Kirk E. LaGory

Tests of theory for diel variation in salmonid feeding activity and habitat use

For many animals, selecting whether to forage during day or night is a critical fitness problem: at night, predation risks are lower but feeding is less efficient. Habitat selection is a closely related problem: the best location for nocturnal foraging could be too risky during daytime, and habitat that is safe and profitable in daytime may be unprofitable at night. We pose a theory that assumes animals select the combination of daytime and night activity (feeding vs. hiding), and habitat, that maximizes expected future fitness. Expected fitness is approximated as the predicted probability of surviving starvation and predation over a future time horizon, multiplied by a function representing the fitness benefits of growth. The theorys usefulness and generality were tested using pattern-oriented analysis of an individual-based model (IBM) of stream salmonids and the extensive literature on observed diel behavior patterns of these animals. Simulation experiments showed that the IBM reproduces eight diverse patterns observed in real populations. (1) Diel activity (whether foraging occurs during day and/or night) varies among a populations individuals, and from day to day for each individual. (2) Salmonids feed in shallower and slower water at night. (3) Individuals pack more tightly into the best habitat when feeding at night. (4) Salmonids feed relatively more at night if temperatures (and, therefore, metabolic demands) are low. (5) Daytime feeding is more common for life stages in which potential fitness increases more rapidly with growth. (6) Competition for feeding or hiding sites can shift foraging between day and night. (7) Daytime feeding is more common when food avail- ability is low. (8) Diel activity patterns are affected by the availability of good habitat for feeding or hiding. We can explain many patterns of variation in diel foraging behavior without assuming that populations or individuals vary in how inherently nocturnal or diurnal they are. Instead, these patterns can emerge from the search by individuals for good trade- offs between growth and survival under different habitat and competitive conditions.

Winter browse availability and use by white-tailed deer in Southeastern Indiana

Browse availability and use by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in southeastern Indiana were studied during winter 1978-79. Significant positive regressions were found between browse use and availability for the entire study area (habitat ignored) and within mature forests and second-growth woods. These data support the hypothesis that deer forage nonselectively in winter. No relationship was found between use and availability in oldfields. Browse use was lower in oldfields than in mature forests and secondgrowth woods, but the availability of browse did not differ between habitats. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 49(1): 120-124 White-tailed deer have evolved numerous physiological and behavioral adaptations for survival during the thermal and nutritional stresses of winter. Conservation of energy is achieved through lower metabolic rates, reduced activity, restricted home-range size, increased shelter-seeking behavior, and greater insulating properties of winter pelage (Mautz 1978, Moen 1978). In addition, insulation and energy are provided by fat reserves deposited during summer and autumn when food resource availability and quality are favorable (Short 1975, Mautz 1978). Winter forage is frequently poorly digested (Robbins and Moen 1975, Short 1975, Mautz et al. 1976), but is necessary to slow the catabolism of finite fat deposits (Mautz 1978). Nudds (1980) suggested that northern deer should adopt a generalist foraging strategy during winter in response to low food availability and quality. With such a strategy, relative use of food types is approximately equal to relative availability. He argued that energy acquisition should become the critical factor for survival and optimization of the diet for other nutrients should be relaxed. Data from Wetzel et al. (1975) were reanalyzed by Nudds (1980) and supported the hypothesis of diet generalization in winter. We examined the availability and use of woody browse by white-tailed deer in southeastern Indiana during winter (Dec-Mar). We tested the hypothesis that browse use is positively related to availability. We thank T. D. Nudds and L. D. Vangilder for reviewing earlier drafts of this manuscript. STUDY AREA The 2.5-km2 study area encompassed the Brookville Ecology Research Center and adjacent agricultural and state park lands south of Liberty, Union County, Indiana. A diversity of habitats was present, including upland and bottomland mature forest, second-growth woods, oldfields, and cropland. Topography varied with steep slopes rising from river bottoms to level upland. Dominant features of the landscape included the man-made impoundments of Brookville and Whitewater lakes. Population density of white-tailed deer in the study area was estimated at ~14 individuals/km2 (LaGory 1979). Mature forest occupied 50% of the study area and consisted of mixed deciduous hardwoods. Major canopy species in upland sites were oak (Quercus), white ash (Fraxinus americana), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and American be ch (Fagus grandifolia). American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), boxelder maple (A. negundo), and eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) were common canopy species in bottomland forests. Abandoned agricultural cropland and pasture existed as oldfields (26% of the study area) and second-growth woods (7%). Herbaceous plants included goldenrod (Solidago), aster (Aster), milkweed (Asclepias), wild carrot (Daucus carota), ragweed (Ambrosia), and several native and domesticated grasses. Shrubs and young trees common to oldfields and second-growth woods included osage-orange (Maclura pomifera), common honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), wild cherry (Prunus), dogwood (Cornus), elm (Ulmus), white

Niche differences between male and female white-tailed deer on Ossabaw Island, Georgia

Abstract Niche differences between male and female white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) were studied on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A. Most deer seen in pastures were males, but males and females were seen in approximately equal numbers in forest habitat. Pastures contained more abundant and apparently higher quality forage than did forest habitat. The use of higher quality areas by males is not consistent with observations of most other ungulate species. Resource limitation and the relatively high population density of deer on Ossabaw Island may have contributed to this pattern of habitat use. No dietary differences between the sexes were observed within habitats, as indicated by a lack of significant differences in rumen contents, in vitro digestion of forages, and foraging behavior.

Behavior in an Introduced Population of Fallow Deer during the Rut

-The behavior of introduced European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) was studied prior to and during the rut at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois. Data on associations among age-sex classes, interaction rates and times budgets were collected in daily observation periods near dawn and dusk. Fallow deer in this population exhibited a nonterritorial breeding system wherein adult males moved between undefended groups of females in search of estrus females and defended these groups from other adult males. Such associations between a male and a group of females generally lasted for less than a day. Adult males showed the greatest change in behavior during the rut in comparison to yearling males, females and fawns. Adult males altered their associations, initiated more aggressive and reproductive interactions and greatly decreased the time spent foraging during the rut.

A Review of Avian Monitoring and Mitigation Information at Existing Utility-Scale Solar Facilities

Government nor any agency thereof, nor UChicago Argonne, LLC, nor any of their employees or officers, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of document authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof, About Argonne National Laboratory Argonne is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC under contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. The Laboratorys main facility is outside Chicago, at 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439. For information about Argonne and its pioneering science and technology programs, see www.anl.gov.

Observations of Summer Roosting and Foraging Behavior of a Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) in Southern New Hampshire

Abstract Few data are available that describe the roosting and foraging ecology of the Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus), and no such data are available for the northeastern United States. We captured a juvenile Hoary Bat in south-central New Hampshire during July of 2007 and monitored its roosting behavior for ten days and its foraging behavior for one night. The bat roosted with two other bats, which we presumed were its mother and sibling. These bats roosted exclusively in Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock Tree) and tended to roost near tree tops in the forest canopy. The radiotagged bat used at least six roost trees and changed roost location eight times during the ten-day observation period. Although roost-tree fidelity was low, all roost trees were located within a maximum circular area of 0.5 ha. The bat foraged over an estimated 156-ha area of mostly forest habitat (68%), with additional open habitats (15%) and wetlands (17%). These data are the first observations of roosting and foraging behaviors by the Hoary Bat in the northeastern region of its geographic range.

Wetlands of Argonne National Laboratory-East DuPage County, Illinois

Jurisdictional wetlands of the Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) site in DuPage County, Illinois, were delineated in the summer and autumn of 1993 in accordance with the 1987 US Army Corps of Engineers methodology. Potential wetland sites with an area greater than 500 m{sup 2} (0.05 ha [0.124 acre]) were identified for delineation on the basis of aerial photographs, the DuPage County soil survey, and reconnaissance-level field studies. To qualify as a jurisdictional wetland, an area had to support a predominance of hydrophytic vegetation as well as have hydric soil and wetland hydrology. Thirty-five individual jurisdictional wetlands were delineated at ANL-E, totaling 180,604 m{sup 2} (18.1 ha [44.6 acres]). These wetlands were digitized onto the ANL-E site map for use in project planning. Characteristics of each wetland are presented -- including size, dominant plant species and their indicator status, hydrologic characteristics (including water source), and soil characteristics.

Exploring the Application of Optical Remote Sensing as a Method to Estimate the Depth of Backwater Nursery Habitats of the Colorado Pikeminnow

Low-velocity channel-margin habitats serve as important nursery habitats for the endangered Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) in the middle Green River between Jensen and Ouray, Utah. These habitats, known as backwaters, are associated with emergent sand bars, and are shaped and reformed annually by peak flows. A recent synthesis of information on backwater characteristics and the factors that influence inter-annual variability in those backwaters (Grippo et al. 2015) evaluated detailed survey information collected annually since 2003 on a relatively small sample of backwaters, as well as reach-wide evaluations of backwater surface area from aerial and satellite imagery. An approach is needed to bridge the gap between these detailed surveys, which estimate surface area, volume, and depth, and the reach-wide assessment of surface area to enable an assessment of the amount of habitat that meets the minimum depth requirements for suitable habitat.