"DNA floating in waterways or hiding in soil promises to help in managing and protecting biodiversity".............."The tactic has become increasingly popular within the past few years and has already provided clues of ancient mammoths in Siberia, early warnings of frog die-offs in California and evidence of elusive sawfish in Mexico"..............."For Sam Chew Chin, a fish ecologist at York College in New York, the DNA sampling reminds him of childhood shows he loved such as Star Trek"............. "Whenever they'd find a new planet, they would scan it for life"............."Detecting environmental DNA is kind of the closest we come to being able to do that"............... "If a species is reduced to the verge of extinction, protecting the area where animals live or breeding them in captivity can sometimes help rescue it"..........."And if by scooping a bottle of water or a sample of soil we can detect the genetic material of endangered or elusive species, then biologists and Land Managers will be best prepared to take the necessary mediation steps to potentially rescue the species in question"

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-telltale-bits-dna-track-elusive.html

Telltale bits of DNA help track past and elusive wildlife

August 30, 2018 by Emiliano Rodriguez Mega

On a scorching summer day, Mark Stoeckle threw a bucket into the murky waters of New York's East River to fill up three small plastic bottles

The biologist hopes the water he collected contains the genetic trail of the river's diverse life including all of its fish—and of course, the occasional rat.

"We've cleaned up the East River significantly, but we're still dumping a lot of stuff," said Stoeckle of Rockefeller University. "This will give us a better idea of whether fish are recovering or not."

In this Friday, Aug. 10, 2018 photo, Mark Stoeckle throws a bucket into New York's East River. Scientists say scooping a bottle of water or a sample of soil can be enough to detect the genetic material of endangered or elusive species. It's an approach that can help them better monitor and protect the environment. (AP Photo/Emiliano Rodriguez Mega)

He doesn't have to catch the slippery fish himself —a dangerous task given the river's rocky bottom and strong currents. He just needs to look for the tiny bits of DNA they leave behind to track them.

Animals lose hair, scales and feathers as they move. They also discard skin cells and waste. All of these leave traces of genetic material that can be detected hours, weeks or even millennia later.

Scientists say analyzing the DNA floating in waterways or hiding in soil, which they call environmental DNA or eDNA, promises to help in managing and protecting biodiversity. The tactic has become increasingly popular within the past few years and has already provided clues of ancient mammoths in Siberia, early warnings of frog die-offs in California and evidence of elusive sawfish in Mexico.


In this Friday, Aug. 10, 2018 photo, student Caroline Beit prepares to filter samples of water collected from the East River in New York. Scientists say scooping a bottle of water or a sample of soil can be enough to detect genetic material of endangered or elusive species. "That, to me, is something of science fiction," said Beit. (AP Photo/Emiliano Rodriguez Mega)

For Sam Chew Chin, a fish ecologist at York College in New York, the DNA sampling reminds him of childhood shows he loved such as Star Trek.

"Whenever they'd find a new planet, they would scan it for life,'" he said. "Detecting environmental DNA is kind of the closest we come to being able to do that. It's pretty neat."

Chew Chin said he used to be a "muddy-boots and bloody-desk biologist." Studying fish meant capturing them and eventually killing them. Now, he searches for whales off of Long Island or fish in the Hudson River by testing water—an advance that has made his job faster and cheaper.

It wasn't always like that. Nobody really cared about eDNA a decade ago, said Danish geneticist Eske Willerslev, who pioneered the technique.


In this Friday, Aug. 17, 2018 photo, molecular scientist Tracie Seimon shows the equipment she uses to detect traces of DNA from water samples at her lab in New York City's Bronx Zoo. She hopes the approach will help scientists find additional Yangtze soft shell turtles and save the species from the brink of extinction. (AP Photo/Emiliano Rodriguez Mega)

He had been traveling to Siberia to sample permafrost. The frozen soil was so cold that he thought ancient genetic material could have remained intact throughout the years.

In 2002, with a handful of permafrost samples the size of a sugar cube, he was able to identify the genetic material of bison, horses and many different plants that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago. He also found the preserved DNA of mammoths.

Environmental DNA "helps us reach the inaccessible," said Willerslev from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, adding that this approach will play a key role in scientists' quest to understand nature.

Examples of this are appearing in other fields, where eDNA has changed how researchers think about conservation.

When Colleen Kamoroff spent the summer collecting water in 2015 from the lakes in California's Sierra Nevada, she saw a healthy group of native mountain yellow-legged frogs hopping around.


In this Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, a fisherman holds a smalltooth sawfish he accidentally caught in Barra de Cazones, Veracruz, Mexico. This was the last live specimen that was reported. Scientists are analyzing water for sawfish DNA in an effort to find more of these elusive animals. (Saaid Hernández Osorio via AP)

One month later, they were all dying. The culprit: a microorganism that has caused the decline of about 200 amphibian species around the world, called chytrid fungus

Curious whether the frogs could have been saved if she had seen early signs, Kamoroff, a wildlife biologist who works for Yosemite National Park in California, started looking for chytrid fungus DNA in the water she had sampled. She was surprised to find it.

"Maybe if we knew they were infected at that point, we could have been more prepared. We could have started treating them" with medication, she said.

If a species is reduced to the verge of extinction, protecting the area where animals live or breeding them in captivity can sometimes help rescue it. It's been done before. But knowing where those last survivors hide is a common headache for conservationists.

Marine biologist Ramon Bonfil has spent more than three years looking for the last sawfish of Mexico where tropical waters were once teemed with the elusive and strange-looking rays. Now, they're nowhere to be found. The last specimen was accidentally caught in 2016. Other than that, no one has seen a live sawfish for almost a decade.


In this Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016 photo provided by Océanos Vivientes, marine biologist Ramón Bonfil submerges a bottle into the waters of the Chetumal Bay in Quintana Roo, Mexico. For more than three years, Bonfil has been sampling Mexican waters to try to find the elusive and highly endangered sawfish. (Océanos Vivientes via AP)

Gill nets, drones and fishermen have all failed to spot them.

Bonfil, however, discovered sawfish DNA in three water samples he took two years ago in the state of Veracruz. It's a weak signal, which could mean there aren't many creatures swimming around. But it's recent.

"The key is knowing where they are. Until we find them, we won't be able to protect them," said Bonfil.

For Stoeckle, fishing for free-floating genetic material in the East River every week for the past couple of years has changed his outlook.

"It's a little bit creepy, the idea that you're swimming with the DNA of all these organisms," he said. "Now I'm aware that when I go in the water I'm really going in someone else's environment."

The video below(click link) gives all of us a true glimpse into the struggles of orphaned Puma(Cougar) kittens trying to stay alive without their mother to teach them the necessary hunting and survival skills to make it into adulthood........."Although difficult to watch, these video clips provide unique insights into wild cat behaviors useful for the conservation management of cougars"..........."Cougars(Pumas) less than one year old rarely survive in the wild, and young cougars are disproportionately involved in the depredation of pets and livestock, as well as disproportionately involved in conflicts with people"

CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH A 4-PART VIDEO
https://youtu.be/_qFVOv-ulzU

Cougar kittens with live prey (Mule Deer) - Elbroch & Quigley (2012)

Canadian Field-Naturalist Videos

SUMMARY OF VIDEO FROM AUTHOR MARK ELBROCH:

 Cougars are difficult to observe in the wild, and little to nothing is known about how they learn predation skills. These videos of two 12-month old kittens with a live mule deer fawn were caught on remote cameras in northwestern Wyoming. 

Although difficult to watch, these video clips provide unique insights into wild cat behaviors useful for the conservation management of cougars. Cougars less than one year old rarely survive in the wild, and young cougars are disproportionately involved in the depredation of pets and livestock, as well as disproportionately involved in conflicts with people. 

These videos hint at why: these 1-yr old kittens clearly lack the skills to survive on their own. Part 1 reveals the kittens' initial nervousness with the fawn, and Parts 2 and 3 reveal their exploratory predation behaviors, and social learning through observing each other (which has never before been documented for this species). 

One kitten is wearing a vhf collar, which was used to track her movements as part of ongoing research efforts. These observations provide evidence that cougars up to 12 months of age are unlikely to have developed the full requisite skills needed to efficiently dispatch prey, and suggest that managers should consider both mitigating the potential for orphaned kittens (through adjusting harvest regulations) as well as be prepared to take action to mitigate potential problems caused by orphaned kittens. 

For the full article, please refer to the Canadian Field-Naturalist.

Sent from my iPad

From a Deer hunter whose only consideration as it relates to the landscape is how many Deer are available to hunt........Even this gentleman comes to the recognition that CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE and not Coyotes depredation is the key criteria to worry about as it relates to deer herd size .......And interestingly enough, if there were more coyotes, black bears, bobcats,,,,,,,,and yes, Wolves and Pumas in our woods and fields, there would be less deer and likely less Chronic Wasting disease.........As we humans know, the more crowded our cities become, the more chance for contagious disease to spread..........Same in the woods for Deer.......Too many deer, disease mounts.......The bottom line is that a healthy suite of carnivores present alongside deer herds, is "the best medicine" for that deer herd to "take"

https://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/predator-hunting/coyote/study-hunting-trapping-coyotes-may-not-improve-deer-survival/

Study: Hunting 

and Trapping 

Coyotes May 

Not Improve 

Deer Survival

WHEN HUNTING AND TRAPPING 

COYOTES, THIS ANIMAL'S 

ADAPTABILITY MAKES IT 

DIFFICULT. THIS TRAIT IS 

EXACERBATED BY WOLF DNA, 

MAKING SOME COYOTES 

SLIGHTLY LARGER AND 

LIKELY MORE AGGRESSIVE. 

---

   

DAVE SAMUEL — AUGUST 14, 2018

If you had to name one researcher who is the coyote/deer predation expert, it would be John Kilgo, who works for the USDA Forest Service.  In 2010, he published a paper suggesting coyotes could cause deer declines in the Southeast, in particular in South Carolina. Before we dive into how hunting and trapping coyotes may or may not aid in deer survival, first let’s look at the data illustrating how coyote predation impacts deer herds.

Evidence from Kilgo’s study shows the decline of the deer population in South Carolina at the same time the state’s coyote population surged. In addition, deer recruitment at Kilgo’s South Carolina research site declined when coyotes increased there. Also a food habits study at the same site showed fawns were important food items for coyotes in the summer months.

Subsequent studies in other states in the Southeast also showed high coyote predation on fawns.

Later, Dr. Kilgo led a study where 216 fawns were radio-collar-tracked over seven years. The study found that coyotes killed a surprisingly high number of fawns. In fact, hunter mortality combined with coyote predation led to a significant decline in deer numbers in this large research area in South Carolina.

Photo: iStock

DATA SUGGESTING HUNTING AND TRAPPING COYOTES MAY NOT WORK

One would think the logical way to solve this predation problem would be by hunting and trapping lots of coyotes.

Yet, Kilgo conducted a huge trapping study, removing hundreds of coyotes from a large area over three years. Common sense tells you that this would lower fawn mortality, but it didn’t. It turns out that about 1/3 of all coyotes are transients. They move about the landscape looking for a place with enough food to settle down as residents. Thus, when you remove a resident coyote, very soon a transient will move in and take that spot. This explains why,

 in this study, coyote numbers did not change much nor did fawn mortality. This was true even after several years of heavy trapping.

Intense trapping in the months prior to fawn drop would probably help, but that’s difficult and can be expensive for most landowners.

ADAPTABLE COYOTES, SOME WITH WOLF DNA, COMPLICATE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

Coyotes have other attributes that make them difficult to control. For example, coyotes adapt well to new areas. We’ve got them in cities and in new areas where they’ve never been found before. This adaptability is exacerbated by the fact that coyotes in some Northeastern states, as far south as Virginia, have some wolf DNA. That makes them more adaptable, slightly larger and probably more aggressive than coyotes with no wolf DNA. This wolf DNA means they do better in forested habitats and eat more squirrels and other forest critters, but they still do well in agricultural areas too.

This photo shows a coyote sleeping on public transportation, a decidedly urban location. Photo courtesy of Port of Portland (via Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries)

Some research from the western United States shows that coyotes may increase reproductive output in response to heavy trapping and shooting.

What about in the East?

Dr. Kilgo is in the middle of a big study on this issue in South Carolina. They looked at the reproductive tracts from 245 female coyotes trapped from 2010 to 2012. They trapped similar numbers of coyotes in each of those three years, indicating that population numbers didn’t change much — transients moved in.

TRAPPING DOES HELP BY CREATING A JUVENILE POPULATION

However, data showed more juveniles in the population after that trapping, and juveniles rarely breed.

When Kilgo just looked at the litter size and pregnancy rates for adult females, he found that there was a slight increase over the three years but — overall and because of the increased number of juveniles moving in — heavy trapping did not lead to increased reproduction. To impact coyote numbers, you have to impact juveniles in a large region. Why? Cecause high immigration rates of young transients render coyote populations extremely difficult to control.

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

So where does all this leave us? We now know that at least in Delaware, with no coyote predation in an area, lots of 

fawns still die from other natural causes. Maybe fewer predators would lead to less natural mortality. Maybe not. And we know that in South Carolina and other Southeastern states, coyotes really hammer fawns to such a degree as to lower deer numbers. In those areas since trapping doesn’t work well, the only solution may be to lower the number of does killed by hunters. Obviously, that won’t sit well with hunters.

We also know that in some deer states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, coyotes cause about 10 percent of fawn mortality. Bears also cause about 10 percent, and bobcats another 8 percent or so.

However, deer numbers are still good and not showing any serious declines. Whether coyote numbers in such areas will go up and eventually lead to the situation found in some areas of the Southeast, is still unknown.

Yes, the coyote/deer situation is a fluid, changing one that seems to vary from one area to another. There are lots of variables and the need for on-going data collection. Most state wildlife agencies are aware of the situation and monitoring it.

My thoughts are pretty basic — I see the chronic wasting disease (CWD) problem as far bigger than the present coyote problem. For that reason, you’ll likely read more about CWD in future columns.

A related article examines the most common causes of death to deer fawns. It uses data to consider the real impact coyotes have on deer numbers.

There is no question that Coyotes dine on deer fawns in the first few weeks of them being born in the Spring..........Black Bears and Bobcats also kill fawns during this time...............Outside of one study in South Carolina where it seems that Coyote predation on fawns in combination with the most recent allowed human hunter kill quotas does dampen deer populations, this phenomena(Coyotes dampening deer herds) does not seem to be at play in many other states such as Pennsylvania and NY............"U. of Delaware Researchers have recently found that in areas of the USA where there are virtually no coyotes, bears or bobcats present, 39 percent of the fawns still die within 30 days of being born".............. "In fact, 50 percent of those who died did so in the first seven days"..............."Survival after 90 days was 54 percent".............."Considering that there was no predator-caused mortality, you would think that survival rates would be higher".............."Some starved, others died from bacterial infections, some died from pneumonia and some drowned"...........Amazingly, rain kills Fawns........In the birth month of June, one inch of rainfall doubled the mortality rate of the new born fawns!............So, Deer survival and yearly fawn recruitment is a complex and ever changing myriad of the following variables--quality habitat, human hunting quotas, coyote/bear/bobcat predation, disease, environmental accidents and rainfall totals

https://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/big-game-hunting/whitetail-deer/coyotes-really-bad-guys/

Coyotes Eat Fawns, But Rain (Yes Rain!) Is a Threat to Deer Too

YES, COYOTES EAT FAWNS. BUT WHEN GAUGING THE CAUSES OF FAWN MORTALITY, EVIDENCE SUGGEST IT'S NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE. ARE COYOTES REALLY THE BAD GUY?

8/14/18-Dave Samuel

No matter where you go and no matter what state you live in, hunters blame coyotes for low deer numbers. Even though politicians seem to ignore science when making wildlife decisions, I don’t. Being a retired wildlife professor, I base things on what the data show, and I’ve tried to do that over the years in this Know Whitetails column.

So does the data show that coyotes are the bad guys when deer numbers drop? Do data show there’s a way to lower coyote numbers if indeed they are the bad guys?

This coyote story is really about fawn mortality, because coyotes eat fawns.

FAWN SURVIVAL INCREASES AS FARMLAND INCREASES

According to a new study, fawn survival increased as the percent of agriculture land increased. In other words, more forests, lower fawn survival; more cropland, higher fawn survival — at least up to a point. When they tweaked the data, they found that predation (all predators, not just coyotes) was highest in mixed forest and agricultural landscapes. Human-caused mortality was also the greatest there too. The study made no references to a specific predator, but it’s interesting that fawn predation is highest where you have the most forests.

Coyote with deer fawn

Black Bear with Deer Fawn

Bobcat with Adult Deer

COYOTES EAT FAWNS

Researchers at the University of Delaware looked at deer predation in a very unique way. They noted that coyote/fawn predation varies across the country from 14 percent mortality caused by coyotes to 87 percent.

Here’s the unique part of this research: They studied a large area that had lots of deer and almost no predators. No bears, very few bobcats and very few coyotes. They ran various predator surveys in that area, deployed trail cameras and recorded only one coyote. They examined data from coyote seasons that started in 2014 and found that only nine had been harvested in that area. Thus, the area was not totally free of coyotes, but there were very few. I’m not sure why this area had deer and few predators, but that was the case.

Doe with her fawn in rain storm

After surveying for predators, they went in and captured a number of does and put vaginal implants in them. When those does gave birth, the implants were expelled and sent out a signal. Researchers will then immediately go in and capture the fawns (54 captured). In this way, they don’t miss any predation because they get the fawns as soon as they are born. They also captured fawns by cruising and looking for does that had just dropped their fawns (55 captured). All fawns were radio-collared so that when that fawn died, they would find it right away.

IF NOT EATEN BY PREDATORS, HOW DO FAWNS DIE?

In all fawn mortality studies, most of the mortality occurs in the first month. That was true for this study too. Why? Because 39 percent of the fawns were dead within 30 days. In fact, 50 percent of those who died did so in the first seven days. Survival after 90 days was 54 percent. Considering that there was no predator-caused mortality, you would think that survival rates would be higher.

Diseases like Chronic Wasting kill deer

If none were eaten by predators, how did they die? Some starved, others died from bacterial infections, some died from pneumonia and some drowned. I’ve never given much thought to the fact that rain might kill fawns, but it apparently does. In this Delaware study, one inch of rain a day doubled mortality. Wow! Even small amounts of rain in June can kill fawns. They also found that fawns from 4-year-old does and older had the highest survivor rates. Fawns from those does were heavier.

No fawn mortality studies have ever shown the impact of doe maturity and rain on mortality. Their conclusion was that predation might be less of a limiting factor then we once believed. Interesting study.

BONUS: WHAT KILLS YEARLING BUCKS?

Before leaving Delaware, let me add that another study the University of Delaware folks did in that predator-free area looked at what killed yearling bucks. Forty-percent died, and hunting got 79 percent of those that died. Cars got 13 percent, disease got 11 percent. Again, none died from predation because there were few predators there.

QUALITY HABITAT, QUALITY HABITAT, QUALITY HABITAT--One cannot reiterate this often enough as it relates to optimizing the carrying capacity of White Tail Deer and other ungulates..........While Winter Deer Yards are so important to both shelter and feed Deer during winters in Maine and other "snow-heavy" northern states, if the lands adjacent and surrounding to the Deer Yards are compromised and/or not large enough in size, deer herds will shrink.........U. Of Maine researchers have concluded that less than 1 percent of the mature conifer forest in Northern Maine occurred in patches considered large enough to support deer through future winters"........"The Study results suggest that northern Maine is losing the potential for future replacement of viable areas for wintering deer"........"The substantial rates of loss and fragmentation documented show that "habitat conservation strategies that rely on reserves and ignore land use effects on the intervening lands may not be effective"

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-zoning-ineffective-deer-winter-habitat.html

New study finds zoning ineffective for deer winter habitat conservation

8/24/18- U.OF MAINE

https://3c1703fe8d.site.internapcdn.net/newman/gfx/news/hires/2018/15-newstudyfind.jpg

Protection of only narrowly defined zones of winter habitat is not an effective means of regional habitat conservation for white-tailed deer, according to a new University of Maine study.

The study found that zoning is not an effective wildlife conservation strategy if land use is unregulated for the surrounding landscape, and that habitat protection confined to those narrow Zoning Wildlife Protection Subdistricts (P-FWs) has been ineffective.

The study, "Ineffectiveness of local zoning to reduce regional loss and fragmentation of wintering habitat for white-tailed deer," was led by Erin Simons-Legaard, a UMaine research assistant professor of forest landscape modeling, and published in the journal assistant professor of forest landscape modeling, and published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management

When winter conditions restrict mobility and access to preferred forage for white-tailed deer, they require wintering habitat. Deer often choose wintering areas based on the characteristics of the surrounding forest, so the researchers studied the spatial arrangement of forest stands around P-FWs.

The goals of the research were "to demonstrate how knowledge of wildlife-habitat relationships may be coupled with remote sensing to monitor the effectiveness of laws and regulations to conserve wildlife habitat on privately owned and commercially managed lands and, more specifically, to evaluate the effectiveness of Maine's land use regulations to conserve mature conifer forest as habitat for deer," according to the scientists.

Using forest harvest maps that document landscape change between 1975 and 2007, the researchers evaluated the effects of timber harvesting on mature forest in the study area, which included about 36 percent of deer wintering areas zoned by the state of Maine in unorganized townships. The areas protected for deer wintering make up 2 percent of the forested land in the study area.

The researchers found that zoning was effective at protecting winter habitat within zoned areas, but that "the zoning protections, which have exclusively targeted core use areas, have contributed little toreducing fragmentation or maintaining habitat connectivity region-wide in northern Maine."

In larger landscapes adjacent to P-FWs, effects of harvesting on the size and connectivity of mature conifer patches and shifts in forest composition were substantial, and accelerated the rates of habitat fragmentation and reduced the future habitat potential of the protected areas. Less than 1 percent of the mature conifer forest in the study area occurred in patches considered large enough to support deer through future winters.

The team identified loss of mature conifer forest as a major limiting factor on efforts to increase the numbers of deer in northern, western and eastern Maine.

"Our results suggest that northern Maine is losing the potential for future replacement of viable areas for wintering deer," the researchers say. The substantial rates of loss and fragmentation documented show that "habitat conservation strategies that rely on reserves and ignore land use effects on the intervening lands may not be effective."

The study emphasized that monitoring is needed to understand the long-term benefits of zoning in wildlife habitat conservation, and that remote sensing can be a way to overcome the difficulty of monitoring protected forest areas.

 Explore further: Wintering warblers choose agriculture over forest

More information: Erin M. Simons-Legaard et al. Ineffectiveness of local zoning to reduce regional loss and fragmentation of wintering habitat for white-tailed deer, Forest Ecology and Management (2018). 

DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.05.027 

Journal reference: Forest Ecology and Management  

Provided by: University of Maine 

While never thought of as a "plant farmer", a new study is revealing that rattlesnakes(and likely all snakes) are exerting postive "top-down" as well as positive "bottom-up" trophic impacts on our natural systems........As the snakes consume rodents that have recently eaten various plant seeds, those seeds are not broken down in the snakes colon, instead being deposited up to 8 to 10 miles from the point of ingestion back into the environment where they have a chance of germinating.......The snakes do not have the enzymes in their colon to destroy the seeds, therefore, "snake farmers" they become.......Another reason to "keep all the cogs and wheels" from disappearing from our planet........Every creature having a nature engineering function that makes our circle of life diverse and optimum

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://kjzz.org/content/687758/groundbreaking-research-shows-rattlesnakes-are-important-ecosystem-engineers&ct=ga&cd=CAEYAioTNDc1NjM0MTgyNTE5NzIyNjc4MjIaYWJiMmMxNTM2YWY2YWQ1Mzpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNGrsJFQLMDqsQgLtETRn4L3UWa51w

Groundbreaking Research Shows Rattlesnakes Are Important 'Ecosystem Engineers'

By Casey Kuhn

Published: Monday, August 20, 2018 

Bryan Hughes/Rattlesnake Solutions

A speckled rattlesnake found in Maricopa County.

New research shows there’s one unexpected animal that has a very important role by spreading seeds in its ecosystem. They make a sound that strikes fear into many an Arizonan.

But rattlesnakes, like any predator, play a crucial part in a healthy ecosystem. And one way they do, according to 

a paper published by the Royal Society, is through seed dispersal.

“Rattlesnakes should be viewed as more than just predators," said Gordon Schuett, paper co-author. "They’re actually functioning and providing ecosystem services beyond that, so beyond just the seed thing, they’re taking on the role of ecosystem engineer.”

The research showsThe research shows different types of rattlesnakes found in Arizona munch on rodents, many of which still have seeds in their cheeks or gut. Then, the seeds stay whole because snakes do not chew.

The seeds can even germinate while in a snake’s colon, because they don't have the enzymes to break that particular food down. The slithering creatures can travel 8-10 miles before the seeds pass through their digestive system. 

Ultimately, the authors say, this paper is the first to point out rattlesnakes as important seed dispersers.

Schuett says he and his colleagues came to a conclusion that other scientists hadn’t yet discovered.

“They were not connecting the dots and we connected them," Schuett said. "It was to our benefit that it worked out. We just made a connection that other people hadn’t."

Schuett said the potential role of vipers as important seed dispersers, were, before this paper, unrecognized and mostly unexplored.

The paper's researchers studied the insides of preserved, museum specimens of snakes. The research suggests other scientists pick up on this work to do more, empirical studies in the field. Schuett said they've gotten many letters after the paper was published earlier this year of people who want to look more into the idea of rattlesnakes, or any snakes, acting as seed dispersers.

"In September of 2011, a large forest fire that was started by lightening burned about 10% of the Minnesota Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness"................ "It was named the Pagami Creek Fire and it was the third largest fire in Minnesota history".................As the top picture in the article below depicts, lots of small trees and shrubs have sprung up, starting the natural restoration process........ "Innumerable number of jack pine cones that had been laying dormant popped open their seeds via the heat as the fire burned through" ................ While disturbing to watch a beautiful forest go up in flames, we all should know that forest fires play an important role in the long term health of woodlands".............. "The Boundary Waters is on the southern edge of the boreal forest that extends up into Canada"............."Fire started by lightning is a regular part of the life cycle of the boreal which typically burns every 75 to 100 years"............"These fires return nutrients to the soil, allowing all types of shrubs and trees to restart the plant cycle"................ In the Pagami region, Moose are taking advantage of the sunlight-loving browse such as aspen, birch, mountain maple, dogwood, hazel, willow and blueberries".............." The Black-Backed Woodpecker population has explodeded as they utilize the cavities of the fire-killed trees to raise their young".............."On the flipside, the fire degraded American Marten habitat(mature forest trees) and their population will stay small for many years until the trees come back"............Ebb and flow of life are all a part of natures plan for these woodlands.............We should not let our own biases interfere with natures design, allowing for the natural cycle to run its course----that in the long run brings a rough equilibrium for all the creatures that make the forest home

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://inforum.com/news/fires/4487379-moose-berries-thrive-seven-years-after-northern-minnesota-wildfire&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTOTE4OTA3OTA2NTY2MDg3NDg5MDIaM2JiNTcwMGRiYTRlZTUyZDpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNFmBJaQV0jieAqEh2SYBvjnubDr0Q

Moose, berries thrive seven years after northern Minnesota wildfire

Peter Passi; August 17, 2018

ELY, Minn. — Seven years ago today, a lightning strike about 13 miles east of Ely touched off the Pagami Creek Fire, a blaze that would burn for weeks, leaving 145 square miles of forest charred and denuded. It remains the largest fire northern Minnesota has seen in 80-plus years.

Square Lake seven years after the Pagami Creek Fire burned through the area. Peter Passi / Forum News Service

Last week, our family tripped through a portion of the burn area, and even though berry season appeared to be winding down elsewhere in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, plentiful blueberries still were popping amidst the remnants of the fire. We greedily gobbled our way through portages to and from Square Lake and Kawashaschong Lake as we circled through the area, enroute to Malberg, Adams, Boulder and Makwa via the Kawishiwi River.

The stark landscape of the burn remains studded with the skeletal remains of trees, but saplings, wildflowers, berries and bees have swept in to fill the void.

Certain forms of wildlife also are thriving within this regenerative scene.

Moose have moved back into the Pagami region

Mike Schrage, a biologist for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, credits the fire for boosting moose numbers in the area.

He explained that the mature, dense, largely coniferous forest preceding the fire provided less attractive habitat than the area does today.

"Moose density was pretty low," Schrage said.

Moose browsing the Pagami burn area

"Once the fire happened, it removed the overstory and allowed for a lot of brush and deciduous species to come in — aspen, birch, mountain maple, dogwood and hazel and willow and such that moose like to eat. It allowed for that to sprout and grow really well. And blueberries are another thing that takes off with a lot of sunlight," he said.

"Moose responded to that, and we're seeing a lot more moose in some of those areas than we did before the fire," Schrage said.

He noted that other creatures also have benefited. "I think the number of black-backed woodpeckers also has exploded in that area. They do really well with fire-killed trees."

But there are losers as well as winners.

"On the flipside, it's probably not good marten habitat and won't be for many years until the trees come back," Schlage said.

The change that fire brings to the forest landscape is part of a natural ebb and flow, according to Schlage.

"The boreal forest of northeast Minnesota burned on a regular basis historically, and so it's just doing what it has always done," he said.

However, our desire to protect mature forest lands and suppress fire actually disrupts that natural cycle.

"Our intervention in natural fire regimes has changed the way the forest should look in many cases," Schlage said.

Though visually jarring, many of the burnt-out areas now possess a strange, emerging beauty.

"We bring our own biases when we look at fires. We say: 'Oh it looks ugly, and there are no longer the nice big white pine trees to take a nap under when I pull my canoe ashore.' But from a moose standpoint, they think fire is great," Schlage said.

With us humans having caused our two largest sized North American Woodpeckers(The Ivory-Billed and The Imperial Woodpeckers) to go extinct(via destroying their habitat and over hunting)in the early 20th century, the Pileated Woodpecker remains at the "top-of-the-leader board" as our largest remaining woodpecker.........Almost as large as the common Crow, The Pileated makes it home in coniferous forests and ranges from Canada's British Columbia all the way east to Nova Scotia, down the western coast of the USA from Washington to California and east to Idaho and North Dakota............It still occupies most of the eastern half of the USA as well............."The Pileated eats insects, fruits, nuts carpenter ants and beetle larvae"................ "It uses its sharp bill to pull bark off a tree to expose ant colonies"............."It uses its long, sticky tongue to poke into holes and drag out the ants".............. "It also digs out large rectangular holes in trees to create roosting and nesting spots and to expose insects"..........."A new Study by U. of Washington researchers has determined that even with rapidly growing exurban human settlements encroaching upon Pileated Forest habitat, if we retain at least 20% forest cover, including standing dead trees over large suburban areas, we may help sustain Pileated Woodpeckers and perhaps even other species tied to them"................"Despite potential risks from threats such as feral cats and collisions with windows, the researchers believe that cities can play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity".............."As suburban sprawl becomes more and more ubiquitous, it's imperative that we consider which specific yard features we can enhance to share our neighborhoods with wildlife"

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-woodpeckers-coexist-seattle.html

Woodpeckers and development coexist in Seattle

August 22, 2018, American Ornithological Society

The two largest woodpeckers in North America, the Imperial Woodpecker and Ivory-billed Woodpecker, are believed to have gone extinct during the twentieth century. Can their surviving cousin, the Pileated Woodpecker, persist when standing dead trees and other crucial resources are lost to urbanization? A new study published by The Condor: Ornithological Applications tracked birds in suburban Seattle and found that as long as tree cover remains above a certain threshold, Pileated Woodpeckers and housing developments can coexist.

Pileated Woodpeckers peek from a tree cavity in suburban Seattle. Credit: J. Tomasevic

 Bottom two pictures of adult Pileated Woodpeckers

The University of Washington's Jorge Tomasevic (now at the Universidad Austral de Chile) and John Marzluff trapped and radio-tagged 16 Pileated Woodpeckers at 9 sites with varying degrees of urbanization in suburban Seattle. Tracking each bird for about a year, they found that Pileated Woodpeckers used not only forested areas such as parks, but also lightly and moderately urbanized areas where some trees had been retained, taking advantage of resources such as backyard 
birdfeeders.


Pileated Woodpecker range

These results show that retaining at least 20% forest cover, including standing dead trees, over large suburban areas may help sustain Pileated Woodpeckers and perhaps even other species tied to them. Despite potential risks from threats such as feral cats and collisions with windows, the researchers believe that cities can play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity.

 Historically our two largest Wood Peckers, The Ivory-Billed(top) and Imperial(bottom) Wood Peckers-now extinct

 "You'd think that such large bird would be easy to find, especially when carrying a transmitter, but they did a very good job hiding," says Tomasevic. "It was also very challenging to work in populated areas. I have so many anecdotes, good and bad, about dealing with people and people dealing with me doing my work. Some people were very friendly, but some were a little nervous with me walking around the neighborhood. I tried to look as official as possible, with University of Washington logos on my jacket, and I created a website for the project and printed some business cards. It was a great opportunity to do outreach, and I'm still friends with some of the neighborhood residents."

The historical ranges of  what were our two largest woodpeckers
the Ivory-Billed(top pic) and Imperial
Woodpecker(bottom pic) prior to us driving them to extinction

"As suburban sprawl becomes more and more ubiquitous, it's imperative that we consider which specific yard features can be promoted to share our neighborhoods with wildlife," according to the University of Delaware's Desiree Narango, an expert on avian urban ecology. "This paper is a nice example showing that even a mature forest specialist can use and navigate the suburban landscape if we provide the resources they need: large trees and some retained wooded areas."

 Explore further: Infographic: Why don't woodpeckers get headaches?

More information: "Use of suburban landscapes by the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)" The Condor: Ornithological Applications DOI: 10.1650/CONDOR-17-171.1