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Publications

These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.

Filter Total Items: 16786

Extraordinary size and survival of American black duck, Anas rubripes, broods

Two female American black duck, Anas rubripes, were initially observed during June 1982 with 20 Class Ib or 18-22 Class Ia-b ducklings in two wetlands in Hancock County, Cherryfield, Maine. Fifteen of 20 ducklings (75%) in one brood and 16 of 18-22 ducklings (72-89%) in the other brood survived to fledge. These large broods probably resulted from post-hatch brood amalgamation.
Authors
J. R. Longcore, D.G. McAuley

Evaluating mallard adaptive management models with time series

Wildlife practitioners concerned with midcontinent mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) management in the United States have instituted a system of adaptive harvest management (AHM) as an objective format for setting harvest regulations. Under the AHM paradigm, predictions from a set of models that reflect key uncertainties about processes underlying population dynamics are used in coordination with optim
Authors
P.B. Conn, W. L. Kendall

Drought responses of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) in coastal plain tributaries of the Flint River basin, Georgia

During extreme drought conditions, mussel survival and habitat conditions were monitored weekly at nine locations representing a gradient in stream size in the lower Flint River basin, Georgia, USA. Cumulative unionid mortality ranged from 13 to 93% among sites, and was associated with low flow velocity (below 0.01 m/s) and dissolved oxygen concentrations below 5 mg/L. Species assemblages demons
Authors
P.M. Gagnon, S.W. Golladay, W.K. Michener, Mary C. Freeman

Designation of the type species of Musaraneus Pomel, 1848 (Mammalia: Soricomorpha: Soricidae)

The genus name Musaraneus often is attributed to Brisson (1762), however, most of Brisson's names are unavailable. Pomel (1848) subsequently made the name Musaraneus available, but did not designate a type species. The 18 species that Pomel listed under Musaraneus currently are distributed among five modern genera, two of which (Cryptotis Pomel, 1848 and Diplomesodon Brandt, 1852) are predated b
Authors
N. Woodman

Nest-site selection and hatching success of waterbirds in coastal Virginia: Some results of habitat manipulation

Rising sea levels in the mid-Atlantic region pose a long-term threat to marshes and their avian inhabitants. The Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica), Common Tern (S. hirundo), Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger), and American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), species of concern in Virginia, nest on low shelly perimeters of salt marsh islands on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Marsh shellpiles are fre
Authors
R.A. Rounds, R.M. Erwin, J.H. Porter

Bat strike!

No abstract available.
Authors
S. Peurach

The first mangrove swallow recorded in the United States

No abstract available.
Authors
P.W. Sykes, L.S. Atherton, M. Gardler, J.H. Hintermister

Summer diet of the Peregrine Falcon in faunistically rich and poor zones of Arizona analyzed with capture-recapture modeling

We collected prey remains from 25 Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) territories across Arizona from 1977 to 1988 yielding 58 eyrie-years of data. Along with 793 individual birds (107 species and six additional genera), we found seven mammals and nine insects. In addition, two nestling peregrines were consumed. We found a larger dependence upon White-throated Swifts (Aeronautes saxatalis) and bir
Authors
D. H. Ellis, Catherine H. Ellis, B.A. Sabo, A.M. Rea, J. Dawson, J.K. Fackler, C.T. LaRue, T.G. Grubb, J. Schmitt, D.G. Smith, M. Kery

How we can learn more about the Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea)

A sense of urgency attends the study of species of concern, like the Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea). Sharpened by Robbins et al. (1992) and Hamel (1992), such concern prompted the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to commission a status assessment of the Cerulean Warbler (Hamel 2000a). Shortly after the status review was published, a petition (Ruley 2000) was
Authors
P.B. Hamel, D.K. Dawson, P.D. Keyser

Phylogenetic relationships of the endangered Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) and other salamanders of the Plethodon cinereus group (Caudata: Plethodontidae)

The Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah), known from isolated talus slopes on three of the highest mountains in Shenandoah National Park, is listed as state-endangered in Virginia and federally endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. A 1999 paper by G. R. Thurow described P. shenandoah-like salamanders from three localities further south in the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province,
Authors
J.W. Sites, M. Morando, R. Highton, F. Huber, R.E. Jung

Movement behavior, dispersal, and the potential for localized management of deer in a suburban environment

We examined the potential for localized management of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to be successful by measuring movements, testing site fidelity, and modeling the effects of dispersal. Fifty-nine females were radiomarked and tracked during 1997 through 2000 in Irondequoit, New York, USA, a suburb of Rochester. We constructed home ranges for those deer with A greater than or equal to
Authors
W.F. Porter, H.B. Underwood, J.L. Woodard