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

Filter Total Items: 16786

Small mammal populations at hazardous waste disposal sites near Houston, Texas, USA

Small mammals were trapped, tagged and recaptured in 0?45 ha plots at six hazardous industrial waste disposal sites to determine if populations, body mass and age structures were different from paired control site plots. Low numbers of six species of small mammals were captured on industrial waste sites or control sites. Only populations of hispid cotton rats at industrial waste sites and control
Authors
C.S. Robbins

Bird specimens and documentation: Critical data for a critical resource

As governments impose increasingly stringent regulations on the collection of bird specimens and as man alters ever greater areas of habitat with the loss of many of their contained species, museum specimens increase immeasurably in importance. Yet at present, museum collections do not contain an adequate representation of the world's avifauna and, unfortunately, are not likely to do so. Thus, i
Authors
M.S. Foster, P. Cannell

Factors influencing bird foraging preferences among conspecific fruit trees

The rates at which birds visit fruiting individuals of Allophylus edulis (Sapindaceae) differ substantially among trees. Such avian feeding preferences are well-known, but usually involve fruits and trees of different species. Factors controlling avian preferences for particular trees in a population of conspecifics are generally undocumented. To address this issue, I attempted to correlate rates
Authors
M.S. Foster

Adaptations to tidal marshes in breeding populations of the swamp sparrow

The Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana nigrescens) was originally described from a small number of specimens from the tidal marshes of the Nanticoke River in southeastern Maryland. Based on our quantitative analysis of a larger series of specimens, we found that Swamp Sparrows collected during the breeding season from the Chesapeak and Delaware bays (and tributaries) and near the mo
Authors
R. Greenberg, Sam Droege

Cryogenic preservation of semen from the Aleutian Canada goose (Branta canadensis leucopareia)

Aleutian Canada geese (Branta canadensis leucopareia) were inseminated with frozen-thawed semen containing 6% or 7% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) resulting in 32 fertile eggs and 17 goslings; with 7% DMSO, 19 of 31 eggs were fertile. Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender (BPSE), adjusted to 270 ? 30 mOs and 7.5 ? 0.4 pH, was used to dilute semen samples and the DMSO before cryopreservation. About half of t
Authors
G.F. Gee, T.J. Sexton

Habitat use by postfledging American black ducks in Maine and New Brunswick

We examined habitat use by 112 postfledging American black ducks (Anas rubripes) in eastern Maine and southwestern New Brunswick from September through early December of 1985, 1986, and 1987. Ducks were captured on Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Maine. Palustrine Emergent Wetland was the most preferred habitat type. Riverine habitats were avoided in September, but were used more than,
Authors
C. Frazer, J. R. Longcore, D.G. McAuley

Home range and movements of postfledging American black ducks in eastern Maine

We monitored the movements of 97 female and 15 male juvenile American black ducks (Anas rubripes) in the vicinity of Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Maine and southwestern New Brunswick from September through mid- December, 1985-1987.. Movements were described by estimating home ranges and radial movements from the primary roost marsh. Overall home range sizes averaged 4987 ha (range
Authors
C. Frazer, J. R. Longcore, D.G. McAuley

Estimation of confidence intervals for federal waterfowl harvest surveys

I developed methods of estimating confidence intervals for the federal waterfowl harvest surveys conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). I estimated flyway harvest confidence intervals for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) (95% CI are .+-. 8% of the estimate). Canada geese (Branta canadensis) (.+-. 11%), black ducks (Anas rubripes) (.+-. 16%), canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) (.+-. 32
Authors
P.H. Geissler

Vocalizations of eight species of Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae) with comments on communication in the genus

Vocalizations of frogs of the genus Atelopus include three discrete types of signals: pulsed calls, pure tone calls, and short calls. Repertoire composition is conservative across species. Repertoires of most species whose calls have been recorded contain two or three of these identifiable call types. Within a call type, details of call structure are very similar across species. This apparent lack
Authors
R.B. Cocroft, R.W. McDiarmid, A.P. Jaslow, P.M. Ruiz-Carranza

New migrant and vagrant bird records for the Mariana Islands, 1978-1988

No abstract available.
Authors
P.O. Class, J.D. Reichel, T.O. Lemke, R. B. Clapp, G.J. Wiles, D.T. Aldan, T.K. Pratt