Review of \u3ci\u3eThe Explorers\u27 Texas: The Animals They Found\u3c/i\u3e by Del Weniger

As a mammalogist residing in central Texas, I often try to imagine the great diversity and abundance of mammals present in this state prior to western settlement. There are of course legendary accounts in Texas history and folklore of some of the larger mammals, such as buffalo, bears, and wolves, but I know of no book that systematically recounts the historical distribution, abundance, and behavior of what was once an amazing collection of mammals. Del Weniger\u27s study takes its place as such a unique and well-researched account. This is the second volume of his research, the first covering The Land and Waters. Although subtitled The Animals They Found, the coverage is exclusively mammalian (volumes three and four will cover birds and plants, respectively)

The Evolution of Social and Reproductive Monogamy in Peromyscus, Evidence from \u3cem\u3ePeromyscus californicus\u3c/em\u3e (the California Mouse)

The genus Peromyscus (deer mice) is an attractive group in which to study the evolution of social and mating behaviours. This genus includes over 50 species (Carleton, 1989) that are widely distributed across North and Central America from coast to coast and from the northern subarctic to Panama (Kirkland & Layne, 1989). The diversity in body sizes among Peromyscus ranges from 13 to 77 g (Millar, 1989) and exceeds that of most other genera. Phylogenetic relationships among species of Peromyscus are relatively well understood (Stangl & Baker, 1984), although the systematics of Peromyscus is an active area of study (e.g., Rogers & Engstrom, 1992; Bradley et al., 2000). Most relevant to this chapter, populations and species of Peromyscus exhibit a variety of social behaviours and mating systems (Wolff, 1989), with social monogamy, and particularly reproductive monogamy, being relatively rare. Since monogamy is rare among Peromyscus, those Peromyscus species that exhibit monogamous behaviours may reveal important factors in the evolution of the genus. One of the best studied monogamous species within the genus is P. californicus (California mouse). Association patterns, biparental care, and mating exclusivity indicate that this species is socially and reproductively monogamous, and I will begin by reviewing these elements. Furthermore, recent field experiments demonstrate that male care is critical for offspring survival and is the salient feature of monogamy in this species. I will then review the ecology of female and male home range use and spatial organization and paternal care in other Peromyscus species

Ahead of his time: Joseph Grinnell, natural history, and inclusion and equity in STEM

Joseph Grinnell designed the Natural History of the Vertebrates (NHV) course at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley, over 100 years ago and the course has changed little over these years. In this essay, I connect modern pedagogical and cognitive understandings of what we know leads to success among students to the course. This analysis reveals that the course continues to be successful because it has all the elements of a student-centered, active-learning class that leads to better cognitive gains, better retention, and importantly, proportionately better gains for students from underserved populations. This study will be important for advocates of teaching natural history in biology curriculum. Joseph Grinnell diseñó el curso de Historia Natural de los Vertebrados (NHV) en el Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Universidad de California en Berkeley, hace más de 100 años y el curso ha cambiado poco durante estos años. En este ensayo, conecto la comprensión pedagógica y cognitiva moderna de lo que sabemos que conduce al éxito entre los estudiantes del curso. Este análisis revela que el curso continúa siendo exitoso porque tiene todos los elementos de una clase de aprendizaje activo centrada en el estudiante que conduce a mejores ganancias cognitivas, mejor retención y, lo que es más importante, proporcionalmente mejores ganancias para los estudiantes de poblaciones desatendidas. Este estudio será importante para los defensores de la enseñanza de la historia natural en el plan de estudios de biología

Dispersal in a Monogamous Rodent, \u3cem\u3ePeromyscus californicus\u3c/em\u3e

In view of theoretical interest in the relationships between mating systems and dispersal patterns and the paucity of empirical data on dispersal in monogamous mammals, I studied natal dispersal in the monogamous rodent Peromyscus californicus. Genealogical relationships were determined using fluorescent pigment transfer and DNA fingerprinting, and dispersal distances were determined using dispersal fences and intensive trapping. Minimum dispersal distances were greater for females than for males. Philopatric males (those settling within one home-range diameter of their birth site) tended to be from smaller litters than non-philopatric males. Minimum dispersal distances of males were positively associated with natal litter size at weaning, whereas minimum dispersal distances of females were positively associated with number of sisters in the natal litter. These results suggest that intrasexual mate competition drives female dispersal, while resource competition drives male dispersal. Males remain closer to their natal range than females, most likely to acquire and defend resources to attract females. Peromyscus californicus is unusual among mammals in displaying both a monogamous mating system and female-biased dispersal

Density and Cover Preferences of Black-And-Rufous Elephant-Shrews (\u3cem\u3eRhynchocyon petersi\u3c/em\u3e) in Chome Forest Reserve, Tanzania

The objective of this study was to determine the density and habitat preference of the Black-andrufous elephant-shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi) in Chome Forest Reserve, Tanzania. Chome Forest (143km2) is located in the South Pare Mountains and provides critical habitat for endangered R. petersi. Twelve 300m transects were cut through the centre of the forest in an east-west direction and the number of elephant-shrew nests within 2.5 meters on each side of the transects was recorded. The mean number of nests per 100m transect (0.39 ± 0.47 [1SE]) translated to a density estimate of 19 elephant-shrews per km2 (SE=23). Nest sites tended to be found in areas with greater than expected cover at the low (R. petersi is lower in the Chome Forest Reserve than in most populations in the Eastern Arc Mountains. The reasons for this difference and the conservation implications are discussed

Social Organization of the Eastern Rock Elephant-Shrew (\u3cem\u3eElephantulus myurus\u3c/em\u3e): The Evidence for Mate Guarding

Understanding the costs and benefits of defending solitary females, or mate guarding, may be the key to understanding the evolution of monogamy in most mammals. Elephant-shrews, or sengis, are a unique clade of small mammals that are particularly attractive for studies of mate guarding. We studied the spatial organization of Eastern Rock Sengis (Elephantulus myurus) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, from August – December 2000. Our objectives were to describe the home ranges of males and females using radiotelemetry, noting the sizes and overlap of adjacent ranges and how the spatial organization changes through time. Males and females were spatially associated in monogamous pairs despite the fact that males contributed no obvious direct care to offspring. These monogamous associations persisted despite the fact that some males had home ranges large enough to encompass multiple females. Males also had more variable ranges, perhaps because they spent more time at the periphery of their ranges exploring for the presence of additional females. There was likely competition for females, as range shifts were observed when male territory holders died or disappeared. It seems likely that this species is a model study organism to investigate the costs and benefits of mate guarding

Social Organization of \u3cem\u3eNeotoma micropus\u3c/em\u3e, the Southern Plains Woodrat

This study described the social organization of Neotoma micropus, the southern plains woodrat, using radiotelemetry. We studied woodrats from September 1994 through April 1995 at the Urban Wilderness Reserve in S Bexar County, Texas. Sixteen individuals (three adult males, 11 adult females, and two subadult males) were radiocollared and located in the evening or early morning during January and February. Seventy-four percent of female radiolocations and 57% of male radiolocations were from their respective nests. No more than one adult individual was observed at any nest at the same time. Males had significantly larger (x = 1899 m2) home ranges than females (x = 220 m2). Male home ranges overlapped female home ranges more (35.9%) than female ranges overlapped other female home ranges (11.9%). Survival rates were similar for males and females. The results confirm previous studies indicating that these woodrats are asocial. The spacing of male and female home ranges indicated that these woodrats probably have a promiscuous mating system

Relative Intestine Length and Feeding Ecology of Freshwater Fishes

There is a significant relationship between the intestine length (Y) and total body length (X) for 11 species of freshwater fish (Y = 0.08X1.42). Sufficient variation exists about this relationship to indicate important differences among the species\u27 diets. The diets for each species, ranked on a Trophic Index scale determined from literature data, are negatively rank order correlated with the mean relative intestine lengths (rs = -0.67). There is no significant rank order correlation between the Trophic Indices determined from data on stomach contents and the mean relative intestine lengths for fish from a single creek

Phylogenetic Analysis of the Socioecology of Neotomine-Peromyscine Rodents

This chapter focuses on the breeding systems of Neotomine-Peromyscine rodents. There are three specific objectives to this chapter. First, we describe the patterns for major Neotomine-Peromyscine clades using data collected from the literature (table 6.1). Second, we examine data from the literature on the following breeding behaviors: male spacing, female spacing, relative intersexual home range/territory size, paternal care, and juvenile dispersal patterns. We examine breeding behavior data in a phylogenetic framework to test if any phylogenetic patterns emerge in the observed variation in these breeding behaviors and if relationships occur among these behaviors. Third, we examine in a phylogenetic framework whether dietary, physiological, or life-history characteristics of the taxa are able to explain the observed variation in these breeding behaviors

Effects of Cutting Ashe Juniper Woodlands on Small Mammal Populations in the Texas Hill Country

We studied the effects of cutting Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei Bucholz) woodlands on populations of small mammals at Friedrich Wilderness Park, north of San Antonio, Texas. Three patches of juniper ranging from 1.8 ha to 2.4 ha were cut to provide habitat for endangered black-capped vireos (Vireo atricapillus Woodhouse). We trapped small mammals along transects placed in the treated patches and in untreated areas of the park from October 1995 to May 1996 and again from October 1996 to March 1997. Three species of small mammals were trapped, but Peromyscus pectoralis Osgood (white-ankled mouse) was the most common species captured. Peromyscus pectoralis was more abundant in the treated patches in which the juniper had been removed. Trapping success in the three treated areas was consistently higher (average of 12%) than in the untreated Ashe juniper woodlands (average of 3%). Mice that colonized treated patches survived longer than mice in control areas. Each year the number of P. pectoralis increased during the winter and spring, with juveniles accounting for up to 32% of captures. The management of habitat for an endangered species, such as the black-capped vireo, enhanced the biodiversity of small mammals in this study