec
Authors
Wendy J. Palen, Daniel E. Schindler, M. J. Adams, Christopher A. Pearl, R. Bruce Bury, S. A. Diamond