While monitoring den activity using remote-sensing cameras in the central Appalachians in West Virginia, we observed an adult female Spilogale putorius L. (Eastern Spotted Skunk) deliver a live Plethodon glutinosus Green (Northern Slimy Salamander) to a juvenile skunk at a den. A possible explanation for the observed behavior could be food provisioning by the adult to provide nutrition and/or an opportunity to develop hunting and prey-handing skills. Food provisioning has rarely been observed in small carnivores such as spotted skunks, but it undoubtedly is a critical aspect of parental care for a range of taxa.

We report the first confirmed Myotis sodalis (Indiana Bat) maternity colony in Virginia, discovered at Fort A.P. Hill Military Reservation in Caroline County along the Piedmont-Coastal Plain Fall Line. Acoustic surveys conducted in 2014 indicated likely presence of Indiana Bats on the installation. Subsequent focal mist-netting during May–June 2015 resulted in capture of 4 lactating females that we subsequently radio tracked to a maternity colony site containing at least 20 individuals. The core roosting-area was comprised of Pinus taeda (Loblolly Pine) snags with abundant exfoliating bark and high solar exposure. This forest patch was adjacent to a large emergentshrub wetland and within a larger matrix of mature, mid-Atlantic hardwood forests. The site where we found the colony location is 140 km east of the nearest known hibernaculum and is outside of the previously documented extent of this species' occurrence.

Freshwater mussels continue to experience declines in population numbers in response to changing environments. Identifying aspects of the environment associated with the presence and abundance of mussels in small streams is challenging where past records are minimal. Thus, we sought to produce models of habitat favoring mussel species richness and abundance in the upper Mahoning River using data collected in 2 ways: (1) surveying sites deemed as suitable habitat via observation and (2) surveying existing Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) sites used to evaluate water quality and aquatic life through biotic indices. Detailed physical measurements were added at each survey site. Surveys identified 963 freshwater mussels of 11 species. The more-forested Eagle Creek contained an abundant mussel assemblage compared to the rest of the Upper Mahoning River, yet this stream was still dominated by just 1 common species, Lampsilis siliquoidea (Fatmucket). Drainage area alone correlated with mussel richness and abundance, but a complex model of multiple characteristics provided equivalent predictive power to assess how variation in environmental components may enhance the likelihood of mussel presence. The OEPA composite qualitative habitat evaluation index, which encompasses substrate, instream cover, channel morphology, riparian zone, pool quality, and map gradient, also was indicative of greater mussel diversity.

Little quantitative information is available on the effectiveness of Malaise traps in estimating insect species richness. I used the Chao1 nonparametric species richness estimator to evaluate the effectiveness of Malaise traps in assessing species richness of robber flies in west-central Illinois burned and unburned deciduous forest and tallgrass prairie habitats. Two of 12 traps yielded asymptotic species richness values, with remaining traps requiring fold increases ranging from 3.1 to 20.9 to reach asymptotic richness. Overall, observed species richness was over 85% of estimated species richness, but a 3.9-fold sample-size increase would have been required to reach asymptotic species richness. For individual habitats, estimated fold increases in sample size ranging from 1.9 to 9.7 would have been needed to reach asymptotic species richness. These results show that Malaise traps are effective in sampling robber flies, but asymptotic species richness would be difficult to achieve. Lower target coverage levels may be practical in terms of sampling effort and cost, and use of complementary sampling methods could improve the completeness of inventories.

Pollen analysis of a 10-m core from the Niles Huyck Bog in Rensselaerville, NY, yields a history of late-glacial and postglacial vegetational change from the beginning of sediment deposition into the bog basin following ice withdrawal to the present. A radio-carbon-dated sequence is provided as time control for the upper 6 m. Late-glacial pollen assemblages seen near the base of the core consist of Abies spp. (fir) and Picea spp. (spruce) as the principal tree genera and grasses and sedges as the main herbaceous components, and resemble pollen assemblages elsewhere in New York and New England. These assemblages were replaced by ones consisting primarily of Pinus spp. (pine), which became dominant ca. 9000 years before present (YBP). By 8000 YBP, pine gave way to Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock), Quercus spp. (oak), and Fagus grandifolia (American Beech), denoting a more mesic climate. Thereafter, the replacement of oak by beech is a notable trend that continues throughout the pollen profile and is interrupted only by the hemlock decline at 4723 YBP. The pollen spectra then begin to reflect vegetation of a more local character, and ca. 3000 YBP the beginning of the closure of the catchment basin is marked with the sustained increase of Sphagnum spp. (sphagnum) spores. An Ambrosia spp. (ragweed) pollen signal marks European settlement near the top of the core. A pollen signature near the base of the core (Zone H-2) suggests a Younger Dryas (YD; 12,900–11,300 YBP) cooling event for this region, making the sediments below probably equivalent to the Allerød Interstadial for the Niles Huyck Bog. The date for this event is ca. 13,000–14,500 YBP. An estimated date of 14,344 YBP is based on the time needed to accumulate the last 60 cm of sediment and adding it to the end of the YD. This date is in close agreement with the dates recorded for both the nearby Meadowdale Bog and the Great Bear Swamp and supports the hypothesis of a “bottom to top” mode of deglaciation in this region.

Vincetoxicum nigrum (Black Swallow-wort) and Vincetoxicum rossicum (Pale Swallow-wort) are perennial, twining vines introduced from Europe. Both species have become invasive in northeastern North America in a variety of habitats. To develop parameters for a population model for evaluating the control of swallow-worts, including biological control, we collected data from 5 life stages on 20 different demographic rates involving fecundity, germination, survival, and growth. We monitored 2 field and 2 forest populations of Pale Swallow-wort, and 2 field populations of Black Swallow-wort in New York State using a combination of marked individuals and sowing plots. Both species showed moderate to high rates of seed germination and high survival of seedlings, with the primary exception of a heavily shaded forest population. Survival generally continued to remain high postestablishment, although transitions to different life stages varied by species, location, and habitat. Black Swallow-wort became reproductive more quickly than Pale Swallow-wort. These data add to the knowledge of swallow-wort demography and may offer insights into the continued expansion and control of these invasive plants.

The invasive fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS), Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has decimated bat populations in the United States, causing significant mortality since the winter of 2006–2007. Temperatures inside many bat hibernacula are ideal for fungal growth, yet data are limited on the effects of humidity on the development of the fungus. The aim of our study was to determine optimum relative humidity (RH) levels for vegetative growth and sporulation of P. destructans growing at optimal temperatures. We cultivated P. destructans isolate MYA-4855 at 13 °C in individual humidity chambers where RH was maintained between 70.5 and 96.5% using supersaturated salt solutions. We quantified vegetative growth and conidia formation for 3 weeks and implemented single linear regression and ANCOVA analyses to ascertain the effects of RH. Mycelial growth increased significantly with increasing RH by 2 and 3 weeks post inoculation (P < 0.001, r = 0.49, 0.61). This effect was most pronounced up to 81.5% RH, after which no significant increases in growth were detected. Conidiation increased linearly with increasing RH by 3 weeks post inoculation (P < 0.05, r = 0.33). Similar to mycelial growth, there was no difference in conidia production once RH exceeded 81.5%. The RH range permissive for significant mycelial development is fairly wide, and RH levels at 81.5% and above at 13 °C support similar levels of vegetative growth. However, our results indicate that at 13 °C, RH of 70% or lower impedes mycelial growth, which could restrict infection severity and/or colonization of organic matter. Finally, lower RH does not restrict production of conidia, which serve as important transmission propagules. Our study suggests that lowering RH could stem infection serverity but may be of limited value as a means of mitigating pathogen dispersal from infected to healthy bats.

The global decline of amphibian species is a pressing problem that has garnered much scientific attention. Annual fluctuations of amphibian populations are a common occurrence due to weather variability, reproductive failure, or other factors. Therefore, a long-term perspective through the use of historical datasets is needed to identify persistent trends. To examine the changes in the populations of Anuran (frog and toad) species in Staten Island, NY, we used the detailed notes contained in the field journals of naturalist William T. Davis (1862–1945) to form a basis of comparison to modern surveys (2010–2011). We found very substantial changes, mainly declines, in the amphibian biota of Staten Island. Of the 10 original species, 4 have apparently been extirpated and another 4 have declined in probability of occurrence (PO), most notably Anaxyrus fowleri (Fowler's Toad), whose PO decreased 1 order of magnitude. Only Lithobates clamitans (Green Frog) and Lithobates catesbeianus (Bullfrog) have increased through time. We show that these changes are related to environmental perturbations that have occurred over the same time period.

Recent changes in the Earth's climate have been linked to changes in phenology, geographic distributions, and morphology of species, and warming temperatures associated with climate change have been predicted to result in decreases in avian body sizes. We examined changes in wing length and fat-free mass of 34,844 fall migrants from 31 neotropical migratory species captured at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland between 1980 and 2012. Body size changes varied across species, but wing length and fat-free mass increased significantly over time in the pooled sample of all species. Magnitudes of change were small and similar to other studies, with mean wing length increasing 0.55% and mean fat-free mass increasing 1.30% across all species. General morphological changes at our site differed from those at a banding station located 235 km away. Across species, changes in wing length were weakly correlated between stations, and changes in fat-free mass were uncorrelated. Populations of some species showed opposite morphological changes, demonstrating that morphological changes can vary regionally. Over short time scales, factors other than climate might drive observed changes in body size of neotropical migrants, and alternative hypotheses for body size changes should be considered.