Surveillance Strategy for Detecting Pseudogymnoascus Destructans (PD) and White-Nose Syndrome in Montana 2016-2017

The devastating bat disease, White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), was detected in western Washington state in March of 2016.  This detection was 1,300 miles from the previous westernmost detection and highlighted the urgency for surveillance in other western states like Montana.  Early detection of the disease may provide valuable insights into the statewide status of WNS, research opportunities, mitigation options and cave management.  The goals of Montana’s surveillance plan include 1) surveying for WNS/Pd in new geographic areas outside the WNS-affected zone and/or biologically important sites and 2) surveying for WNS infection in bat species that are not currently known to be susceptible.  In the absence of information or a risk assessment to help Montana focus on priority surveillance areas other than winter hibernacula, the 2017 strategy focuses on sampling at six hibernacula representing all regions where aggregations of bats overwinter.  Both active and passive sampling of bats and hibernacula environments will be conducted.  Active sampling can detect Pd from swabs of bats or in hibernacula soils.  Passive sampling will be conducted into the early summer specifically targeting bats found dead outside of hibernacula, bats showing clear signs of WNS infection, and bats found dead as part of a large mortality event.  Bats submitted for rabies testing may also be sampled when circumstances or characteristics of the carcass indicate WNS may be the cause of mortality.  While surveillance efforts can be costly it may provide information with enough time to better inform decision making

Diel Feeding Cycle and Some Effects of Light on Feeding Intensity of the Mississippi Silverside, Menidia audens, in Clear Lake, California

A study of the diel feeding cycle of 940 Mississippi silversides, Menidia audens Hay, in two 24‐hour sampling periods in Clear Lake, California, showed a predominance of crustacean zooplankton in the diet. Ceriodaphnia sp., Daphnia pulex, and emerging dipterans were the most important food items. A pronounced morning feeding peak indicated visual feeding. Evidence of visual feeding is further given by statistically significant ingestion of larger food items at night and decreased feeding during the one moonless night. Occurrence of emerging midges in the diet during the second period indicates possible selective predation.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141129/1/tafs0084.pd

Experiencing Poverty in an Online Simulation: Effects on Players’ Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviors about Poverty

Digital simulations are increasingly used to educate about the causes and effects of poverty, and inspire action to alleviate it. Drawing on research about attributions of poverty, subjective well-being, and relative income, this experimental study assesses the effects of an online poverty simulation (entitled Spent) on participants’ beliefs, attitudes, and actions. Results show that, compared with a control group, Spent players donated marginally more money to a charity serving the poor and expressed higher support for policies benefitting the poor, but were less likely to take immediate political action by signing an online petition to support a higher minimum wage. Spent players also expressed greater subjective well-being than the control group, but this was not associated with increased policy support or donations. Spent players who experienced greater presence (perceived realism of the simulation) had higher levels of empathy, which contributed to attributing poverty to structural causes and support for anti-poverty policies. We draw conclusions for theory about the psychological experience of playing online poverty simulations, and for how they could be designed to stimulate charity and support for anti-poverty policies

Flow and cooperative learning in civic game play

Flow theory offers an individualistic explanation of media enjoyment, while cooperative learning theory posits a social explanation for enhanced learning in groups. This classroom-based experimental study examines whether game players can experience both conditions and the influence of each on several types of civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions. We find that high quality cooperative learning contributed to acquiring civic knowledge and skills. In contrast, flow was more influential for developing dispositions to empathy and interest in learning more about the game topics. Thus, we conclude that players can experience flow while engaged in cooperative learning, but that these two conditions may support different kinds of civic learning

Simulating REAL LIVES: Promoting global empathy and interest in learning through simulation games

In response to an increasingly interdependent world, educators are demonstrating a growing interest in educating for global citizenship. Many definitions of the “good global citizen” value empathy as an especially important disposition for understanding others across national borders and cultural divides. Yet it may be difficult for people to achieve empathy with others who are perceived as psychologically and geographically distant. Can computerized simulation games help foster global empathy and interest in global civic learning? This quasiexperimental classroom study of 301 Northern California high school students in three schools examined the effects of playing REAL LIVES, a simulation game that allows players to inhabit the lives of individuals around the world. Compared with a control group, students who played the simulation game as part of their curriculum expressed more global empathy and greater interest in learning about other countries. Identification with REAL LIVES characters was also positively related to global empathy. These findings support claims that computerized simulations can cultivate important dispositions for global learning and citizenship

Bat Use, Human Visitation, and Environmental Attributes of Cave Hibernacula in Montana

Across the eastern United States, caves historically supported large aggregations of overwintering bats. In contrast, few large aggregations have been observed within caves in Montana. To collect comprehensive information on cave use by bats and inform White Nose Syndrome surveillance, we inventoried caves to estimate numbers of hibernating bats, assessed the microclimate within hibernacula, monitored activity of bats using acoustic detectors, and quantified visitation by people using trail cameras. In collaboration with recreational cavers, state, and federal biologists we conducted over 300 structured and incidental surveys at 99 caves.  Only 6 caves had counts exceeding 100 individuals, and our largest hibernacula had approximately 1,700 bats. The mean annual temperature and humidity across 16 caves averaged 5.0°C and 100% RH. At the 6 largest hibernacula, we established year round baselines of bat acoustic activity and quantify visitation by people. We found that both the number of people entering caves and bat activity within caves peaked in summer. During the winter, visitation appears largely dependent on accessibility of the cave and all monitored caves had low levels of bat activity. Caves in Montana appear to support relatively few aggregations of overwintering bats. Although we have visited most known caves in the state, the number of hibernating individuals we observed is likely orders of magnitude less than the total number we presume overwinter in-state. Future projects should explore the use of cracks, crevices, talus, and badlands to identify other important hibernacula

Genética Online

El presente proyecto de extensión tiene como objetivo principal crear y desarrollar un ambiente virtual de enseñanza en genética para el nivel superior. Tiene como finalidad ser una herramienta de estudios en los contenidos de genética, para así mejorar el desempeño de los alumnos en las disciplinas regulares ofrecidas en los diferentes cursos de la UNILA. El ambiente virtual será compuesto de video aulas teóricas, video aulas prácticas, resoluciones de ejercicios y de textos para profundizar en los temas. Todo el contenido estará disponible en portugués y español. Secundariamente, el ambiente virtual podrá ser utilizado por profesores de ciencias biológicas de la red pública y aprobada para actualización y mismo uso del contenido en sus salas de aula

Mechanisms Driving Nonnative Plant-Mediated Changes in Small Mammal Populations and Communities

Nonnative plants can dramatically alter habitat of native animals through changes in vegetation structure and availability of food resources. Range expansion by nonnative cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) is an acute threat to persistence of native species in the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem of southwestern Montana. As climate changes over the next century, rangelands in Montana are likely to become more hospitable to this invasive grass. Although declines in small mammal diversity and abundance previously have been documented with cheatgrass invasion, we know little about the underlying mechanisms driving these changes. We will explore potential mechanisms for nonnative plant-mediated changes on three species of native mammals: deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), montane vole (Microtus montanus), and sagebrush vole (Lemmiscus curtatus) in sagesteppe communities at the Gravelly-Blacktail Wildlife Management Area (WMA). We will quantify changes in vegetation characteristics in areas invaded by cheatgrass; based on this information, we will develop experimental treatments that mimic individual modified characteristics. We will apply these treatments to randomly selected plots on the WMA and establish appropriate controls. Using standard capture-mark-recapture methods, we will estimate abundance and species diversity of small mammals and make comparisons between treated and control plots to quantify effects. We will also quantify and compare body condition, predator avoidance, and diet to explore additional mechanisms driving changes in mammalian abundance and diversity. Identifying the mechanisms for how cheatgrass invasion alters populations and communities of native species will provide critical information to inform conservation and management of some of Montana’s native small mammals

Assessing Impacts From One Year of Monitoring at a Wind Farm in Central Montana

In 2015, NorthWestern Energy, owner of Spion Kop Wind Farm, contracted Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to assess impacts on birds and bats and formed a Technical Advisory Committee to guide research and monitoring. An explicit objective was to ensure all methods and results are publicly available. We searched turbines weekly May-September, 2016 for mortalities, assessed eagle use via point counts year-round and the Montana Natural Heritage Program deployed acoustic bat detectors to record echolocation sequences for activity. Estimates of fatality were determined by adjusting raw carcass counts for bias using the Huso (2011) Fatality Estimator software. Bat activity and species presence were quantified through analysis of call sequences. We observed three Golden Eagles, Aquila chrysaetos, on counts for a total of 3 eagle use minutes. We found carcasses of two Western Meadowlarks, Sturnella neglecta, 15 Hoary Bats, Lasiurus cinereus, and five Silver-haired Bats, Lasionycteris noctivigans. The mean bird fatality estimate was 14 (95% CI: 9-20) and for bats 221 (95% CI: 120-397). An estimate of raptor fatality is of interest, but since no raptor fatalities were encountered we used the Huso (2014) Evidence of Absence (EOA) software to assess likelihood of a raptor collision. We can assert with 95% credibility that no more than 3 raptors were killed at the site. Impacts to birds are low relative to other wind farms in the west. The observed bat fatality rate (5.5 bats/MW) is below the average but above the median fatality rate observed at 49 wind farms in the mid-west

How Do Nonnative Plants Affect Small Mammals? Effects of Vegetation Structure on Escape Ability of Small Mammals

Nonnative plants can alter habitat of native animals through changes in vegetation structure and availability of food resources. Invasion of nonnative cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) is an acute threat to persistence of native wildlife in the sagebrush steppe ecosystem of southwestern Montana. Cheatgrass invasion increases vegetation density and litter depth between shrubs, potentially increasing risk of predation by impeding an animal’s ability to escape. We examined how vegetation density and litter depth affects maximum sprint speed, as one component of a project investigating how changes in the structural complexity of vegetation due to cheatgrass invasion affects small mammals. Using artificial materials to mimic cheatgrass structure and litter, we timed deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) sprinting through a range of litter depths and structure densities along a 2 m-long track, to assess each animal’s ability to flee from a predator. We found that median sprint time increased 15 percent (95% CI = 13-18%) for every additional 1000 stems/m2; increases in litter depth ? 9 cm had little effect on sprint speed. If predation is a limiting factor for small mammal populations within sagebrush steppe, management tools that can reduce vegetation density of nonnative plants may be beneficial. Litter removal may only benefit small mammals if accumulations are reduced to less than 9 cm in depth. Increasing our understanding of how small mammals respond to changes in vegetation architecture caused by nonnative plants may help inform management and restoration efforts, especially when complete eradication is unlikely