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42 results for “wildlife populations”
Knights Landing, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Genetic Determination of Population of Origin 2017 through 2019
Central Valley Chinook Salmon populations differ in their Endangered Species Act listing status. It is often difficult to distinguish individuals from the different Evolutionarily Significant Units. As such, many of the salmon monitoring and evaluation efforts in the Central Valley and San Francisco Bay-Delta are hampered by uncertainty about population (stock) identification and proportional effects of management actions (Dekar et al. 2013; IEP 2019). Studies have identified that the current identification method (length-at-date models) of juvenile Chinook salmon (Fisher 1992) captured in the watershed vary in their accuracy, particularly for spring-run (NMFS 2013; Harvey et al. 2014; Merz et al. 2014). The inaccuracy of the size-based methods is likely due to differences in fish distribution during early rearing, habitat-specific growth rates, and inter-annual variability in temperatures and food availability that lead to overlap in size ranges among stocks. The primary objective of this project was the genetic classification (to race; Evolutionary Significant Unit) of Chinook Salmon captured from State Water Project and Central Valley Project fish protection facilities and Interagency Ecological Program monitoring programs. The population-of-origin was determined for sampled fish by comparing their genotypes to reference genetic baselines. Genetic methods, having less statistical uncertainty that size-based models for population identification, were intended to directly target (and reduce) one source of uncertainty in the estimation of loss (take) from water diversions (operations) and develop the information necessary for understanding stock-specific distribution, habitat utilization, abundance, and life history variation. This project supports recommendations from the Interagency Ecological Program’s Salmon and Sturgeon Assessment of Indicators by Life Stage and Interagency Ecological Program Science Agenda efforts to improve Central Valley salmonid monitoring
Rabbit Population Dynamics in Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands and Shrublands at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-present) (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)
This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-sev/23/121705. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: This study explores the population dynamics of black-tail jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus auduboni) in the grasslands and creosote shrublands of McKenzie Flats, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The study was initiated in January 1992, and continues quarterly each year. Rabbits are sampled via night-time spotlight transect sampling along the roads of McKenzie Flats once during winter, spring, summer, and fall. The route is 21.5 miles long. Measurements of perpendicular distance of each rabbit from the center of the road are used to estimate densities (number of rabbits per square kilometer) via Program DISTANCE. Results from January 1992 to May 2004 indicated that spring was the period of peak density period, with generally steady declines through the rest of the year until the following spring. Evidence of a long-term "cycle" (e.g., the 11-year-cycle reported for rabbits in the Great Basin Desert) does not appear in the Sevilleta rabbit populations.
Hubbard Brook Wildlife Monitoring Project: Assessing wildlife population presence, activity and habitat use through continual camera trap monitoring, 2018
Monitoring of wildlife at Hubbard Brook is essential to understand how these species are responding to forest and environmental condition over time, while also placing those wildlife species in the context of ecosystem structural and functional attributes. The presence and persistence of wildlife species common to an area can indicate suitable habitat conditions as well as refugia for less common species. Changes in species presence and activity, such as fewer to no sightings, may point to shifting conditions not suitable to the species missing from the area. Camera trap monitoring allows for continuous, non-obtrusive observation of many different species of wildlife and can be used as part of our understanding of current suitability of habitat condition. To better understand integrated forest condition, we established a camera trap network located at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of central New Hampshire. The cameras have logged over 1,500 wildlife observations, confirming the presence of many species, including those not previously reported (pine marten and river otter). A total of 15 mammal species have been detected and have also been effective at detecting some bird species, including the Northern Harrier. Natural history observations have provided insight into the lives of the species detected, including reproduction (Bull moose following cow during rut, moose calves, deer fawns), predation (red fox with snow-shoe hare) and presence of parasites (winter ticks on moose with hairless shoulders). These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.
Small Mammal Mark-Recapture Population Dynamics at Core Research Sites at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-present)
This file contains mark/recapture trapping data collected from 1989-present on permanently established web trapping arrays at sites on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico.. The trapping sites are representative of Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, Chihuahuan Desert Shrubland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Juniper Savanna, Plains-Mesa Sand Scrub and Blue Grama Grassland. Not all sites have been trapped for the entire period: goatdraw (1992-2008), blue grama (2002-2004) rsgrass (1989-1998), rslarrea (1989-2009), two2 (1989-1998), savanna (1999-2002). Only 2 sites have been continuously been sampled since 1989 (5pgrass and 5plarrea). At each site 3 trapping webs are sampled for 3 consecutive nights in spring and fall. Each trapping web consists of 145 rebar stakes numbered from 1-145. There are 148 traps deployed on each web: 12 along each of 12 spokes radiating out from a central point (stake #145) plus 4 traps placed at the center of each web. The wide format facilitates community composition and species diversity analyses. Wide format has been reshaped so that the count data for each species are presented in a unique column. Data are summarized for each trapping web X trapping bout to present the mean number of animals per trap per night of the trapping bout. Wide format fills zeros for species that were not captured on a web during a given trapping bout. Long format facilitates filtering the dataset to a particular small mammal species of interest, but this format requires the addition of zeros to be functional for accurate data analysis requiring counts of animals.
Rabbit Population Dynamics in Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands and Shrublands at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-present) (Reformatted to a Darwin Core Archive)
This data package is formatted as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A, event core). For more information on Darwin Core see https://www.tdwg.org/standards/dwc/. This Level 2 data package was derived from the Level 1 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/edi/334/2, which was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-sev/23/121705. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: This study explores the population dynamics of black-tail jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus auduboni) in the grasslands and creosote shrublands of McKenzie Flats, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The study was initiated in January 1992, and continues quarterly each year. Rabbits are sampled via night-time spotlight transect sampling along the roads of McKenzie Flats once during winter, spring, summer, and fall. The route is 21.5 miles long. Measurements of perpendicular distance of each rabbit from the center of the road are used to estimate densities (number of rabbits per square kilometer) via Program DISTANCE. Results from January 1992 to May 2004 indicated that spring was the period of peak density period, with generally steady declines through the rest of the year until the following spring. Evidence of a long-term "cycle" (e.g., the 11-year-cycle reported for rabbits in the Great Basin Desert) does not appear in the Sevilleta rabbit populations.
An inbreeding perspective on the effectiveness of wildlife population defragmentation measures: A case study on wild boar (Sus scrofa) of Veluwe, The Netherlands
<p>Pervasive inbreeding is a major genetic threat of population fragmentation and can undermine the efficacy of population connectivity measures. Nevertheless, few studies have evaluated whether wildlife crossings can alleviate the frequency and length of genomic autozygous segments. Here, we provided a genomic inbreeding perspective on the potential effectiveness of mammal population defragmentation measures. We applied a SNP-genotyping case study on the ~2500 wild boar Sus scrofa population of Veluwe, The Netherlands, a 1000-km<sup>2 </sup>Natura 2000 protected area with many fences and roads but also, increasingly, fence openings and wildlife crossings. We combined a 20K genotyping assessment of genetic status and migration rate with a simulation that examined the potential for alleviation of isolation and inbreeding. We found that Veluwe wild boar subpopulations are significantly differentiated (FST-values of 0.02-0.07) and have low levels of gene flow. One noteworthy exception was the Central and Southeastern subpopulation, which were nearly panmictic and appeared to be effectively connected through a highway wildlife overpass. Estimated effective population sizes were at least 85 for the meta-population and ranging from 31 to 52 for the subpopulations. All subpopulations, including the two connected subpopulations, experienced substantial inbreeding, as evidenced through the occurrence of many long homozygous segments. Simulation output indicated that whereas one or few migrants per generation could undo genetic differentiation and boost effective population sizes rapidly, genomic inbreeding was only marginally reduced. The implication is that ostensibly successful connectivity restoration projects may fail to alleviate genomic breeding of fragmented mammal populations. We put forward that defragmentation projects should allow for (i) monitoring of levels of differentiation, migration and genomic inbreeding, (ii) anticipation of the inbreeding status of the meta-population, and, if inbreeding levels are high and/or haplotypes have become fixed, (iii) consideration of enhancing migration and gene flow among meta-populations, possibly through translocation.</p>
Рис. 4. Фотографии жиΛых гнезΑ в заказнике «Амурский» на искусственных гнезΑовых треногах (сΛева — «активное», справа — «засеΛенное») Fig. 4. Photos of inhabited nests in the Amursky wildlife reserve that are located on artificial nesting structures ("active" on the left and "inhabited" on the right) in Oriental stork (Ciconia boyciana Swinhoe) breeding population survey in the Amur region in 2018-2019
Рис. 4. Фотографии жиΛых гнезΑ в заказнике «Амурский» на искусственных гнезΑовых треногах (сΛева — «активное», справа — «засеΛенное») Fig. 4. Photos of inhabited nests in the Amursky wildlife reserve that are located on artificial nesting structures ("active" on the left and "inhabited" on the right)
Monitoring wildlife population trends with sample counts: A case study on the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex)
<p><span>Monitoring population dynamics is of fundamental importance in conservation but assessing trends in abundance can be costly, especially in large and rough areas. Obtaining trend estimations from counts performed in only a portion of the total area (sample counts) can be a cost-effective method to improve the monitoring and conservation of species difficult to count. </span></p> <p><span>We tested the effectiveness of sample counts in monitoring population trends of wild animals, using as a model population the Alpine ibex (<em>Capra ibex</em>) in the Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy), both with computer simulations and using historical count data collected over the last 65 years. Despite sample counts failed to correctly estimate the true population abundance, sampling half of the target area could reliably monitor the trend of the target population. In case of strong changes in abundance, an even lower proportion of the total area could be sufficient to identify the direction of the population trend. However, when there is a high yearly trend variability, the required number of samples increases and even counting in the entire area can be ineffective to detect population trends. The effect of other parameters, such as which portion of the area is sampled and detectability, was lower, but these should be tested case by case. </span></p> <p><span>Sample counts could therefore constitute a viable alternative to assess population trends, allowing for important, cost-effective improvements in the monitoring of wild animals of conservation interest. </span></p>
Monitoring wildlife population trends with sample counts: A case study on the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex)
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
An inbreeding perspective on the effectiveness of wildlife population defragmentation measures: A case study on wild boar (Sus scrofa) of Veluwe, The Netherlands
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Coyote Population Densities at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-2004)
This study measured the population dynamics of coyotes in the grasslands and creosote shrublands of McKenzie Flats, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The study was begun in January, 1992, and continued quarterly each year. Coyotes were sampled via scat counts along the roads of McKenzie Flats during winter, spring, summer, and fall of each year. The entire road transect was 21.5 miles in length. Scat counts over a week period (number of scats/mile/day) in each season along the roads were used to calculate the densities of coyotes (number of coyotes per square kilometer). Results from 1992 to 2002 indicated that autumn was the peak density period of the year, with generally steady declines through the year until the following autumn. Coyote populations appeared to fluctuate seasonally, but remained relatively stable at 0.27 +/- 0.03 (SE) coyotes per km2 during summer periods (this likely represents the "breeding pair" density, during which coyote pairs have set up territories and are raising young, but the pups have not as yet joined the parents in foraging activities).
Rabbit Population Densities at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-2004)
This study measured the population dynamics of black-tail jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus auduboni) in the grasslands and creosote shrublands of McKenzie Flats, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The study was begun in January, 1992, and continued quarterly each year. Rabbits were sampled via night-time spotlight transect sampling along the roads of McKenzie Flats during winter, spring, summer, and fall of each year. The entire road transect was 21.5 miles in length. Measurements of perpendicular distance of each rabbit from the center of the road were used to estimate densities (number of rabbits per square kilometer) via Program DISTANCE. Results from 1992 to 2002 indicated that spring was the peak density period of the year, with generally steady declines through the year until the following spring. Evidence of a long-term "cycle" (e.g., the 11 year cycle reported for rabbits in the Great Basin Desert) did not appear in the Sevilleta rabbit populations.
Burn Exclosure Rodent Population Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1991-1993)
Small mammal densities were estimated from small mammal recapture data in burned and unburned grassland.
Post-Fire Responses of Perennial Grass Populations at McKenzie Flats, Sevilleta National WIldlife Refuge, New Mexico (1998 and 2001)
We evaluated the effects of a lightning-initiated fire on resprouting responses of perennial grasses at the population level. Following a fire in July 1998, 25 experimental plots were established on the eastern edge of MacKenzie Flats at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. Ten of these plots were located in a Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama)-dominated site, while 15 were established in an area dominated by Bouteloua eriopoda (black grama). We evaluated basal cover of perennial grasses in systematically positioned quadrats (subsamples) within plots immediately after the fire (last week of July 1998), and in September-October 2001.
Local Adaptation to Freezing in High and Low Latitude Populations of L. tridentata (Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico; Higuerillas, Mexico) and L. divaricata (Bajada del Diablo and Chamical, Argentina) (2006-2009))
If freezing limits establishment of warm desert shrubs at high latitudes, shrubland distributions may be altered as a result of rising global temperatures. However, variation in plant physiology and morphology can be observed across climate gradients and may be acted on by selection to produce adaptation to local climate conditions, thereby ameliorating low temperature stress. Freezing damage in evergreens is closely linked to vessel size distribution because larger xylem conduits are more likely to become air-filled during freezing. In addition, plastic variation, rather than genetic, may be responsible for differences in freezing tolerance among populations. In order to determine if local adaptation to freezing is present in two species of the genus Larrea, L. tridentata and L. divaricata, we investigated xylem vessel size distributions in field grown L. tridentata adults and saplings grown in a common garden from high latitude (Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge) and low latitude (Higuerillas, Mexico) sites in the Chihuahuan Desert in North America. High latitude (Bajada del Diablo, Argentina) and low latitude (Chamical, Argentina) populations of Larrea divaricata were selected for investigation from the Monte Desert in South America.
Population Ecology of Banner-Tailed Kangaroo Rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) in a Chihuahuan Desert Grassland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2005-2009)
From March 2005-Februaury 2009, a population of banner-tailed kangaroo rats was monitored using mark-recapture methods. All active kangaroo rat mounds on the 18-ha Nunn Flats site were trapped monthly. All captured individuals were marked and reproductive status and mass were recorded. From February to July 2008 a subset of adult females received supplemental food. This dataset was collected to observe the survivorship, reproduction, and dispersal of banner-tailed kangaroo rats in response to changes in resources and density. Both observational and experimental methods were used to observe how ecological constraints affected juvenile dispersal.
Rabbit Population Dynamics in Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands and Shrublands at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-present)
This study explores the population dynamics of black-tail jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus auduboni) in the grasslands and creosote shrublands of McKenzie Flats, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The study was initiated in January 1992, and continues quarterly each year. Rabbits are sampled via night-time spotlight transect sampling along the roads of McKenzie Flats once during winter, spring, summer, and fall. The route is 21.5 miles long. Measurements of perpendicular distance of each rabbit from the center of the road are used to estimate densities (number of rabbits per square kilometer) via Program DISTANCE. Results from January 1992 to May 2004 indicated that spring was the period of peak density period, with generally steady declines through the rest of the year until the following spring. Evidence of a long-term "cycle" (e.g., the 11-year-cycle reported for rabbits in the Great Basin Desert) does not appear in the Sevilleta rabbit populations.
Reptile Populations at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-1990)
Reptile populations were sampled in spring and summer in various habitats: grassland, creosote shrubland, pinyon-juniper woodland, cottonwood forest, subalpine forest, and subalpine meadow. On 18 sites mark-release methods were used; on 12 sites, all animals were kept for museum specimens. Museum specimen preparations included skulls, whole skeletons, and alcohol preservations; all specimens had tissue samples (liver, heart) taken for ultra-cold preservations for genetic analyses; some were karyotyped. All museum specimens were checked for internal parasites.
Landscape-level toxicant exposure mediates infection impacts on wildlife populations
Anthropogenic landscape modification such as urbanization can expose wildlife to toxicants, with profound behavioural and health effects. Toxicant exposure can alter local transmission of wildlife diseases by reducing survival or altering immune defence. However, predicting the impacts of pathogens on wildlife across their ranges is complicated by heterogeneity in toxicant exposure across the landscape, especially if toxicants alter wildlife movement from toxicant-contaminated to uncontaminated habitats. We developed a mechanistic model to explore how toxicant effects on host health and movement propensity influence range-wide pathogen transmission, and zoonotic exposure risk, as an increasing fraction of the landscape is toxicant-contaminated. When toxicant-contaminated habitat is scarce on the landscape, costs to movement and survival from toxicant exposure can trap infected animals in contaminated habitat and reduce landscape-level transmission. Increasing the proportion of contaminated habitat causes host population declines from combined effects of toxicants and infection. The onset of host declines precedes an increase in the density of infected hosts in contaminated habitat, and thus may serve as an early warning of increasing zoonotic spillover risk in urbanizing landscapes. These results highlight how sublethal effects of toxicants can determine pathogen impacts on wildlife populations that may not manifest until landscape contamination is widespread.
Data from: A novel approach to wildlife transcriptomics provides evidence of disease-mediated differential expression and changes to the microbiome of amphibian populations
Ranaviruses are responsible for a lethal, emerging infectious disease in amphibians and threaten their populations throughout the world. Despite this, little is known about how amphibian populations respond to ranaviral infection. In the United Kingdom, ranaviruses impact the common frog (Rana temporaria). Extensive public engagement in the study of ranaviruses in the UK has led to the formation of a unique system of field sites containing frog populations of known ranaviral disease history. Within this unique natural field system, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to compare the gene expression profiles of R. temporaria populations with a history of ranaviral disease and those without. We have applied a RNA read filtering protocol that incorporates Bloom filters, previously used in clinical settings, to limit the potential for contamination that comes with the use of RNA-Seq in non-laboratory systems. We have identified a suite of 407 transcripts that are differentially expressed between populations of different ranaviral disease history. This suite contains genes with functions related to immunity, development, protein transport and olfactory reception amongst others. A large proportion of potential non-coding RNA transcripts present in our differentially expressed set provides first evidence of a possible role for long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in amphibian response to viruses. Our read-filtering approach also removed significantly more bacterial reads from libraries generated from postitive disease history populations. Subsequent analysis revealed these bacterial read sets to represent distinct communities of bacterial species, which is suggestive of an interaction between ranavirus and the host microbiome in the wild.
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.