Over the past decade, 84 species of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) have been found in an area <0.6 km² (<0.25 mi²) within Idylwild Wildlife Management Area in Caroline County, MD. Eighteen of these species are species of conservation concern in both Maryland and nearby Delaware. This high level of Odonata diversity exceeds that of any other known location on the Delmarva Peninsula. We attribute this to the presence of a variety of pond, marsh, and bog habitats resulting from the unimpeded natural succession of an abandoned sand- and gravel-mining operation. This site has provided a refuge for locally rare species in a heavily agricultural region where draining of swamps and channelization of streams destroyed otherwise suitable wetland habitats for many now rare and endangered Odonata species. Deliberate planning resulted in the decision not to interfere with the ongoing natural succession in the Idylwild Wildlife Management Area, enabling colonization and persistence of Odonata species of conservation concern.

We measured use rates, nest success, and inter- and intra- specific nest parasitism by ducks using tree cavities and nest boxes in an old-growth forested floodplain at Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge in Swanton, VT. Our study represents a previously under-explored opportunity to evaluate various breeding-season characteristics for ducks using both natural and artificial nest cavities in the same forested stand in the northeastern US. Overall use (72.5% vs. 14.5%) and nest-success rates (48.3% vs. 0.0%) were greater in artificial nest boxes but so was nest parasitism (62.1% vs. 0.0%). In addition, Aix sponsa (Wood Duck) were the only species using artificial nest boxes consistently even though this region represents a rare location in North America where they coexist with Lophodytes cucullatus (Hooded Merganser) and Bucephala clangula (Common Goldeneye), which are also cavity-nesting obligates. We found many (n = 35) unused available tree cavities over 2 years, and thus it is unlikely nest site availability is a limiting factor for population growth of cavity nesting ducks at Missisquoi NWR. Future research efforts should try to determine the factors affecting nest-cavity selection.

We assessed variation in feeding preference of Cambarus bartonii (Appalachian Brook Crayfish) for stocked Salmo trutta (Brown Trout) or wild Salvelinus fontinalis (Brook Trout) across 8 central Pennsylvania headwater streams with different recent exposures to trout stocking. In separate trials, we allowed crayfish to interact with and choose between fillets of stocked Brown Trout or wild Brook Trout in either a flowing Y-apparatus or a standing-water aquarium. In the Y-apparatus trials and standing water aquarium trials, crayfish exhibited no detectable feeding preference based on proximity to stocking sites from which they were collected. In the Y-apparatus trials, crayfish were more likely to move towards a fillet type than not. Overall, our results provide evidence that crayfish do not distinguish between stocked Brown Trout and wild Brook Trout as food sources, and history of exposure to stocked trout does not influence feeding preference. Specifically, crayfish accept stocked trout as a food source, even if this resource is new to the environment (i.e., with the additions of new stocking sites in previously unstocked streams). Acceptance of stocked trout as a food resource suggests crayfish may play an important role in the local incorporation of this significant allochthonous nutrient input. Future research should address if local uptake of stocked trout by crayfish is able to mitigate downstream nutrient loads related to stocking.

Vegetated zones of highway rights-of-way (ROW) are unique ecotones that can increase habitat heterogeneity at the landscape level and play a role in the maintenance of plant and animal conservation on a regional scale in certain human-dominated landscapes. To determine if they are unique habitats differing from the surrounding environment, we compared the abundance, richness, and species composition of bird communities using ROW in the St. Lawrence Valley lowlands of southern Quebec (Canada) in relation to the habitats in the adjacent land-use area, in 3 landscapes (suburban, intensive agriculture, and agroforestry) during 3 different seasons (spring, summer, and fall) corresponding to birds' spring migration, breeding, and fall migration periods. We recorded a total of 8368 birds belonging to 74 species. The avian community at the intensive agricultural site differed from those of the other 2 sites, in both species' composition and abundance. Bird use of ROW also varied as a function of the season: there was a higher species richness in spring, but a higher species abundance in fall. Species abundance and richness were higher in the adjacent areas than in the ROW during all 3 seasons. Species richness was inversely related to the presence of field crops in the adjacent areas. We conclude that highway ROW in southern Quebec are not unique habitats that differ from the surrounding landscape but rather supplemental habitats that help maintain bird populations at the regional scale, particularly in landscapes dominated by intensive agriculture where remnant patches of natural habitat are becoming less common.

Vegetation is a key component of salt marsh monitoring programs, but different methods can make comparing datasets difficult. We compared data on vegetation composition and cover collected with 3 methods (point-intercept, Braun–Blanquet visual, and floristic quality assessment [FQA]) in 3 Rhode Island salt marshes. No significant differences in plant community composition were found among the methods, and differences in individual species cover in a marsh never exceeded 6% between methods. All methods were highly repeatable, with no differences in data collected by different people. However, FQA was less effective at identifying temporal changes at the plot scale. If data are collected from many plots in a marsh, any of the methods are appropriate, but if plot-scale patterns are of interest, we recommend point-intercept.

Philaenus spumarius (Meadow Spittlebug, Homoptera: Cercopoidea) is a cosmopolitan generalist insect that feeds on a wide repertoire of host plants in the field. We studied density and growth of Meadow Spittlebugs on a range of host plants on Kent Island, a boreal island in the Bay of Fundy, NB, Canada. The highest spittlebug densities were on Cirsium arvense (Canadian Thistle), although spittlebugs had larger body sizes on Solidago rugosa (Rough-stemmed Goldenrod) and Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly Everlasting). We fertilized plots of Rough-stemmed Goldenrod in the field over 3 weeks to examine the effects of plant quality on development of Meadow Spittlebugs. Following fertilization, there were fewer nymphs present in fertilized plots than in unfertilized plots, indicating faster nymph maturation to adulthood on fertilized plants. This study offers an initial report of the host plants used by Meadow Spittlebugs in northeastern boreal habitat, variation in density and performance of the species on a range of host plants, and the effects of plant fertilization on spittlebug life history.

Bony-tongue fishes, Osteoglossomorpha, are distributed in North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia and are found on all continents except Antarctica in the fossil record. The group includes fishes such as the mooneyes (Hiodontidae), freshwater knifefishes (Notopteridae), elephantfishes (Mormyridae), and the arowanas and pirarucu (Osteoglossidae). Remains identified as belonging to the family Osteoglossidae are known from the Nanjemoy Formation of Maryland and northern Virginia and comprise isolated teeth and fragmentary jaw bones assigned to the now extinct ???Brychaetus muelleri. The second author discovered a partial toothed parasphenoid among other isolated and fragmentary vertebrate microfossils from the Fisher???Sullivan Site of the Nanjemoy Formation in northern Virginia. This element resembles the base of the parasphenoid of the extant osteoglossid taxa Osteoglossum and Scleropages. Although this fossil is fragmentary and not sufficient to differentially diagnose taxonomically, it provides further evidence of the substantial diversity of Osteoglossidae during the Eocene.

Flying squirrels (genus Glaucomys) have a close association with forest trees for food, shelter, and travel. They play a key role in dispersing seeds and fungi, as well as being an important food source for predators. Thus, understanding their habitat requirements provides insight for conservation efforts, particularly in highly fragmented areas. This study employed radio-telemetry to examine habitat use by Glaucomys volans (Southern Flying Squirrel) in urban and rural fragments in southwestern Illinois. While male home-range sizes were not observed to be significantly different from females, squirrels exhibited significant preference for medium and large trees (>40 cm diameter) over small trees (≤40 cm diameter). Additionally, squirrels selected soft-mast trees for nesting significantly more than expected, with no relationship found between the proportion of hard-mast trees used and home-range size.

We evaluated passage of Osmerus mordax (Rainbow Smelt), Salvelinus fontinalis (Brook Trout), and Alosa pseudoharengus (Alewife) at 4 fishways on Prince Edward Island, Canada. We implanted fish with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and recorded their movements using stationary PIT antennas. Passage at different fishway types was highly variable. Nature-like fishways passed over 96% of Brook Trout and a maximum of 41.8% of Rainbow Smelt. The latter percentage is the highest yet reported in the literature for Rainbow Smelt. Pool-and-weir fishways passed nearly 100% of Brook Trout, 13.2% of Rainbow Smelt, and only 5.6% of Alewife. After passing a fishway, upstream residency was highly variable both among species as well as among individuals within species. Rainbow Smelt were observed spawning within nature-like fishways, suggesting that this type of fishway may also provide spawning habitat. Results highlight the challenge of passing non-salmonid species and indicate nature-like fishways are more appropriate than technical designs for passing Rainbow Smelt.

Global wildlife populations are in decline, in part, due to habitat loss resulting from urbanization. Urban green roofs may mitigate such habitat loss by providing supplemental habitat for wildlife, including bats, which are more active over urban green roofs than nearby traditional roofs. To better understand bat activity over urban green roofs, we surveyed bats and arthropods on a 27,316-m² green roof planted with Sedum spp. in New York City from June to August 2017. We found that Lasiurus borealis (Eastern Red Bat), a species with a diet consisting mainly of moths, accounted for 88% of identified bat calls. We collected over 15,000 arthropods of 16 taxa and found that moth abundance, while a relatively small proportion of green roof arthropods, correlated positively with bat activity. Our findings suggest that urban green roofs provide useable habitat for moths and other arthropods and, consequently, bats may forage on green roofs when prey are available.

Freshwater mussels recycle nutrients within their environment, and the extent of their influence depends on ambient nutrient concentrations and time of year. This study investigated the stoichiometry of consumer-driven nutrient recycling (C, N, and P) of the numerically dominant indigenous freshwater mussel Elliptio complanata (Eastern Elliptio) in a New England pond, which we accomplished by evaluating the stoichiometry of seston, mussel tissues, excretion, and biodeposition. Based on our results, we identified 4 major findings. First, we found seston CNP was not variable across seasons as expected, with only 4 of 10 pairwise interactions being statistically significant, and did not necessarily match the Redfield ratio as expected with higher C:N and lower C:P and N:P observations. Second, we found our tissue CNP to be below the expected 106:16:1 Redfield ratio and that the mussels did not adhere to strict stoichiometric homeostasis throughout different sizes/ages, as shown with 5 of 12 regressions being statistically significant. Third, we found freshwater mussel excretion to be similar to that found in other studies and that excretion rates and ratios were influenced by size and shifted with changes in season—possibly related to seston composition as well as environmental conditions such as temperature, based on 7 of 10 statistical analyzes being significant. Finally, we found freshwater mussel biodeposition to be variable across time for nutrient rates and ratios as we expected.

Neotoma magister (Allegheny Woodrat) is a Tier IV species of conservation concern in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Threats across its range include habitat fragmentation, parasites, and predation. Until now, predators have been suggested, but not confidently documented. Here, we use wildlife camera footage to document a predation event of an adult female Allegheny Woodrat by Strix varia (Barred Owl). This is the first documented predation event for this species. Our finding contributes to the growing knowledge of threats to Allegheny Woodrats within their range.

We observed 2 Lontra canadensis (North American River Otter), likely an adult female and her nearly-grown pup, on a fall 2018 afternoon at a remote lake in Piscataquis County, ME. We witnessed 2 notable animal behaviors, a possible bird-otter foraging association and a River Otter parental display, serendipitously while canoeing. An Ardea herodias (Great Blue Heron) and a Megaceryle alcyon (Belted Kingfisher) watched and followed the River Otters as they fished along the shore of a small cove of the lake. Although neither bird was seen to strike directly at or eat a fish during this episode, the behavior of the piscivorous birds was suggestive of a foraging association with the River Otters, a novel observation in North America. After fishing, the River Otters began traveling along the lake shore and noticed the canoeing human observers. Upon becoming aware of the canoe, the pup apparently hid as the adult female swam toward the canoe while noisily blowing. She then dove and resurfaced farther away from her pup's last-seen position. This routine was repeated several times until the observers paddled away from the female. Despite the large behavioral repertoire known for otters generally, this parental distraction display has not been previously reported.

Haemaphysalis longicornis (Asian Longhorned Tick [ALT]) was first recognized in the US, outside of customs, in New Jersey in 2017, and now has been documented in 2 Delaware counties. In Asia, where this species is native, and other parts of the world, the ALT is a known or suspected vector of various pathogens to humans, wildlife, and livestock. The ALT's role as a pest of medical and veterinary concern highlights its potential to become an economic burden in the US. The detection of ALT in the eastern US has prompted an initiative to identify and monitor its establishment and spread. Delaware is now the twelfth US state where ALT has been documented. The continued monitoring of this species is of great importance to the agricultural and public health communities.