Although Canis lupus L. (Gray Wolf) individuals are sometimes impaled by sticks, we could find no documentation of natural impalement by sticks as a cause of death for wild Wolves. Here we report on a wild Gray Wolf from northeastern Minnesota that died due to stick puncture of its thorax and abdomen.

Records of bats and birds concurrently exploiting the same food source are rare in the literature. We observed an instance of bats and Chordeiles minor (Common Nighthawk) foraging in artificial light around the Washington Monument. Our observation corroborates earlier evidence that bats and Common Nighthawks both exploit the foraging opportunity created by artificial lights. Because the monument provided spatial perspective, we were also able to observe that bats and Common Nighthawks foraged at different heights, suggesting that they partitioned the available foraging space vertically.

Lasiurus borealis (Eastern Red Bat), long considered a common species, is now experiencing population declines. Most studies of their roosting habits have reported that the species uses mature canopy trees. We radio-tracked 2 adult male Eastern Red Bats to their roost trees in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in June of 2012. Both bats roosted in a different tree each day, but spent 3–5 days roosting in groups of nearby trees before making larger movements out of the study area. Characteristics of roost trees differed markedly between bats. One bat roosted in Castanea dentata (American Chestnut) and Quercus rubra (Red Oak) saplings in early-successional habitat; the other roosted in mature Quercus spp. (oaks) in closed-canopy forest. Most roost trees and nearby trees were shorter and smaller diameter than those reported in previous studies. Our results suggest Eastern Red Bats have relatively broad roosting habits that include use of both early- and late-successional habitat.

A foraging group of Clangula hyemalis (Long-tailed Duck) was observed on 10 February 2010 diving behind a commercial boat that was clamming near Monomoy Island, Nantucket Sound, MA. We used a shotgun to collect 9 of the ducks, and our analyses of gizzard and gullet (esophagus and proventriculus) revealed 37 food items in the gizzard and 16 in the gullet. Mollusca were the dominant food in the gizzard (49%), whereas Crustacea were dominant in the gullet (57%). Crustacea were the second most important food in the gizzard (38%), whereas Mollusca were the second most important food in the gullet (31%). Relatively high volumes of the Amphipoda Caprella sp. (skeleton shrimp) and the Decopoda Crangon septemspinosa (Sand Shrimp) were recorded in the gullet and gizzard. Ensis directus (Atlantic Jackknife Clam) formed the greatest volume of Mollusca in the gizzard (15%) and in the gullet (15%). Long-tailed Ducks had fed on this Bivalvia and several other species of Mollusca that had no shell or broken shell when consumed. Many of the food organisms were apparently dislodged and some damaged by the clamming operation creating an opportunistic feeding strategy for the Long-tailed Ducks.

The goal of this study was to elucidate the host—ectoparasite associations of small-mammal communities in south-central Kentucky. Specifically we sought to determine whether host species, sex, and age as well as site or season affected the infestation of small mammals by parasitic arthropods. We captured small mammals from November 2014 to October 2015 using live traps in three 200 m × 50 m trapping grids within Western Kentucky University's Green River Preserve. We identified captured small mammals to species and recorded standard measurements. Ectoparasites were removed and retained for identification. We collected 9 species of ectoparasites, including 3 ixodid ticks, 5 species of Siphonaptera, and 1 mesostigmatid mite, from 7 species of small mammals and calculated prevalence and mean intensity for each host—parasite association. Infestation rates of ectoparasites were generally low, but were affected by age and sex of the host, site, and season in different parasite taxa. We posit several natural- and life-history characteristics of hosts and parasites that likely contribute to the observed effects. The findings presented here provide an inventory of small-mammal and ectoparasite species in south-central Kentucky as well as insight into the dynamics of host—ectoparasite associations in the southeastern United States.

Beach nourishment, or artificial addition of sediment to a beach, a common practice for rebuilding beaches for recreation and storm protection, can have positive or negative effects on the flora and fauna of dune communities. There has been little work exploring the consequences of nourishment on the impacts of invasive plant species that thrive on dunes. In this study, we explored the impacts of nourishment on the invasiveness of Carex kobomugi (Asiatic Sand Sedge) in secondary dune communities composed primarily of Ammophila breviligulata (American Beachgrass) and Solidago sempervirens (Seaside Goldenrod) at 3 study sites at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey, testing the hypothesis that nourishment promotes sedge invasion. Dune communities were subjected to 5 burial depth treatments in ∼15-cm increments ranging from 0 (control) to 60 cm (∼24 inches) burial. Growth responses were monitored by quantifying emergent individuals and by harvesting all aboveground biomass at the end of the season. Physiological responses were evaluated using an infrared gas analyzer to quantify photosynthesis rates. Burials lead to a reduction in community diversity and native species biomass, while favoring the invasive species. In addition, Seaside Goldenrod within invaded communities exhibited significantly lower photosynthesis rates than those individuals in non-invaded communities. The results suggest that nourishment will promote Asiatic Sand Sedge invasion to the detriment of native dune species.

Non-native earthworms are found throughout much of the United States and southern Canada in areas glaciated during the most recent glaciation. Following invasion, these earthworms altered nutrient cycling, soil structure, and diversity in forests throughout the northern United States. There are no comprehensive studies of earthworm distributions in forested areas of Maine. We surveyed earthworms in forested recreation areas in Kennebec County, ME, and investigated ecological and landscape attributes that may predict their presence. To examine whether the presence of worms modifies forests, we measured environmental variables known from other studies to be affected by worms. We found earthworms at 12 out of 23 sites. Sample sites near roads, in deciduous forests, and in small forests were more likely to have earthworms. We also found that locations with worms have less surface litter and more soil phosphorous, suggesting that earthworms modify soils in Maine forests. Our study is the first to explore the distribution of earthworms in natural forests in Maine, and our findings provide evidence that roads facilitate earthworm invasion, with measurable consequences for soil properties.

Weekly collections, from May to September over 3 years from one 2-tier box trap in Addison, VT, totaled more than 29,000 tabanids representing 44 species and included 417 Tabanus calens. Seasonal succession was evident, with T. calens most numerous in the upper trap in August. This very large horse fly was easily collected around a bait horse with an aerial net. Other abundant horse fly species were Hybomitra lasiophthalma, T. quinquevittatus, T. lineola, and T. sackeni. The most abundant deer flies were Chrysops univittatus and C. vittatus. Most deer flies showed a preference for the upper trap, whereas horse flies showed a mixed preference. Tabanus quinquevittatus made up 60% of the collected horseflies in the trap. The trap collected 41% less horse flies (73% less T. calens) and 24% less deer flies with the trap in 2013 to compared to in 2015. Both the presence of T. calens and the use of the 2-tier box trap in Vermont at one site for 3 whole seasons were new events. Tabanus calens was not listed in the 1990 checklist of Vermont tabanids. These results are presented in the context of trap modifications, range extension, and polarized light.

Heterophylly, the production of different leaf forms on the same plant, is a widespread phenomenon in terrestrial and aquatic plants and provides an opportunity to study how sessile organisms sense and respond to changes in environmental factors. Nymphaea odorata subsp. tuberosa (American White Water Lily) produces 2 distinct leaf forms: a floating surface leaf and an aerial form in which the lamina is held above the water. Previous research suggests that changes in the light environment may be a critical determinant of heterophylly in Nymphaea. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that changes in light quantity and light quality stimulate the production of aerial leaf forms in water lilies. Specifically, shade cloth was used to reduce light intensity (quantity), and varying plant densities were used to increase leaf cover (affecting light quality) in artificial ponds. Aerial leaf production was not stimulated by reduction in light quantity alone but was when leaf cover exceeded 30–40%. We suggest that as the surface of a pond becomes covered with a canopy of leaves, American White Water Lily responds with the production of aerial leaves that rise above the surface of the water to gain access to light. Interestingly, water lilies exhibit an atypical shade response in that aerial leaves have short, thick petioles that allow them to rise above the surface of the water, rather than displaying the elongated phenotype associated with etiolation, which is the typical shade response of other flowering plants.

We provide the first quantitative study on the diet of Somateria mollissima dresseri (American Eider) undergoing the flightless wing molt. Twenty-nine adult females in wing molt were collected in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, QC, Canada. We identified a total of 510 prey items comprising 6 species of molluscs, echinoderms, and crustaceans from the esophagus and proventriculus of 15 birds. Mytilus edulis (Blue Mussel) was the most important prey for eiders as it occurred in 80% of the gullets and represented nearly 95% of the total aggregate prey mass, confirming the importance of this prey item for American Eiders throughout the annual cycle. The mean length of mussels consumed by eiders in the Estuary was nearly 4 times that of mussels ingested by birds in the Gulf; factors driving this difference remain unknown. Accordingly, we suggest that future work on the foraging ecology of flightess American Eiders examine how the size of mussels consumed by birds may be influenced by the distribution of various mussel size classes available on molting grounds in the St. Lawrence Estuary and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus (Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel; VNFS) is a rare Sciurid that occurrs in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia and northwest Virginia. Previous work on this subspecies has confirmed close associations with Picea rubens (Red Spruce) at the landscape and stand levels in the region. However, ongoing Red Spruce restoration actions using canopy-gap creation to release single or small groups of trees requires a better understanding of within-stand habitat selection of VNFS to assess potential short- and medium-term impacts. To address these questions, we conducted a microhabitat study using radio-collared squirrels in montane conifer and mixed conifer—hardwood stands. We used points obtained from telemetry surveys and randomly generated points within each squirrel's home range to compare microhabitat variables for 13 individuals. We found that VNFS preferentially selected plots with conifer-dominant overstories and deep organic-soil horizons. VNFS avoided plots with dense Red Spruce regeneration in the understory in stands with hardwood-dominated overstories—the types of areas targeted for Red Spruce restoration. We also opportunistically searched for hypogeal fungi at telemetry points and found 3 species of Elaphomyces during our surveys. Our results indicate that microhabitat selection is associated with Red Spruce-dominant forests. Efforts to restore Red Spruce where hardwoods dominate in the central Appalachians may improve the connectivity and extent of habitat of VNFS.

The morphology and growth habit of Toxicodendron radicans (Poison Ivy) varies widely across North America. In this study, we evaluated the role of Poison Ivy accessionlevel diversity on growth habit and performance responses to light and nutrient stress in a common-garden greenhouse environment. We grew Poison Ivy seedlings derived from drupes collected from Iowa (IA), Michigan (MI), Texas (TX), and Virginia (VA) in a glasshouse with factorial arrangements of 2 light treatments (full sun and deep shade) and 3 nutrient treatments (full nutrients, full nutrients minus nitrogen, no nutrients). Seedlings from Iowa grew very poorly across all treatments, whereas plants from MI, TX, and VA showed accessional variation, though treatment effects were stronger than accession-level effects. We observed significant accession-level differences in height, branch number, leaf area, total biomass, chlorophyll, and root:shoot ratio biometrics; the Texas accession generally outperformed the MI and VA accessions across all treatments. Overall, light availability was a much stronger driver of overall performance than nutrient availability; plants grown in shade were smaller, had fewer branches and produced ∼20% of the biomass compared to those grown in full-sun. Poison Ivy shows accession-level variation in plastic responses to light and nutrient availability, which partially explains the breadth of habitats the species colonizes.

Little is known about the stopover biology of Spinus pinus (Pine Siskin) and other Fringillid birds during their irruptive movements into the US from boreal Canada. Here, we report on the passage timing, energetic condition, and age distribution of 402 Pine Siskins that we captured during autumn stopovers in New Jersey in the irruption year of 2012. Pine Siskins passed through our study site for ∼3 weeks and peaked in abundance between 9 and 12 October. More birds were juveniles than adults (54% v. 46%), although the difference was not significant. Juveniles were heavier than adults, but fat scores did not differ by age. Neither age group appeared to gain significant mass during the stopover. We encourage migration banding stations like ours that experience irruptions to report the information they collect and help improve our understanding of the migration biology and behavior of irruptive species.

Within the upper Ohio River watershed, 3 Etheostoma darter species in the subgenus Nothonotus have been documented in disjunct populations and were listed as threatened or endangered in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Tailwater habitat below navigation lock and dam (L/D) installations has been shown to contain diverse darter assemblages. Etheostoma camurum (Bluebreast Darter), E. maculatum (Spotted Darter), and E. tippecanoe (Tippecanoe Darter) often live in similar habitats; thus, we hypothesized that all 3 were occupying tailwater habitat below navigational L/Ds. Electrified benthic trawling verified Bluebreast Darter and Tippecanoe Darter below 8 L/D installations and at water depths varying from 1.4 m to 4.5 m and 1.4 m to 5.9 m, respectively. Spotted Darter was only found below 1 L/D. In the Ohio River, benthic trawling documented Bluebreast Darter and Tippecanoe Darter utilizing habitat located within deposition zones and areas above and below islands. Analysis of contemporary and historic distribution data shows that Bluebreast Darter and Tippecanoe Darter now span large sections of the river, but the range of Spotted Darter is more limited and warrants close monitoring. Our study confirms the effectiveness of utilizing benthic trawling in non-wadeable rivers to survey for benthic species such as river-inhabiting darters.