Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Forest, Animal, And Seasonal Cycles Observed In Vernal Ponds At Audubon Center, Michael Link

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Observations of environmental conditions and biota in four depressed spots, called "vernal ponds", within the Northwoods Audubon Center near Sandstone, Minnesota, are reported for the period March 15 to September 4, 1977. Life cycle dynamics and utilization of the pond areas are considered in relation to time, days of the month, moisture-dryness, and species; but are lumped together for reporting as if the four locations were a single pond entity. Hypotheses as to the role of these ponds in the surrounding ecosystem and questions for possible further investigation are suggested.

Acid Rains: Implications For Agriculture, Prabhu D. Rawate

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Water Quality Study Of Man-Made Drainage And Natural Streams, Kent W. Boyum

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

The effects of man-made drainage systems on the water quality of receiving bodies Is relatively unknown. During the ice-free season of 1979, thirteen drainage ditches and f our rivers were sampled at intervals of three to eight days. With increasing flow, total orthophosphatephosphorous, total Kjeldahl-nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen and total dissolved solids increased, but not proportionately to f low, with total orthophosphate-phosphorous showing the least proportionality. Variation was observed in each ditch and river when broken down seasonally for each parameter. Generally, when the percentage of flow was greater in one of the three seasons, the percentage of each of the other …

Land-Cover Changes In A River Valley In Blue Earth County, Minnesota, 1938-1974, Corrie Schaffer Cowley

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

The boundary of the Blue Earth River Valley was determined by stereoscopic viewing of 1938-39 aerial photographs. The same boundary was then drawn on corresponding 1974 photographs. All area within the river valley was assigned to one of four land-cover. Comparison of 1938-39 to 1974 shows a decrease of 19 percent in river area, an increase of one percent in row crop area, an increase of 52 percent in tree area, and a decrease of 45 percent in scrub area.

A Survey Of Water Flow In Drainage Ditches And Streams In South Central Minnesota, Clay Pierce, Bill Thompson

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Discharge was monitored on 13 agricultural drainage ditches and 4 small rivers in south central Minnesota. Derived data were categorized by response to hydrologic events and stream order. Stream order was found to be the most reliable predictor of hydrologic event response. Peak flows in drainage ditches were found to correspond to peak flows in rivers.

Social Organization And Water Control Among The Borana Of Southern Ethiopia, Johan. Helland

Institute for Development Anthropology Papers

The long-term success of pastoral production systems depends on the adjustment of the human and livestock populations, which are potentially expanding, to the range resource, which is finite. Among the Borana of southern Ethiopia, this adjustment has been achieved through a complex socio-political system controlling human reproduction and the maintenance and use of dry-season wells. A complex system of generation classes, known as Gada, helps limit population expansion, and access to water during the dry season is controlled by well councils whose membership and function are based on a flexible, but well defined, system of traditional rules.

The Wild Turkey In Nebraska

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Fossilized remains indicate that prehistoric turkeys roamed the eastern and southwestern United States. Five different prehistoric turkeys have been described that lived during the Pleistocene period some 15,000 to 50,000 years ago.

While early man, the paleo-Indians, preyed primarily upon larger animals for food and fiber, birds were also preyed upon, as evidenced by artifacts of later man. The wild turkey is believed to have played important roles in the cultures of pre-Columbian Indians, especially in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Historical records and archeological findings indicate that extensive domestication of the wild turkey existed throughout the southwestern United …

Leslie Population Estimate For A Large Lake, Jack Peterson, Melvin Taylor, Allan Hanson

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

The accuracy of a population estimate made by the Leslie removal method was evaluated for adult northern pike (Esox lucius) in a 288-hectare lake. The Leslie estimate of 6,290 fish was within 1% of that obtained from direct enumeration.

The Effect Of Dissolution Of Volcanic Glass On The Water Chemistry In A Tuffaceous Aquifer, Rainier Mesa, Nevada, Art F. White, Hans C. Claassen, Larry Benson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Geochemistry of ground water associated with the Tertiary tuffs within Rainier Mesa, southern Nevada, was investigated to determine the relative importance of glass dissolution in controlling water chemistry. Water samples were obtained both from interstitial pores in core sections and from free-flowing fractures. Cation compositions showed that calcium and magnesium decreased as a function of depth in the mesa, as sodium increased. The maximum effect occurs within alteration zones containing clinoptilolite and montmorillonite, suggesting these minerals effectively remove bivalent cations from the system.

Comparisons are made between compositions of ground waters found within Rainier Mesa that apparently have not reacted …

The Probe, Issue 3 - January 1980

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Contents:

GROWING PAINS
MORE WAYS TO SKIN A CAT
One of the five pieces of anti-trap legislation pending in the 96th Congress
really tight trap cover where you can't return to check a trap in time to conform with regulations
LIST OF HONORABLE HEROES
NADCA CHARTER MEMBERSHIP LIST

Bibliography Of J. E. Weaver

Papers of John E. Weaver (1884-1956)

1914-1963

(8 pages, typescript)

An Analysis Of The Irreversible Thermodynamics Model For Coupled Heat And Moisture Transport Phenomena In Unsaturated Porous Media, J. A. Havens

Technical Reports

The Irreversible Thermodynamics-based model for the description of coupled heat and moisture transfer, attributed to Cary and Taylor, was analyzed. The transport coefficients appearing in the model equations were independently determined, and the equations were numerically integrated to predict temperature and moisture content profiles for a closed system of water unsaturated glass beads. An experimental investigation of the moist glass beads medium provided measurements of steady-state profiles of local temperatures and moisture content. These data, when compared with model predictions, indicated the validity of the Irreversible Thermodynamics approach. The coupling coefficient relating thermal gradients to moisture flux was found to …

Ecological Study Of The Tidal Segment Of The James River Encompassing Hog Point (Site Of The Surry Nuclear Power Station) : Completion Report, Robert A. Jordan, Patrica A. Goodwin, Charles E. Sutton

Reports

The Surry Power Station discharges cooling water into the transition zone of the James River. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthos, and fouling organism communities were sampled during the years 1969 through 1978, which encompassed a preoperational and an operational period. Temporal changes in the biotic communities followed seasonal patterns of temperature and salinity in the study area, and reflected inherent reproductive patterns of the organisms. Spatial patterns reflected the transport of organisms from the river in the vicinity of the intake to the zone encompassed by the discharge plume, as well as periodic bursts of meroplankton generation in the cooling water canals. …

Evaluating Impacts On Continental Shelf Environments, Concepts And Prospects, Donald F. Boesch

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

New and expanding activities on the continental shelf including disposal of wastes and dredged material, deepwater ports, floating nuclear power plants, mining, and oil and gas exploitation, have spawned increased interest in the ecology of continental shelf ecosystems and the environmental effects of these activities. Changing patterns of historical uses of the shelf environment, i.e., fishing and transportation, and as yet hypothetical new uses, such as tapping energy from the ocean's currents and gradients, will undoubtedly further increase our concern for the coastal oceans.

The Rush Creek – Lisco Structural Basin, Garden And Morrill Counties, Nebraska, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Detailed field mapping of outcrops in southern Garden and Morrill counties, Nebraska, has revealed a drop of more than 60 m (200 ft) in 4.8 km (3 mi) in the elevation of the contact between the Brule Formation and the Ogallala Group as exposed on the east side of Rush Creek. Beds of silt, sand, siltstone, and volcanic ash locally dip to the northwest at angles up to 8.5'. The contact between the two formations cannot be seen on the west side of Rush Creek but beds in the Ogallala Group there dip to the north and northeast. Rocks north …

The Pronghorn Antelope

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Fossilized remains on the North American continent are reminders that the pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) roamed the land in present-day forms as early as the Age of Mammals, over one million years ago. Evolutionary changes may have taken 20 million years to develop the pronghorn as we know it today. Surviving the rigors of this violent young continent, the ancestral pronghorn antelope thrived and evolved into an alert, fleet-footed ungulate which roamed the large expanse of brush, grassland and cactus of the plains area.

Nebraska Trapping, George Schildman, Frank Andelt, Jim Brunner

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Fur bearers and trapping played an important role in the exploration and development of Nebraska. The harvest of our fur-bearer resource is part of every Nebraskan's heritage. Wise use of the resource and consideration for other people's property and personal rights can insure that trapping will remain a part of the heritage of future generations. The purpose of this publication is to help insure this heritage ... through the educational process. Knowledge of and respect for the resource, as well as consideration for other people, are the keys to perpetuating trapping as an outdoor activity. While primarily designed to assist …

Oil And Gas Development On Georges Bank: The Responsibility Of Federal Agencies For Assessment And Mitigation Of Potential Impacts On The Ecosystem, Carolyn A. Griswold

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

Is it possible to provide adequate protection for the Georges Bank ecosystem as oil and gas exploration begins? The fishing industry and environmentalists say "no," but it is the resource managers who are faced with the task of predicting, assessing and mitigating impacts of development while at the same time managing resources and protecting fishery habitats. Much of this responsibility falls within NOAA; however, legislative mandates and agency responsibilities and goals mean that several other federal agencies are involved as well. This paper is an attempt to describe the potential impacts of oil and gas exploration on the Georges Bank …

Land Capability Study Of (Sandy) Soils, North West Of The Ivanhoe Plains, Kununurra, W.A, Jim Dixon, W F. Holman

Land resources series

This survey was concducted at the request of Colonial Sugar Refineries as a co-operative effort involving the West Australian State Government Departments of Agriculture and Lands and Surveys. C.S.R. are investigating the feasibility of sugar cane production in the Ord River Project Irrigation Area. Part of the project could involve cane production on currently undeveloped sandy soils held under pastoral lease. The object of developing sandy soils is twofold:- i) the sandy soils will require overhead irrigation and it will be possible to mix industrial wastes with the irrigation waters for disposal; ( ii) sandy soils should be trafficable sooner …

Land Use Changes And Pheasant Declines In Eastern South Dakota, George M. Vandel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Changes in pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) nesting habitat were investigated on Windsor Township, Brookings County, South Dakota. The population was censused, nesting densities determined, cover was mapped, and an interspersion index determined in 197 7 and 1978. Comparison to a similar study conducted in 1958 and 1959 indicated a decrease in pheasant numbers of 93% for crow counts and 94% in brood counts. Nesting densities decreased by 96%. Pheasant nests were found in about the same proportions per cover type for the two time periods. Hatching success, clutch size, rates of abandonment, and nest destruction were also similar. Nesting habitat occurred …

Nesting And Brood Rearing Ecology Of The Vancouver Canada Goose On Admiralty Island Southeast Of Alaska, Charles S. Lebeda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nesting and brood rearing biology of Vancouver Canada geese (Branta canadensis fulva) was studied in 1978 (preliminary) and from April-August 1979 in Seymour Canal, Admiralty Island, Alaska. Geese used trees for perching during the incubation period (24 April-7 June) and use was significant (P < .0001) for early morning hours. This behavior is considered unique among all Canada goose subspecies. An average of 86.3 search hours were conducted for each of 19 active nests located in 1979. Seven additional nests from previous years were also located. Twenty-two nests were located in forest habitat •. All forest nests were in association with vegetation similar to vegetation described for U.S. Forest Service classification of F4 and F5 (poorly drained) soil types. Mean clutch size was 4.4 ± 1.3 eggs. Mean egg length and width were 86.1 mm± 3.14 and 56.4 mm± 2.76, respectively. Success of all nests hatching at least one egg was 55.6%. Egg hatching success of successful nests was 95.7%. Total hatching success of all eggs was 62.0%. Forest habitat was used extensively for brood rearing. Broods generally avoided large bodies of water. Single family broods were found most often in forest habitat while creches were more common in meadows and intertidal zones. Breeding adults and goslings were comparatively less vocal in the forest. Goslings less than 2 weeks of age used forest habitat extensively and shifted to forest edge and intertidal zones with age. Forest habitats, rather than open water, were used as escape cover by breeding adults and broods. Nesting and brood rearing habitat was similar, thus, nest site selection may be closely tied to requirements for brood rearing habitat. Molting, non-breeding or unsuccessful breeding geese also used forest habitat freely and avoided observers by fleeing into the forest. Use of habitat compared to tide stage was significant (P < .0001) and may be a function of availability. Habitat use compared to daily time periods appeared to reflect feeding activity peaks in early morning and late afternoon. Adult geese primarily used the intertidal zone during pre-incubation; the grassy intertidal zone was used more during incubation and post-incubation. Skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum) comprised 23.8% aggregate of foods utilized and appeared to be the most important food during brood rearing. Goslings and molting geese also utilized sea lettuce (Ulva spp.) and blueberry (Yaccinium spp.) berries. Plant matter comprised the bulk of food items.

Nesting Giant Canada Geese In Western South Dakota, Doyle M. Stiefel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Giant Canada geese (Branta Canadensis maxima) began nesting on 27 March 1976 and 2 April 1977. Peak hatch occurred from 15 to 21 May 1976 and 22 to 28 May 1977 and the nesting season lasted 69 days in 1976 and 83 days in 1977. Average clutch size was 4.8 eggs per nest in 1976 and 5.0 in 1977. Thirty-three percent of all eggs observed in 1976 and 23% in 1977 failed to hatch. Infertility and desertion were the main reasons that eggs did not hatch. Seventy percent of the territorial pairs in 1976 and 41% in 1977 nested. Nesting …

The Relationship Of Food Conversion Efficiency And Growth Potential In Juvenile Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Joseph J. Cech Jr., Michael J. Massingill, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

New information concerning respiratory metabolic rates of juvenile mosquitofish (i = 915 mg 02 kg-1 h-1 at 20° C) was applied to existing data on mosquitofish respiration and combined with findings on growth and food consumption rates to determine percentages of net ingested energy used for growth and respiration over a 10- 35° C temperature range. The energy percentage used by mosquitofish for respiration was minimized at 25-30° C while that used for growth (= food conversion efficiency) was maximized at the same temperature. A calculated growth potential index, derived from an overall energy balance equation, was also maximized at …

Helminths Of South Dakota Coyotes, Elizabeth C. Schitoskey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From September 1976 through January 1978, 343 coyotes (Canis latrans) carcasses were obtained for this study from South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks trappers and from fur buyers. Coyotes were necropsied, internal organs were examined for helminth parasites, and parasites located were collected and identified. Nematodes found included Toxascaris leonine in 215 of 290 (74%), Toxocara canis in 1 of 290, Physaloptera rara in 160 of 290 (55%), Physaloptera preputialis in 1 of 290, Pterygondermatites cahirensis in 28 of 290 (10%), Ancylostoma caninum in 38 of 290 (13%), Uncinaria stenocephala in 1 of 290, Dermatoxys veligera in 1 …

Macroscopic Benthos Populations In A South Dakota Power Plant Cooling Reservoir, Gordon B. Sloane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The standing crop, distribution, seasonal variation, and entrainment of benthos were studied at the Big Stone Power Plant cooling reservoir. Benthos samples were collected from January 1979 through March 1980 utilizing a stratified random sampling design in 3 areas related to the thermal discharge site and cooling water intake sites. Maximum surface and bottom water temperatures in the discharge area were 42.0 C and 33.5 C respectively. The intake area had a maximum surface and bottom temperature of 32.0 C and 30.0 C respectively. Reservoir temperatures ranged from 0.0 C to 42.0 C during the study. Dissolved oxygen ranged from …

Winter And Spring Ecology Of Gray Partridge In East Central South Dakota, Loren M. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gray partridge (Perdix perdix) habitat utilization, home range, and food habits were studied in Brookings County, South Dakota during winter and spring of 1979 and 1980. Habitat utilization and food habits data were analyzed in 2-month periods; winter (December 22-February 21), early spring (February 22-April 21), and late spring (April 22-June 21). Habitat utilization was determined through radio telemetry, roadside surveys, and incidental observations. Chi-square analysis was used to determine habitat selection of partridge. Home range was determined to via radio telemetry data. Food habits were analyzed with percent volume and frequency of occurrence methods. In winter partridge utilized pasture …

Forage Fish Populations And Growth Of Muskellunge In A South Dakota Power Plant Cooling Reservoir, James R. Wahl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The standing crop, age, growth, and impingement loss of forage fishes and the growth rate and impingement loss of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) were studied to evaluate the use of the Big Stone Power Plant cooling reservoir as an area for rearing and holding muskellunge brood stock. There were 18 species of forage fish present in the reservoir. Sampling indicated that there were 4 major forage fish species. Bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus) made up 68.3% of these species; tadpole madtoms (Noturus gyrinus), 25.8%; orangespotted sunfish (L.humilis), 3.6%; and black bullheads (Ictalurus melas), 2.3%. The estimated total standing crop of the 4 forage …

Summer And Fall Ecology Of Gray Patridge In Eastern South Dakota, Jerry W. Hupp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gray partridge (Perdix perdix) nesting biology, summer and fall habitat utilization, home range, and food habits were studied in Brookings County, South Dakota, during 1978-79. Data were collected on a 62 km² study area 16 km northeast of Brookings. Nesting habitats, success, and clutch size were determined from 44 randomly located nests. Most nests (91%) were in grassy roadsides and fencerows. Few birds nested in cover dominated by legume vegetation. Average clutch size of completed nests was 17.8 eggs and nest success was 37%. Mammalian predation was the major cause (50%) of nesting failure. Gray partridge habitat utilization was determined …

Zooplankton And Ichthyoplankton In A Power Plant Cooling Reservoir, Steven C. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The species composition, abundance, seasonal cycles, distribution, and entrainment mortality of zooplankton and ichthyoplankton were studied in the Big Stone Power Plant cooling reservoir, South Dakota, from January 1979 to April 1980. Mean annual density and biomass of zooplankton for 1979 were 15.8 organisms/liter and 384.7 ug/liter respectively. Cyclopoid copepodites made up 43.0% of the mean annual number, Daphnia pulex, 15.8% and Chydorus sphearicus, 15.2%. Zooplankton density attained a spring maximum of 203.1/liter on 16 May and a fall maximum of 18.7/liter on 15 November. The species composition and density of zooplankton in water entrained by the power plant were …

Food Habits And Growth Of Rainbow Trout In A Prairie Pond, Ronald Marvin Koth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) were introduced into Lower Abbey Pond, South Dakota, at a stocking rate of 772/ha in June 1977. Sampling was begun in January 1978 to determine food habits and growth of the fish. Trout and environmental samples were taken at 10 day or monthly intervals depending upon the season. A linear index of food selection was calculated and growth data was analyzed using the SHAD computer program. Food habits were determined for 159 rainbow trout collected from January 1978 to October 1978. Stomachs contained a total of 5,700 food organisms with major constituents by number being notonectids …