Infrastructure associated with a growing human population has disrupted hydrologic patterns and impacted wetland species such as Mycteria americana (Wood Stork). However, storks are commonly observed foraging along roadways in created wetlands and nesting in urban environments, suggesting that these areas may provide novel foraging habitat. We sampled both permanently inundated and ephemeral created wetlands to determine which hydrologic, vegetative, and physical attributes are associated with high stork prey biomass. Factors influencing stork prey biomass differed between permanently inundated and ephemeral created wetlands. Landscape-level vegetation and the physical properties of a wetland were more influential in permanently inundated ponds and canals whereas local-scale vegetation and hydrologic conditions were most influential in ephemeral ponds and swales. Furthermore, aquatic fauna biomass in permanently inundated created wetlands was 9x greater than in natural wetlands, and aquatic fauna biomass was even greater in the urban landscape. These findings suggest that created wetlands may serve as additional foraging habitat for Wood Storks. As natural wetlands continue to be lost and managed for human purposes, created wetlands should be considered in conservation plans and future management decisions for Wood Storks and other wading birds given their ability to produce wading bird prey.

Tyto furcata pratincola (American Barn Owl) is a widespread bird of prey with great adaptability that can be found in partially urbanized areas. We examined the prey composition of a pair of American Barn Owls through dissection and analysis of a subset of cast pellets found at a roost site in an urban park in South Florida by comparing hair, bone, and teeth to online identification guides and museum specimens. The main identified prey species were rodents, with Sigmodon hispidus (Hispid Cotton Rat) accounting for 63.0% of all prey identified. Within the home range of these owls were 9 known colonies of endangered and common species of bats, but no evidence of depredation was found in the pellet analysis. Other small mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates made up the remainder of the diet, which is consistent with other similar studies in more natural settings.

Understanding interactions between insects and the flora of the Black Belt Prairie is imperative to the conservation of this waning ecosystem. Spiranthes magnicamporum (Great Plains Lady's Tresses) is an imperiled orchid found in the prairies of Mississippi. In the fall of 2020, we examined several clusters of S. magnicamporum at a remnant prairie in Osborn, MS. Over a period of 3 weeks, we observed each cluster for 30 minutes, both during the day and at night, and collected any insects interacting with S. magnicamporum. We found possible evidence of Bombus fraternus (Southern Plains Bumble Bee) pollination and recorded floral visitation by other insects. This information can help land management professionals better understand how to promote healthy populations of S. magnicamporum.

Surveys using game cameras have become a standard method to determine presence of small to medium-sized mammals such as Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk). Surveys typically use a single camera at each site; however, prior work with other species suggests that single cameras are less likely than multiple cameras to detect small and mid-size mammals. During the winters of 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, we placed 71 camera stations in the Arkansas Ozarks, with each station having 2 cameras aimed at the same target. We used detections of a common species, Sciurus carolinensis (Eastern Gray Squirrel), to determine if adding an additional camera at each site could increase detections of animals similar in size. Overall, detections increased 27% with the addition of a second camera. We found that a second camera increased Eastern Gray Squirrel detections by 15.6% when the animal was closer than 1 body-length from the target bait tree and 41.2% when the animal was more than 1 body-length from the bait tree. We conclude that a single camera may miss a significant number of detections of small to medium-sized animals and could bias results of detection/non-detection studies.

Foraging-intensity models predict that consumers balance the costs of environmental risk factors, food availability, predation, and starvation to determine the optimal foraging rate response. To test the assumptions of these ecological models in situ, we used radio frequency identification (RFID) to monitor the foraging behavior of 5 individual Baeolophus bicolor (Tufted Titmice) at bird feeders from January to February 2021. We used a Poisson generalized linear mixed effects model to determine how temperature and seed type impacted the number of daily feeder visits, while controlling for feeder and individual ID. We documented increased foraging frequency for Titmice in colder, snowier conditions. Titmice also exhibited a strong preference for whole black oil sunflower seeds (with an intact outer shell), in contrast to sunflower hearts (with the shell removed).

Tsuga caroliniana (Carolina Hemlock) is a species endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains. Extant populations are under threat from the spread of introduced Adelges tsugae (Hemlock Woolly Adelgid), and information necessary to inform Carolina Hemlock conservation and future restoration efforts is limited. Our research characterized the structure and composition of Carolina Hemlock communities in the middle of its geographic range. We identified 5 sites where Carolina Hemlock comprised a major component of the stand. We collected data on structure, composition, and physiography in four 0.05-ha plots at each site. We quantified density and diversity of the overstory (≥5 cm dbh) and regeneration (<5 cm dbh) layers and used non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) to characterize species composition. At all but 1 site, Carolina Hemlock possessed the greatest importance value. Aspect, basal area, and species diversity varied only slightly among the sites. Overstory species composition was distinct at each site, while that of the regeneration layer was similar. Only 3% of the stems in the regeneration layer were Carolina Hemlock, with the seedling layer dominated by Acer (maple) species. Consequently, overstory mortality following disturbance will likely result in the recruitment of shade-tolerant species, maples in particular, which would homogenize the composition of these 5 distinct Carolina Hemlock communities.

Dung beetles provide essential ecosystem services and serve as biodiversity indicators. Despite their importance, no studies have assessed their role in Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) forests. We assessed dung beetle diversity and abundance in a pristine Longleaf Pine forest in southwest Georgia, USA, by collecting beetles with pitfall traps in sites that excluded mammalian mesopredators as well as unfenced control sites. We collected 22 dung beetle taxa in total over a 24-month period and found higher beetle abundance and species richness in exclosure sites, though they showed no preference for dung source (i.e., Odocoileus virginianus [White-tailed Deer], Lynx rufus [Bobcat], Canis latrans [Coyote]). Melanocanthon bispinatus was the most abundant species (49.6% of total beetles). Results provide insight into the interactions of dung beetles and predators in Longleaf Pine ecosystems.

Estuaries are home to diverse, abundant fish communities. As increasing coastal development, habitat alteration and loss, and changes in water quality potentially impact fish biomass and biodiversity within estuaries, it is important to monitor for and understand changes in these important parameters, particularly as they relate to water quality. This study examined the relationships between fish catch per unit effort, fish biodiversity, and water-quality parameters—specifically phytoplankton biomass, phytoplankton biodiversity, and nutrient concentrations—from 2014 to 2016 within a lagoonal northeast Florida estuary. For this region, this is the first reported examination of the relationships between fish biodiversity, fish catch, and water quality that includes phytoplankton biomass and nutrients. We carried out monthly fish seine-net sampling, phytoplankton net tows, and water-quality sampling at 4 sites within the Guana–Tolomato–Matanzas estuary. Sites closer to Matanzas Inlet had lower fish biodiversity and higher fish catch per unit effort. Fish catch per unit effort and fish biodiversity showed a large degree of temporal variation and showed correlations with temperature, chlorophyll-a, and phytoplankton biodiversity. We examined differences between sites among fish communities in terms of water-residence time, phytoplankton biomass, and nutrient concentrations. The correlations of fish community biodiversity and CPUE with temperature, chlorophyll-a, and phytoplankton biodiversity, while important, likely represent only a subset of all the drivers regarding environmental conditions, habitat, prey, and predation, all of which influence fish community composition.

Alopecia in bats has been related to multiple stressors, such as ectoparasite infestations, environmental contaminant exposure, idiopathic disease, and reproductive stress. Here we note occurrences of alopecia in 2 species of insectivorous bats, including a federally endangered species. In the summer of 2022, we encountered 3 Eptesicus fuscus (Big Brown Bat) and 7 Myotis grisescens (Gray Bat) with alopecia during mist-net and harp-trap surveys at multiple locations in Tennessee, USA. Seven of the 10 bats with bald spots were adult lactating or post-lactating females, 1 was an adult pregnant female, and 2 were adult nonreproductive males. No bats with alopecia were encountered after the lactation or post-lactation time period, despite continued mist-net and harp-trap surveys. The cause of the alopecia is unknown and warrants further investigation of prevalence across pre-reproductive (pre-pregnancy), reproductive (pregnancy, lactation, and spermatogenesis), and post-reproductive (pup volancy) periods in these populations. Understanding natural molt cycles versus alopecia as an outward sign of stress in individuals is critical for assessing the health of bat populations.

During a marine mammal vessel survey, a single Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat) was sighted 103.5 km off the coast of North Carolina. While we cannot determine whether the bat flew unaided from the mainland or stowed away on a ship, this is likely the furthest offshore sighting for the species. The possibility of Tricolored Bats flying offshore could have implications for wind-energy programs or other offshore industries.

Beginning in 2005, several projects were conducted to update our knowledge of the understudied crayfish fauna in Alabama. Numerous new crayfish records were secured that narrowed collection coverage gaps statewide and boosted records from under-sampled habitat types. The culmination of this work eventually led to publication of the comprehensive book Crayfishes of Alabama. Most of the material secured was identifiable and included numerous new state, drainage, and physiographic records. However, without Form I males, some material could not be verified to species. Specimens of 2 females that resembled Procambarus barbiger (Jackson Prairie Crayfish) were collected during those efforts, 1 each from 2 locations in Sumter County, AL, near the Mississippi state line. That species was unknown in the state at the time and was included in the book as a species that hypothetically could occur in the state. Post-publication, we collected a Form I male incidental to insect trapping at a third Sumter County location that verified the identification, bringing the state total to 100 known species.

The spillover of an invasive lung parasite, Raillietiella orientalis, is an important conservation concern for snake species in the southeastern US, as native snake hosts exhibit severe infections that can be fatal. In this report, we used opportunistic captures of road-killed snakes to document the presence of R. orientalis in 4 central Florida counties where it had not previously been documented. These new localities expand the known range of R. orientalis on the eastern and western coasts of Florida as well as fill in gaps of its known range. In 2 of 4 cases, R. orientalis individuals moved into the snake's mouth and emerged after host death. This evidence indicates that the use of road-killed specimens of frequently infected snake species may be a useful method for detecting R. orientalis. Additional surveys for R. orientalis are needed throughout the southeastern US, as this parasite is a major conservation concern for many snake species, its use of synanthropic intermediate hosts make its geographic spread unpredictable, and it is rapidly infiltrating additional populations of snakes.

Canis rufus (Red Wolf) is one of the most endangered mammals in North America. However, genes of the Red Wolf persist across much of the species' original range, carried predominantly within C. latrans (Coyote) populations. It is now known that such genes are distributed from extreme north-central Texas through most of eastern Texas to southern Louisiana. Publicizing of the most recent findings of Red Wolf genes in Coyotes of southern Louisiana emphasized that area for intensive conservation efforts. Such efforts could be applied throughout the entire known distribution of those rare genes, not just in the small area of southern Louisiana recently publicized. Because conservation efforts might be hindered by local conditions and circumstances, expanding geographic options for their application could make the difference in their success.

Troglichthys (= Amblyopsis) rosae (Ozark Cavefish) is currently known from 83 locations within the Ozark Highlands ecoregion. We found a cavefish at a new location in the Grand Lake O' the Cherokees on the western side of the Neosho River (Delaware County, OK), which is on the northwest periphery of the Ozark Cavefish range. Examination of the mitochondrial ND2 gene supports that the specimen is an Ozark Cavefish, but distinct (4.6–9.2% pairwise distance) from other specimens that have been genetically sampled, and could represent a unique population. Future research should focus on expanding sampling efforts and conducting a range-wide genetic analysis of the Ozark Cavefish.