The effects of growth light environment on the seasonal acclimation of photosynthetic capacity as well as rates of photosynthesis in the field were investigated in the angiosperm Mitchella repens L. (partridgeberry) and the gymnosperm Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. (eastern hemlock). Irrespective of growth light environment, photosynthetic capacity decreased in winter in partridgeberry but exhibited no seasonal change in eastern hemlock. These acclimatory patterns contrast with previously published results that report strong effects of growth light intensity on seasonal acclimation in another understory angiosperm, Mahonia repens (Lindley) Don., and strong winter-time decreases in photosynthetic capacity in a number of gymnosperms. With the exception of eastern hemlock in the exposed site, actual rates of photosynthesis were similar on summer days and on mild days in winter, whereas rates of photosynthesis measured on extremely cold days were much lower. Thus, even within the winter season, daily fluctuations in temperature profoundly affect photosynthesis. The carotenoid pigments that make up the xanthophyll cycle acclimated to winter in a manner that is consistent with their role in the protective process of energy dissipation.

Dendronotus frondosus (Ascanius 1774) is a common inhabitant of the intertidal zone of the lower Bay of Fundy. This nudibranch experiences great daily fluctuations in physical conditions that affect all aspects of its life cycle. We examined the effect of temperature (5, 11, and 15 °C) on the development time of eggs of an intertidal population of this species. Eggs developed more slowly at 5 °C than at 11 °C and did not develop past the second polar body stage at 15 °C. The effect of this difference in development time may be to compress the settlement period to span less time than the oviposition period.

Indirect effects of the microbial pesticide, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (B.t.k.), have been found in birds, mammals, and some parasitic insects as a result of reduced abundance of lepidopteran larvae. Salamanders are insectivores that often contain high percentages of lepidopteran larvae in their diets. This study tested the hypothesis that salamanders experience dietary shifts or reduced abundance on plots where B.t.k. is applied, as a function of decreased caterpillar abundance. Three plots in the Monongahela National Forest, Pocahontas County, WV were sprayed with B.t.k., three were sprayed with the gypsy moth nuclear polyhedrosis virus (Gypchek^®), and three remained as unsprayed reference sites. Abundance and diet composition of five species of Plethodontidae (Desmognathus fuscus, D. monticola, D. ochrophaeus, Plethodon cinereus, P. glutinosus) were studied for two years. Neither salamander abundance nor the proportions of the major prey items in their diets differed significantly between treatments. Based on prey abundance, diets of D. monticola, P. glutinosus and D. fuscus were composed of 9%, 6.1%, and 4% lepidopteran larvae, respectively, whereas P. cinereus and D. ochrophaeus contained less than 2% caterpillars in their diets. For each salamander species, the proportions of lepidopteran larvae found in diets were significantly different among all treatments; however, these differences did not follow a pattern that indicated a B.t.k. impact.

Construction of the Petitcodiac River Causeway in 1968 converted 21 km of macrotidal (tidal amplitude > 8 m) brackish-water estuary into a shallow impoundment. The ecological value of the freshwater impoundment was low, when judged by criteria of temporal stability, uniqueness, conservation of native species, and level of disturbance. By interfering with migrations, the causeway dam eliminated or greatly reduced the populations of most diadromous fishes, including a large population of the now-endangered Inner Bay of Fundy stock of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Loss of the host fish for the parasitic glochidial stage resulted in extirpation of the dwarf wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) from Canada. Benthic and planktonic communities of the impoundment were depauperate, and typical of a disturbed ecosystem. Most species were of marine/estuarine origin, or belong to freshwater groups with rapid dispersal. Illegally introduced warm-water fishes flourished in the impoundment, presumably replacing the native species.

The Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) experienced a significant contraction of its range from the Great Lakes eastward during the nineteenth century, but it staged a remarkable recovery in the late twentieth century that continues to the present. A rapid increase in population size in Maine, indexed by Christmas Bird Counts and field sighting data, occurred from the early 1970s through the 1990s. The timing of population growth in Maine closely paralleled the growth and spread of breeding populations along the St. Lawrence River in Québec, and eastward into the Maritimes. At this time, Ring-billed Gulls also began to appear in greater numbers during summer on interior lakes in Maine. Breeding colonies are now known on two inland lakes.

Nocturnally migrating birds often collide with man-made structures, particularly during inclement weather conditions. This study examines television tower kill data from 1970 to 1999 in western New York and from 1974 to 1992 in Youngstown, Ohio. Television towers were visited regularly during the fall months and any dead birds found around the tower were salvaged. The number of dead birds salvaged varied annually, ranging from a high in 1982 of 4,787 to a low of 6 in 1992 in New York and from 1,130 in 1975 to 18 in 1992 in Ohio. At both locations, the number of salvaged birds significantly decreased during the course of the study, and this decline was documented for each of the three television towers in New York. Several explanations may account for the variation in the rate of mortality in recent years, including an overall decrease in migratory bird populations, a potential change in patterns of wind direction and cloud cover, an increase in predation around the tower sites, and/or a change in migration patterns.

Soil fauna of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, MD was assessed as part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study Long Term Ecological Research Site. The majority of earthworm species were European exotics, and one of them Lumbricus friendi Cognetti, 1904 proved to be a new species to the fauna of North America. The species is very similar to L. terrestris, thus a comparative description of the two species is given.

We captured 159 bats in the Allegheny Plateau and Ridge and Valley physiographic provinces of West Virginia during summer 1998, including the northern long-eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis; n = 40), little brown myotis (M. lucifugus; n = 34), big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus; n = 29), eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus; n = 27), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis; n = 22), hoary bat (L. cinereus; n = 5), and silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans; n = 2). We analyzed fecal pellets of each bat to determine food habits. Diets of northern long-eared myotis and eastern red bats were dominated by Coleoptera (42.3 and 24.5%, respectively) and Lepidoptera (31.1 and 47.0%, respectively). Diet of big brown bats primarily consisted of Coleoptera (67.5%). Diet of hoary bats was dominated by Lepidoptera (98%). Diet of silver-haired bats was moderately diverse, but primarily composed of Lepidoptera (47.5%) and Diptera (20.0%). Diets of little brown myotis and eastern pipistrelles were highly diverse, consuming an even proportion of six orders of insects including Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Homoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Tricoptera. Diets of these seven species of bats did not differ notably from diet of each species reported from other regions of the eastern United States. Our results provide information about food habits of bats that are common throughout the central Appalachian Mountains.

We used fecal analysis to describe the diet of Eptesicus fuscus in Pennsylvania and western Maryland. We examined spatial variation in diet composition among three populations and temporal variation within a maternity colony. Temporal patterns of prey use were compared with similar data collected previously from a maternity colony in Indiana. Overall, Coleoptera (58–82%), especially Scarabaeidae (14–31%), were the dominant prey items. Hemiptera, primarily Acrosternum hilare (5–19%), were also major prey, and Tettigoniidae (not previously reported) were prey of two populations (6%, 17%). Significant spatial and temporal variation existed in diet composition among populations and use of major prey types, respectively. Comparison of temporal data collected in this study and in Indiana indicated a nearly identical pattern in the use of Scarabaeidae. These insects are abundant in the spring, and the data suggest widespread specialization on Scarabaeidae in April and May. Several insects preyed on by E. fuscus in this study are serious agricultural pests.

Bats that inhabit dead or dying trees may interact with a wide variety of other animals that utilize this same habitat, including potential predators. Herein, we report two interactions between Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis) and woodpeckers (Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Melanerpes carolinus; and Northern Flickers, Colaptes auratus). We also report attempts by common raccoons (Procyon lotor) to prey upon both Indiana myotis and evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis). These represent the first reported interactions between either woodpeckers or raccoons and tree-roosting bats of either species. If predators such as raccoons are superabundant in small forest fragments, then increased predation from these animals could be an important source of mortality for bats roosting within these habitats.