Iris pseudacorus (Yellow Flag Iris), normally produces 1 flower, or exceptionally, it can produce more than 1 flower per stalk at any one time. Flower buds and opened flowers are available at all times every day, but the transition stages between buds and expanded flowers are not. I here report that the flowers open explosively and discuss the proximate cause and the potential significance of this behavior.

Channa argus (Northern Snakehead) has been established in the Potomac River since at least 2004. Although ovaries of females have previously been discovered, to date, no testes had been confirmed in males from the Potomac River or any other North American waterbody. Dissection of individual Northern Snakeheads and subsequent histology confirmed discovery of testes in males taken from Quantico Creek, VA. Our discussion includes implications of this finding and methods for properly dissecting males to find testes.

Babesia is emerging as a cause of tick-borne zoonoses worldwide, and various wildlife species are the principal reservoir hosts for zoonotic Babesia species. The primary vectors of Babesia are Ixodid ticks, with the majority of zoonotic species transmitted by species in the genus Ixodes. The protozoan infects and lyses red blood cells. In this study, blood was collected from 201 Ursus americanus (American Black Bear) from 5 counties in northwestern New Jersey. Sample collection occurred over 5 research-trapping seasons from March 2010 to August 2011. We screened blood samples for Babesia spp. by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), amplifying a 448–992-bp portion of the 18S rRNA gene, and detected Babesia in 84 of 201 (41.8%) samples. Sequence analysis confirmed the presence of Babesia spp. in all of the PCR positive samples. This study represents the first report of molecular evidence of Babesia spp. in the American Black Bear.

This paper, based on a recent comprehensive sampling of insects, is the first report of Laboulbeniales from the New England region since the 1930s. We present 7 new records of laboulbenialean parasites on Staphylinidae (rove beetles) and Coccinellidae (lady beetles) from the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. These are Clonophoromyces nipponicus Terada & I.I. Tav., Hesperomyces virescens Thaxt., Ilyomyces cf. mairei F. Picard, Laboulbenia philonthi Thaxt., Peyritschiella protea Thaxt., Stichomyces conosomatis Thaxt., and Teratomyces actobii Thaxt. One of these parasite species, C. nipponicus, has not been found previously outside of its type locality in Japan. Examination of Roland Thaxter's 1891–1932 slides led to the designation of lectotypes for L. philonthi, P. protea, S. conosomatis, and T. actobii. The following synonymy is established: Teratomyces brevicaulis Thaxt. = T. actobii. In addition, we discovered new localities for H. virescens (from Canada, Cuba, Guatemala, and Japan) and L. philonthi (from Canada, Grenada, Panama, Trinidad, and Venezuela).

Over half of the Zostera marina (Eelgrass) cover disappeared from Casco Bay, ME, largely between 2012 and 2013. Eelgrass decline coincided with a population explosion of the invasive crab Carcinus maenas (European Green Crab). Green Crabs have been found to damage Eelgrass in Atlantic Canada through foraging activity, but destruction of established beds had not been documented in Maine. My objective was to determine whether loss of Eelgrass from Casco Bay was related to Green Crab disturbance. In September 2013, I transplanted Eelgrass shoots inside and outside of replicate Green Crab exclosures in a formerly vegetated area of upper Casco Bay. Following 26 d, mean survival of Eelgrass inside the exclosures was 82% and outside the exclosures was 24%. The mean plastochrone interval (time between formation of 2 successive leaves) of undamaged shoots was the same inside and outside the exclosures, and was comparable to published values from healthy Eelgrass beds in New England. Results implicate Green Crab bioturbation as a leading cause of Eelgrass loss from this system.

Human activity is one of the most important factors affecting disturbance to birds that use coastal barrier beaches in southern New England. The barrier beach at Napatree Point, RI, provides important breeding habitat for several bird species, key stopover habitat for thousands of migrating shorebirds, and is also a popular destination for people. Anecdotal evidence suggested that walkers, joggers, dogs, and watercraft were disrupting birds that foraged and roosted at this site. Our objectives were to characterize the frequency and sources of disturbance to birds and use this information to develop management recommendations to minimize the frequency of human disturbances to birds at Napatree Point. We conducted 106 hours of observation from May through August in 2013. Of 211 flight responses, the most common sources of disturbance to birds were beach walkers (57.8%), motorboats (8.5%), kayaks (8.5%), bird watchers (7.6%), and anglers (6.2%). Birds typically flushed when pedestrians (e.g., walkers, bird watchers, and anglers) were within 39 ± 24 m (median ± inter-quartile range) and watercraft (e.g., motorboats and kayaks) were within 38 ± 33 m. Flight responses were positively correlated with the number of people on the beach and the number of boats in the area. Disturbances to birds peaked in July when human visitation was highest. Using a spatially explicit density map of flight-initiation distance vectors, we identified the most important area to set as a buffer zone for human access if managers seek to reduce the frequency of human disturbances to birds at Napatree Point.

The leaves of the carnivorous Sarracenia purpurea (Purple Pitcher Plant) provide habitat for obligate insects. Within the pitchers of this plant, Metriocnemus knabi (Pitcher Plant Midge) larvae coexist with Wyeomyia smithii (Pitcher Plant Mosquito) larvae. No other mosquito species has been reported to utilize this habitat in the presence of the midge. We tested whether the midge larvae were responsible for the elimination of other mosquito species. We introduced 1 Aedes triseriatus (Eastern Treehole Mosquito) larva, into each of 90 different pitchers. After 45–75 minutes, we extracted the fluid from the Purple Pitcher Plant and counted mosquito and midge larvae. Although 98% of pitchers contained Pitcher Plant Mosquito larvae, we did not detect 61 of the Eastern Treehole Mosquito larvae. Of the 29 surviving introduced larvae, we found 13 (45%) in pitchers that had no midge larvae. Drier than normal conditions in 2012 provided the opportunity to investigate Purple Pitcher Plant leaves devoid of water and obligate insect larvae, and the potential for foreign mosquito larvae to colonize unoccupied pitchers. We found Pitcher Plant Midge or Pitcher Plant Mosquito larvae within 13 days following the addition of water. We observed no foreign mosquito larvae. The inquiline larvae did not develop when we added water to dry pitchers in the laboratory, suggesting that oviposition by Pitcher Plant Midge and Pither Plant Mosquito adults occurred after a rainfall event. During dry conditions, shaded Purple Pitcher Plants retained some fluids, and adults likely completed their life cycle in these plants. However, severe, prolonged drought may eliminate Purple Pitcher Plant inquilines and potentially make the pitchers available for exotic mosquito larvae.

I observed 12 nesting cycles of Tachycineta bicolor (Tree Swallow) with emphasis on the choice of nest materials used, timing of egg-laying, presence and behavior of conspecifics, and nesting success. All Tree Swallows built nests of dried grasses predominantly lined with large, plumed white feathers, but nest-lining behavior did not occur until after egg-laying began. When I experimentally removed feather-linings from one nest, the pair replaced them. In all nests, the birds tucked the feather quills under the eggs with the plumes arching over them. The Tree Swallows showed a strong preference both for shape of feathers and their color contrast from background. The Tree Swallows exhibited vigorous territorial behavior and nest-guarding from conspecifics before nest-building started, continued until early incubation, and then ceased when the young hatched. Birds other than the nest owners were frequent visitors in the nest area and they sometimes entered nests throughout the nesting cycle. Indirect evidence suggests that extra-pair eggs appearing in the nest and “extra” young accounted for nestling mortality . I here infer that although Tree Swallows experience strong nest parasitism, feather-lining behavior hides information on nest contents and thus reduces parasitism.

Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake [EHS]) is a species of conservation concern in the northeastern United States. As an initial step toward potential restoration, we examined habitat associations of a peripheral population of EHS in New Hampshire. At the landscape scale, transmitter-equipped snakes were found most often in developed lands, followed by, in order of frequency, mixed forest, Pinus strobus/P. resinosa (Eastern White/ Red Pine) stands, and 7 other cover types. Within individual home ranges, snakes selected Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) stands most often, followed by, in order of frequency, White/Red Pine stands, mixed forest, Fagus grandifolia/Quercus spp. (American Beech/ oak) stands, and 6 other cover types. Compared to random locations, microhabitat features at snake activity sites included higher ground-surface temperatures, closer proximity to wetlands, less canopy closure, and more abundant shrubs, ground debris, and rock cover. When combined with a previous study conducted in the same area, we found that cover-type associations (mesic forest) of this population differed from known affinities (open, xeric habitats) of EHS throughout much of its geographic distribution. Home ranges were also larger than those reported in most studies. We suspect our population persists because it occurs in a large parcel of land with limited human alteration and use. Habitat there is suitable but likely is not optimal. Such limitations should be considered when selecting sites to establish new populations of EHS in northern regions.

Microtus ochrogaster (Prairie Vole) males typically display robust preferences for affiliation with their respective mates that indicate the expression of a pair bond. However, it recently has been shown that the strength of a male vole's pair bond can differ depending on the reproductive status of his mate. In the present study, we examined the possibility that female-controlled pacing of the mating sequence could alter males' affiliative behaviors in a partner-preference test by affecting reproductive success. We expected that an earlier onset of mating and pregnancy would occur if females controlled the pace of mating, which in turn, would reinforce males' preference for their familiar mates vs. for a stranger. We found that female pacing did not affect latency to mating, mating duration, or any of the other measures of social or mating behaviors we measured. Further, female-paced mating did not alter reproductive success as indicated by litter size. We conclude that female-paced mating in Prairie Voles does not impact the formation, consolidation, and/or expression of a pair bond, either directly or indirectly, by their male partners.

Ants are major contributors to ecological processes including soil development, nutrient cycling, and seed dispersal in the northeastern US and around the world. However, distributions of these influential invertebrates in the inland Pitch Pine barrens of New York State are poorly understood. I used quadrat searches and pitfall traps to systematically sample ant assemblages along transects in open habitats at 3 of these inland barrens. My results demonstrate that (1) inland Pitch Pine barrens in New York support high ant-species density, including rare species; (2) as in other regions, shrubland habitats appear to support higher ant-species density than grassland habitats in the Northeast; and (3) shrubland and grassland ant-assemblages in these barrens are compositionally distinct.

Nest-site selection can affect both the survival and fitness of female turtles and their offspring. In many turtle species, the nest environment determines the thermal regime during incubation, length of incubation period, sex ratio of the hatchlings, and exposure to predators and other forms of mortality for both mothers and their offspring. Between 1974 and 2012, we collected detailed data on habitat variables at 66 Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Bog Turtle) nests in 9 different bogs, fens, and wetland complexes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The nests had a mean elevation above the substrate of 8.2 cm, and many were shallow and located in raised tussocks of grass or sedges. Females covered most nests, but we also observed partially or completely uncovered eggs. Some females deposited eggs in communal nests; we found 4 nests with 2 separate clutches, and 2 nests with 3 clutches. Principal component analysis confirmed the importance of cover and vegetation to nest-site selection in this species. Availability of open, shade-free, wet nesting areas is an important habitat requirement for Bog Turtles.

Two incomplete shark teeth were recovered during archaeological excavation of a historic fishing station on Smuttynose Island, ME. Specimens were identified to the species-level using non-destructive computed tomography (CT) imaging techniques. Their external and internal morphology is described and illustrated. Both teeth are from large sharks in the Order Lamniformes. The larger specimen is a developing tooth from the upper jaw of a Carcharodon carcharias (White Shark). The second specimen is a broken tooth from the lower jaw of a Lamna nasus (Porbeagle). The Smuttynose excavations provide an opportunity to examine faunal assemblages and the island's historic 17^th-through 19^th-century fisheries. Criteria for identifying teeth of common pelagic sharks of the Western North Atlantic are offered, and the role of sharks in the historic Gulf of Maine fishery is discussed.

Eastern Canis latrans (Coyote) dispersed into northeastern North America during the last century and into Nova Scotia in the 1970s. En route, Coyotes hybridized extensively with C. lycaon (Eastern Wolf). Coyote populations in northeastern North America contain mitochondrial and nuclear DNA characteristics of both species. In samples collected from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, we found mitochondrial DNA haplotypes characteristic of Coyote and/or Eastern Wolf with decreasing haplotype diversity consistent with sequential founder events/bottlenecks moving from west to east generally and on islands. Principal components analysis of a suite of morphological characters indicated that male eastern Coyotes from Nova Scotia with Eastern Wolf mitochondrial DNA are significantly larger than male eastern Coyotes from the same region with Coyote mitochondrial DNA.

Forest edge-generated gradients in understory light are known to influence the survival of tree seedlings in North American deciduous forests, but the seasonality of that influence has not been investigated for the forests of southern New England. We examined the winter versus summer difference in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) transmitted through a southern New England forest canopy in the vicinity of a large experimental canopy gap and investigated if this difference influenced the survival of Pinus strobus L. (White Pine) and Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. (Eastern Hemlock) seedlings along a gap—forest gradient using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models. The mean and the spatial distribution of winter understory PAR transmittance (%T) across the gap—forest gradient were significantly different from those of summer %T. Distance from gap edge into the forest and variability in %T during the winter months were associated with the survival of White Pine seedlings, but not with that of Eastern Hemlock seedlings, which had a constant survival probability throughout the gap—forest gradient. Summer %T was not associated with the survival of seedlings of either species. Experimentally, we found that digital fisheye canopy photos did not accurately capture the range in understory light level along a gap—forest gradient. Thus they are a poor proxy for direct PAR transmittance measurements and should be used with caution in southern New England forests, which are highly fragmented and contain many edges. Forest management actions for the conservation of White Pine should take into account winter understory light regimes rather than summer regimes.

Spartina marshes (S. patens [Salt Meadow Cordgrass] and S. alterniflora [Saltmarsh Cordgrass]) are critical foraging, nursery, and overwintering habitats for Malaclemys terrapin (Diamondback Terrapin). However, the relationships between Spartina marsh quality, quantity, and distribution and resulting Diamondback Terrapin distribution, abundance, and movements are poorly understood. To develop a model for predicting these relationships, we needed a way to prioritize the locations where data are collected for model building. As an initial effort, we used available data on New York Spartina salt marsh distribution and estimates of Diamondback Terrapin home range to identify marshes for initial surveys and pilot work for studies of habitat quality. We present GIS-model results showing New York locations with 50-, 100-, and 260-ha hypothetical home ranges (consisting of 50%, 75%, and 100% Spartina marsh), and use this information to identify New York locations most likely to harbor Diamondback Terrapins. Our models indicated there should be relatively large populations of terrapins in western Hempstead Bay and eastern Jamaica Bay, but failed to identify a known terrapin population at Piermont Marsh on the Hudson River.

Most aquatic flowering plants spread via specialized vegetative propagules. Such propagules do not occur in Riverweeds (Podostemaceae), which constitute the largest family of strictly aquatic flowering plants. This study was undertaken to test whether root fragments of Podostemum ceratophyllum Michx. (Hornleaf Riverweed) can reattach and thereby serve a dispersal role. In field experiments, root fragments re-attached with tenacity sufficient to challenge removal. We conclude that fragments can provide a vegetative means to disperse plants in rivers. While the plant tested is the only species of the family in North America, the results have broader implications for the largely tropical Podostemaceae.

Small mammals are generally known to consume and disperse subterranean (hypogeous) fungi, but accounts for this behavior are lacking for the northeastern US. We report on the use of these fungi by a sample of small mammals from the central Adirondack Mountains of New York. We analyzed 57 fecal samples from Peromyscus maniculatus (Deer Mouse), Myodes gapperi (Southern Red-backed Vole), Tamias striatus (Eastern Chipmunk), and Blarina brevicauda (Short-tailed Shrew) to determine whether they were consuming fungi in the central Adirondack Mountains. We found that fecal samples from Eastern Chipmunk (n = 12), Southern Red-backed Vole (n = 14), Short-tailed Shrew (n = 14), and Deer Mouse (n = 17) contained Glomus spp. (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) spores (33.3%, 35.7%, 21.4%, and 17.6% of samples, respectively) and Russulaceae spores (66.6%, 35.7%, 7.14% and 5.9% of samples, respectively). One sample from an Eastern Chipmunk also contained Gautieria spores.