Diet similarity between elk and deer in Utah

Growing numbers of elk ( Cervus elaphus ) on winter ranges might adversely affect sympatric wintering mule deer ( Odoeoileus hemionus ) if diets of the two species are similar. Diets of elk and deer on a northern Utah range were analyzed for overlap in winter with microhistological analysis of fecal samples. Diets overlapped 71%. No significant difference was found in use of grasses or shrubs between elk and deer; however, use of forbs was significantly different. Shrubs comprised the largest proportion of the diets of both elk and deer. Deer might be under more severe dietary stress than elk on poor winter ranges.     

Great Basin summer range forage quality: do plants nutrients meet elk requirements?

Understanding the relative ability of forages to meet the needs of prime-age females, the productive component of elk ( Cervus elaphus ) populations, is necessary to decipher reasons for declines and potential for population growth. Information on forage nutrient dynamics for elk on Great Basin summer-fall ranges is lacking. Our primary objectives were to estimate nutrient levels in common elk forage species in northeastern Nevada at 3 time periods and evaluate whether nutrient levels met good requirements for lactating cow elk at time periods across summers. We compared crude protein, digestible energy, and macromineral levels in 2 forbs, 6 grasses, and 4 woody browse forage species to requirements for lactating cow elk in early summer, midsummer, and early fall 1999 and 2000. Spurred lupine ( Lupinus caudatus ) and snowbrush ceanothus ( Ceanothus velutinus ) were the most proteinaceous plants, exceeding requirements across all seasons. By midsummer, protein levels in all grasses were below elk requirements (12%). Digestible energy was the most limiting nutrient with woody browse meeting lactating cow elk requirements only in early fall (2750 kcal · kg -1 ). Sodium levels never exceeded about 10% of the required 600 μg · g -1 . The potential for maintaining a relatively high density of elk at forage-quality levels that fulfill requirements declines as summers progress on Great Basin summer ranges. Maintaining highly productive elk herds in the Great Basin requires that managers maintain plant communities with a diversity of forbs, grasses, and browse to provide for nutritional needs of lactating cows and their growing calves.     

Mushroom consumption (mycophagy) by North American cervids

Native mushrooms play an important, though often underestimated, role in deer, elk, and caribou diets in North America. Mushrooms are often noted as an unusual or anomalous food in the diets of cervids; yet they often dominate diets in the late summer and fall in forested areas of western North America and throughout the year in the southeastern U.S. Mushrooms are particularly high in protein (16-19%), phosphorus (average 0.75%), and potassium (average 2%). Also, mushroom production is generally greatest in fall. Therefore, they are a highly nutritious food in late season when other native forages may marginally meet basal nutrient requirements of ungulates.     

Relationship between home range characteristics and the probability of obtaining successful global positioning system (GPS) collar positions for elk in New Mexico

We compared the ability of global positioning system (GPS) radio collars deployed on elk ( Cervus elaphus nelsoni ) to obtain valid positions (position acquisition rate [PAR]) in seasonal home ranges with differing vegetation and topographical characteristics. We also compared GPS collar PARs under varying levels of cloud cover and within differing daily time periods. We recorded a mean PAR of 69% ( n = 10 elk, s = 14%) for collared elk. Multiple regression analysis of seasonal home range characteristics indicated that vegetation cover type and slope, either as individual variables or in combination with one another, were not significant predictors of GPS collar PARs. We did not observe statistical differences in position acquisition rates between cloud cover classes or varying cloud base heights. PAR was significantly higher between 1600 h and 2000 h (mountain standard time) compared to 0000 h-1200 h, which may have been due to elk behavior. We believe using GPS collars is a more effective and efficient method of tracking elk in our study area than using very-high-frequency (VHF) collars since GPS collars can be programmed to obtain fixes automatically, have fewer logistical problems, and are more economical with long-term data collection efforts.     

Nutritional condition of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

We tested the hypothesis that elk in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) were at ecological carrying capacity by determining herd-specific levels of nutritional condition and fecundity. Ingesta-free body fat levels in adult cows that were lactating were 10.6% ( s = 1.7; range = 6.2-15.4) and 7.7% ( s = 0.5; range = 5.9-10.1) in November 2001 for the Horseshoe and Moraine Park herds, respectively. Cows that were not lactating were able to accrue significantly more body fat: 14.0% ( s = 1.1; range = 7.7-19.3) and 11.5% ( s = 0.8; range = 8.6-15.1) for the Horseshoe and Moraine Park herds, respectively. Cow elk lost most of their body fat over winter (April 2002 levels were 3.9% [ s = 0.4] and 2.9% [ s = 0.4] for the Horseshoe and Moraine Park herds, respectively). Nutritional condition indicated that both Horseshoe Park and Moraine Park elk were well below condition levels elk can achieve on very good-excellent nutrition (i.e., > 15% body fat; Cook et al. 2004) and were comparable to other free-ranging elk populations. However, condition levels were higher than those expected at a ""food-limited"" carrying capacity, and a proportion of elk in each herd were able to achieve condition levels indicative of very good-excellent nutrition. Elk in RMNP are likely regulated and/or limited by a complex combination of density-independent (including significant heterogeneity in forage conditions across RMNP's landscape) and density-dependent processes, as condition levels contradict a simple density-dependent model of a population at ecological carrying capacity.     

Effects of browsing by native ungulates on the shrubs in big sagebrush communities in Yellowstone National Park

The effects of elk ( Cervus elaphus ), pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana ), and mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ) browsing on shrubs in big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ) communities were monitored over a 31-year period in Yellowstone National Park. Ungulates were restricting Wyoming big sagebrush (spp. wyomingensis ) heights, size, and recruitment on the lower-elevation stratum only, while no such suppression was observed on the high-elevation stratum. Parallel increases in mountain big sagebrush (spp. vaseyana ) densities and cover occurred over the study period on both browsed and unbrowsed sites at the higher-elevation stratum, although big sagebrush, green rabbitbrush ( Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus ), and horsebrush ( Tetradymia canescens ) were slightly taller and crown sizes were slightly larger on unbrowsed than browsed sites. Wyoming big sagebrush utilization (percent leader use) was eight times higher (￣ x = 87 ± 7.2% by pronghorns, mule deer, and elk) on the low-elevation winter ranges stratum (the Boundary Line Area [BLA] portion of the winter range), while mostly mountain big sagebrush with leader use averaged only 11 ± 4.1% (nearly all by elk) on the high-elevation range stratum. In addition, annual aboveground biomass production of big sagebrush did not differ between browsed and unbrowsed study sites on the high-elevation stratum of the winter range. Population turnover was higher on browsed plots versus unbrowsed plots. No difference was observed in percent dieback of big sagebrush adult plants between browsed and unbrowsed plots at the higher stratum. Browsing did not influence the number of leaves or seedstalks per plant ( P > .05), but leaves averaged 45% longer and seedstalks 42% longer on browsed big sagebrush. Ungulate browsing, however, apparently suppressed production, germination, and survival of Wyoming big sagebrush on the low-elevation stratum. Numbers of Wyoming big sagebrush declined 43% and cover declined 29%, 1957-1990, on browsed sites on the BLA. Annual biomass production on browsed sites at the low-elevation stratum was only 6-35% that of unbrowsed sites, and big sagebrush recruitment was less on browsed sites. Percent leader use of big sagebrush did not differ between the period of ungulate reductions, 1962-1969, and the 1980s on the lower stratum (￣ x = 87% leader use), but utilization was less on higher portions of the winter range during the period of elk reductions (￣ x = 2%) than during the 1980s following cessation of elk controls (￣ x = 11%).     

Vegetal responses and big game values after thinning regenerating lodgepole pine

Understory vegetal response was found to significantly increase with the degree of thinning in an early regenerating, dense stand of lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta ). The value of the increased vegetation for deer and elk was determined to be important through comparisons with known dietary and habitat preferences.     

Increased willow heights along northern Yellowstone's Blacktail Deer Creek following wolf reintroduction

Gray wolves ( Canis lupus ) were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995–1996. In August 2004 we measured plant architecture of Geyer willow ( Salix geyeriana ) stems along three 100-m reaches of Blacktail Deer Creek in Yellowstone's northern elk ( Cervus elaphus ) winter range to evaluate changes in patterns of browsing and height growth following wolf reintroduction. Average browsing intensities ( n = 3 stream reaches) of 100% in 1997 decreased to 0%–55% by 2003, whereas average stem heights of 25–74 cm in 1997 increased to 149–268 cm by 2003, indicating that willow height growth was inversely related to browsing intensity. In addition, average willow canopy cover over the streams increased from < 5% in 1997 to 14%–73% in 2004. These findings were consistent with a hypothesis that increased willow heights following the 1995–1996 wolf reintroduction represent a trophic cascade involving wolves, elk, and deciduous woody vegetation.     

Consumption of fresh alfalfa hay by mule deer and elk

Tame mule deer and elk were fed fresh alfalfa hay at night and given various alternate forages during the day. This schedule, simulating farmland depredation feeding, yielded consumption values for field-growing alfalfa hay.     

Ungulate herbivory on alpine willow in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado

In many areas of the Rocky Mountains, elk ( Cervus elaphus ) migrate from low-elevation mountain valleys during spring to high-elevation subalpine and alpine areas for the summer. Research has focused on the impacts of elk herbivory on winter-range plant communities, particularly on woody species such as willow and aspen; however, little information is available on the effects of elk herbivory on alpine willows. In the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of south central Colorado, select alpine areas appear to receive high levels of summer elk herbivory, while other areas are nearly unbrowsed. In 2005 and 2008, we measured willow height, cover, and utilization on sites that appeared to be used heavily by elk, as well as on sites that appeared to be used lightly, to determine differences between these communities over time. We found less willow cover and shorter willows at sites that received higher levels of browsing compared to those that had lower levels of browsing. Human recreational use was greater at lightly browsed sites than at highly browsed sites. From 2005 to 2008, willow utilization declined, and willow cover and height increased at sites with heavy browsing, likely owing to ownership change of adjacent valley land which led to (1) removal of grazing competition from cattle at valley locations and (2) increased human use in alpine areas, which displaced elk. We discuss the implications of increased human use and climate change on elk use of these alpine habitats. En muchas &aacute;reas de las Monta&ntilde;as Rocosas, el ciervo rojo ( Cervus elaphus ) migra durante la primavera de valles monta&ntilde;osos de baja elevaci&oacute;n a &aacute;reas altas subalpinas y alpinas para el verano. Hasta ahora la investigaci&oacute;n se ha enfocado en el impacto de la herbivor&iacute;a del ciervo rojo sobre las comunidades de plantas en el invierno, particularmente en las especies le&ntilde;osas como el sauce y el &aacute;lamo; sin embargo, existe poca informaci&oacute;n disponible sobre el efecto de la herbivor&iacute;a del ciervo rojo en los sauces alpinos. En la cordillera Sangre de Cristo al centro-sur de Colorado, ciertas &aacute;reas alpinas parecen tener altos niveles de herbivor&iacute;a de verano por el ciervo rojo, en tanto que otras &aacute;reas quedan casi sin ramoneo. En 2005 y 2008 medimos la altura, cobertura y uso de los sauces en sitios en los que parec&iacute;a haber sido abundante el ramoneo y los comparamos con sitios donde parec&iacute;a haber sido m&aacute;s ligero, a fin de determinar las diferencias entre estas comunidades en el tiempo. Encontramos menos cobertura y altura de sauces en los sitios que recib&iacute;an niveles m&aacute;s altos de ramoneo en comparaci&oacute;n a los que ten&iacute;an menos evidencia de ello. El uso humano recreativo era mayor en los sitios de ramoneo ligero que en donde era abundante. De 2005 a 2008, disminuy&oacute; el uso y aument&oacute; la cobertura y la altura en sitios de ramoneo abundante, probablemente debido a que un valle adyacente cambi&oacute; de propietario, lo cual provoc&oacute; (1) la eliminaci&oacute;n de la competencia por el pastoreo en ganado en el valle; y (2) un aumento del uso humano en &aacute;reas alpinas, desplazando al ciervo rojo. Discutimos las implicaciones del aumento del uso humano y el cambio clim&aacute;tico en el uso por el ciervo rojo de estos h&aacute;bitats alpinos.     

Vegetation responses to 35 and 55 years of native ungulate grazing in shrubsteppe communities

Ungulate populations are managed in shrubsteppe ecosystems around the world, but relatively few long-term datasets are available that test the impacts of these grazers on shrubsteppe structure and function. This study evaluated 8 exclosures in 4 shrubsteppe communities to determine the effects of deer and elk over 35 or 55 years on (1) plant biomass and species composition, (2) soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and net nitrification rates, Olsen extractable phosphorus (P), and C:N ratios, and (3) arthropod diversity and abundance. The site with deer, the highest ungulate densities, and coldest climate (Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, WA) had greater vegetative biomass and cover inside the exclosures than outside. The sites with elk, moderate ungulate densities, and intermediate climatic conditions (Oak Creek and Wenas Wildlife Areas, WA) had no effects of exclosures on vegetative biomass or cover. The site with elk, the lowest ungulate densities, and driest climatic conditions (L.T. Murray Wildlife Area, WA) had greater shrub cover outside of the exclosures. Ungulates significantly increased net N mineralization and nitrification rates, providing a potential explanation for compensatory growth by grazed plants. Our data suggest that arthropod herbivory does not substitute for ungulate herbivory. To the contrary, arthropod diversity reflected ungulate-induced changes in plant biomass. In addition to effects on standing biomass, ungulates were associated with increased exotic plant species richness at all 4 sites. Our results suggest that there may be a balance between indirect positive and direct negative effects of herbivory on plants that varies with ungulate densities and site characteristics, and that arthropod herbivory does not functionally replace ungulate herbivory.     

Stylet jaws of Chrysopetalidae (Annelida)

Micro-CT imaging elucidates jaw and pharynx structure in 14 nominal taxa belonging to Chrysopetalinae, Dysponetinae and Calamyzinae (Chrysopetalidae: Annelida). Systematic evaluation of chrysopetalid jaw form in each taxon is used to compare inter-generic relationships within and between each subfamily and with other polychaete families possessing lateral pairs of jaws. Jaw morphology proves diagnostic at all levels including agreement with current molecular phylogenetic analyses of the Chrysopetalidae. The greatest diversity of pharynx and jaw form, associated with sensory body characters, is found amongst taxa of the epibenthic Chrysopetalinae. It is hypothesized that the paired stylet jaws interlock to pierce prey tissue, and, in concert with a highly muscular pharynx, suck out prey fluids that pass down the internal groove of the stylets. Three generic groups are identified based on congruence of jaw form, and novel buccal structures are revealed in some taxa: a pharyngeal calcareous ‘ring’ and extensive pharyngeal glands. A continuum across free-living and facultative symbiont lifestyles is represented across all Chrysopetalinae. Dysponetinae comprises free-living, very small individuals that exhibit a meiofaunal lifestyle. All species possess one type of simple, tanned rod-like stylet jaws and certain simplified body structures. Calamyzinae species possess polyphyletic jaw forms and grades of radically simplified sensory morphologies. Free-living, bacteriovore calamyzins inhabit extreme chemosynthetic habitats and lack jaws, or possess modified jaws composed of an anterior platelet and posterior grooved jaw, present in the larvae and lost in the adult. New observations of an ectoparasitic Calamyzinae include details of a specialized mouth opening and stylet jaw present in a species that exhibits cryptic coloration, while grooved jaws are revealed for the first time in an obligate symbiont calamyzin. The grooved jaw form is considered a non-homoplasious synapomorphy that supports the monophyly of the family Chrysopetalidae.     

Winter habitat-use pattern of elk, mule deer, and mosse in southwestern Wyoming

Habitat-use patterns of mule deer, elk, and moose were determined on two winter range near Kemmerer, Wyoming. Mule deer used areas with the least snow depth and dominated by sagebrush. Elk were located more often than expected on wind-swept hills but used sagebrush communities more frequently as snow depths increased. Moose were generally found associated with broad, riparian zones. All three species occasionally used the same area but differed in their use of specific vegetation types and topography.     

Geographic variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism in the giant spiny frog Paa spinosa (David, 1875) (Anura: Ranoidae)

We describe the spatial pattern of variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism in the giant spiny frog, Paa spinosa (David, 1875). The study also aims to identify potential factors responsible for geographic morphological variation in the frog. The results indicate that primary production, which positively correlates with precipitation and summer temperature in China, had an important effect on body size of P. spinosa, whereas Bergmann's rule was more efficient to explain the influence of average minimum temperature in January. The species was sexually dimorphic for body size and body shape: the body size, jaw length and forelimb length of males were significantly larger than those of females. Furthermore, the degree of sexual size dimorphism varied geographically, but the relationship between the geographic variation of sexual size dimorphism and the climate was complex. Specifically, absolute sexual size dimorphism was positively correlated with the increased ambient temperature and decreased precipitation.     

The influence of ants on the mating strategy of a myrmecophilic jumping spider (Araneae,Salticidae)

Phintella piatensis is an unusual jumping spider because, despite being neither myrmecophagic nor myrmecomorphic, it associates with ants, including dangerous weaver ants. Although salticids typically spin cocoon‐like nests for use as shelters, the nests of Phintella are unusually dense. These play an important role in how Phintella adapts to living with ants. In experiments, intraspecific interaction and mating increased the risk of being killed by ants when there was no accessible nest, while access to a nest eliminated this risk. Additionally, while outside nests, seeing ants made Phintella reluctant to mate, this being an unusual example of a small animal with exceptional eyesight compensating for predation risk when making vision‐based mating decisions. On the whole, the behaviour of Phintella during intraspecific interaction had broad similarity to the pattern that is common in salticids, but with some of the details of courtship suggesting further adaptation to interacting in the presence of dangerous ants.     

Bottom-up factors influencing riparian willow recovery in Yellowstone National Park

After the elimination of wolves ( Canis lupis L.) in the 1920s, woody riparian plant communities on the northern range of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) declined an estimated 50%. After the reintroduction of wolves in 1995&ndash;1996, riparian willows ( Salix spp.) on YNP&rsquo;s northern range showed significant growth for the first time since the 1920s. However, the pace of willow recovery has not been uniform. Some communities have exceeded 400 cm, while others are still at pre-1995 levels of &#60;80 cm mean height. We took intensive, repeated measurements of abiotic factors, including soil and water-table characteristics, to determine whether these factors might be contributing to the varying pace of willow recovery. Willows at all of our study sites were &ldquo;short&rdquo; (&#60;250 cm max. height) prior to 1995 and have recovered to varying degrees since. We contrasted &ldquo;tall&rdquo; (>250 cm max. height) willow sites where willows had escaped elk ( Cervus elaphus L.) browsing with &ldquo;short&rdquo; willow sites that could still be browsed. Unlike studies that manipulated willow height with fences and artificial dams, we examined sites that had natural growth differences in height since the reintroduction of wolves. Tall willow sites had greater water availability, more-rapid net soil nitrogen mineralization, greater snow depth, lower soil respiration rates, and cooler summer soil temperatures than nearby short willow sites. Most of these differences were measured both in herbaceous areas adjacent to the willow patches and in the willow patches themselves, suggesting that they were not effects of varying willow height recovery but were instead preexisting site differences that may have contributed to increased plant productivity. Our results agree with earlier studies in experimental plots which suggest that the varying pace of willow recovery has been influenced by abiotic limiting factors that interact with top-down reductions in willow browsing by elk.     

The strangest tadpole: the oophagous,tree-hole dwelling tadpole of Rhacophorus vampyrus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Vietnam

The tadpole of the vampire flying frog Rhacophorus vampyrus from Vietnam is one of the strangest tadpoles known. These tadpoles develop from non-pigmented eggs suspended in a foam nest placed on the wall of a tree hole. The elongate, depressed body resembles that of some phytotelmon-breeding frogs, but the mouthparts bear little resemblance to any other tadpole: upper labium reduced to one large papilla-like structure on each side, upper jaw sheath with a few huge, widely spaced, hook-shaped serrations that face backwards into the buccal cavity, lower jaw sheath absent, sinistral spiracle visible only ventrally, and two large, forward facing, keratinized hooks accompanied laterally by two similar sized fleshy papillae on the margin of the reduced lower labium. All evidence suggests that the tadpoles are oophagous and that the mother returns to deposit trophic eggs.     

Foraminiferan (Protozoa) epizoites on the anthuridean (Crustacea,Isopoda) Calathura brachiata (Stimpson)

Foraminiferan epizoites were studied on the isopod Calathura brachiata (Stimpson). Most individuals found belonged to the genus Cibicides. The foraminiferans were either rare or quite frequent on Calathura brachiata, indicating patchy occurrence of living foraminiferans. They were most frequent on the anterior part of the body (head, first pereonites) and the first two pairs of legs (pereopods). This pattern, which is unusual among foraminiferan epizoites on isopods, is explained by habitat selection of the foraminiferans and the behaviour of the isopod, which presumably rests between feeding with the anterior part of the body held in an upward position, allowing foraminiferans to settle on mouthparts and on the legs (first two pereopods) used in grasping prey. The size range of the foraminiferans indicates that settling of foraminiferans from the water column is more important for the development of foraminiferan epibiosis on Calathura than migration of individuals from the bottom and this may be the general pattern for most isopod species.     

A new species of the genus Zhangixalus (Amphibia: Rhacophoridae) from Vietnam

ABSTRACT

A new rhacophorid species is described from Vietnam on the basis of nine specimens collected in Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province, northeastern Vietnam. The new species is morphologically similar to Zhangixalus pinglongensis, Z. dorsoviridis, and Z. nigropunctatus, however, it differs from the latter by having the flank cream with large black blotches on axilla and groin. The genetic distance between the new species and Zhangixalus pinglongensis, Z. dorsoviridis and Z. nigropunctatus is >3.57% (16S mtDNA gene fragment). Zhangixalus jodiae sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other species of Zhangixalus and other small rhacophorid species from Southeast Asia by a combination of the following characters: size small (SVL 36.1–39.8 mm in males); head as long as wide; vomerine teeth present; dorsal surface of head and body green without spots; axilla cream with large black blotches, groin and front-rear parts of the thigh, ventral surface of tibia black with orange blotches; lower jaw region greyish, chest and belly cream.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:89597718-024F-4FFC-B0AE-2005F12CF66C