Lennart Sopuck

Eight of 31 radio-tagged female blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) that had first nests terminated before hatch produced second clutches. Significantly more adult than yearling hens renested. All yearling hens that produced a second clutch had first nests terminated during laying or early incubation; but most yearlings did not renest. Adult females renested independently of the stage of incubation when nests were terminated. Average size of second clutches of adults are likely larger than those of yearlings and average size of second clutches of all females are likely smaller than those of first clutches. Most prenesting home ranges used during second nesting attempts were in the same general areas and of the same sizes as those used during initial nesting attempts.

Distribution of the Central Arctic caribou herd is characterized by segregation of the sexes and different habitat preferences by male and female caribou over most of the annual cycle. During all periods except late winter and postcalving, females showed a more northern distribution than did males. Females used riparian habitats less than availability and were generally farther from major river valleys than expected during all seasons except late winter. In contrast, males preferred riparian habitats from late winter to calving and were generally found closer to river valleys than were females from late winter to August dispersal. During the spring and calving periods near the coast females preferred sedge meadow and used riparian habitat less than availability whereas males preferred riparian and tussock tundra and used sedge meadow less than availability. It is theorized that sexual segregation and differential habitat use reflect predator avoidance strategies of females with calves and optimal foraging by adult males.

Four radio-marked adult female blue grouse, Dendragapus obscurus, had brood ranges 1 km to more open brood ranges. Cumulative movements of 7 of 20 brood hens exceeded 1 km in the first week post-hatch; two adults remained within 0.5 km of their nests but five yearlings moved beyond that. Mean daily movements of brood hens in the first week post-hatch were 0.14 and 0.11 km/day for yearling and adult females, respectively. Mean bimonthly sizes of home ranges of brood hens were relatively constant throughout summer but mean cumulative sizes increased steadily. Eleven of 30 hens moved 1 to 3.2 km from their nest sites immediately after losing their clutches or broods; 10 entered dense forest. Post-nesting home ranges of 12 of 28 broodless hens were >0.5 km from their nests. Mean sizes of pre-migratory bimonthly home ranges of most broodless females remained constant following loss of eggs or chicks and were the same size as those of brood hens; mean cumulative sizes increased steadily until departure from breeding range. Hens with broods used more open vegetative cover than those without broods and remained on breeding range until late August or early September. Hens without broods remained on breeding range from 3-54 days after loss of nests or chicks and, on average, left breeding range about one month before hens with broods. Movements of brood and broodless hens from breeding range (postbreeding migration) were largely unidirectional and began with a sudden move toward upland forest. Migratory movements ranged from 1-1.8 km/day. We suggest that: 1) some yearling females may nest in sub-optimal habitats that are not adjacent to acceptable brood ranges because of saturation of optimal habitats by adults and other yearlings, and 2) that broods may remain on breeding ranges longer than broodless females because of resources required by chicks. Hannon et al. (1982) provided evidence that most yearling female blue grouse, Dendragapus obscurus, settle for nesting only after most adults are laying or incubating eggs. They suggested that restriction of movements by nesting adult females tends to reduce interactions between the two age-classes and might explain settling patterns among yearling females. We studied post-nesting movements of radio-marked female D. obscurus with and without broods to examine the relationship between preand post-nesting home ranges. The principal question we asked was: "are sites settled by females in spring chosen to provide brood range for chicks?" This question bears on a suggestion of Sopuck (1979) that adults may be excluding some yearlings from prime nesting habitat. Secondary objectives were to compare post-nesting movements, post-nesting use of cover, and migration from breeding range of brood hens to those of broodless hens, for these comparisons might provide clues as to needs of hens with chicks. Studies were conducted in the springs and summers of 1976 and 1977 in the foothills and nearby mountains of east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Reflecting its isolation, geography, and glacial history, the Haida Gwaii archipelago (Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia) contains numerous endemic and disjunct taxa of various groups of organisms, but terrestrial gastropods have received scant attention. During surveys of 56 sites on Graham and Moresby Islands and 11 smaller islands, including remote mountain top locations, we detected 18 species of native terrestrial gastropods, most of which also occur in southwestern British Columbia. An undescribed species of semi-slug was found at four sites on Graham Island and six sites on Moresby Island and is formally described (Arionidae: Staala gwaii). Morphological and anatomical analyses suggest that the new slug is related to small species of Hemphillia Bland and Binney, 1872, but the differences are substantial, warranting the establishment of a new genus. The new species is of particular interest because it appears to be a northern endemic and a relict to the archipelago. Additional keywords: Gastropoda, Arionidae, Staala gwaii, Queen Charlotte Islands, anatomy, endemism

Recommended Citation Ovaska, Kristiina; Leonard, William P.; Chichester, Lyle; Burke, Thomas E.; Sopuck, Lennart; and Baugh, Jim (2004) "Prophysaon coeruleum Cockerell, 1890, blue-gray taildropper (Gastropoda: Arionidae): new distributional records and reproductive anatomy," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 64 : No. 4 , Article 15. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol64/iss4/15

The northern Columbia River basin, extending from the Kootenay region in British Columbia southward to the Idaho panhandle and northwestern Montana, contains a unique terrestrial gastropod fauna, but in Canada few surveys have specifically targetted this group. Here we report on terrestrial gastropods detected during surveys of 314 sites distributed in five biogeoclimatic zones across the Kootenay region. The surveys occurred on 65 days over seven years from 2007 to 2015, usually in September–October. We detected 45 taxa identified to species, belonging to 33 genera; micro-snails of the genus Vertigo (apart from Vertigo ovata) were combined into a single category, and snails belonging to Succineidae were not identified further. Regionally endemic species previously reported from the region included Western Banded Tigersnail (Anguispira kochi occidentalis), Coeur d’Alene Oregonian (Cryptomastix mullani), Rocky Mountainsnail (Oreohelix strigosa), Subalpine Mountainsnail (Oreohelix sub...

The mid-winter distribution and densities of the Bluenose caribou herd were compared with previous surveys over six years and were similar in all years except 1981 when exceptionally mild weather prevailed. Differences in group size, distribution and habitat use between sexes were noted in 1983. Caribou were distributed disproportionately to availability of vegetation types and used lakes significantly more than expected based on their occurrence. Male groups used conifer cover more than did female-calf groups which used open areas (lakes, fens, bogs) more than males. Cow-calf groups chose areas with a higher small lake density compared to lake density generally available. Generally caribou preferred habitat between 200 and 300 m in elevation with high densities of lakes less than 1 km2 in size. Snow depths and hardness were greater in most unoccupied habitats than in occupied habitats. Wolves were associated with high densities of cow/calf groups.

A photographie census of the Rivière George caribou herd in Quebec and Labrador was conducted between 4-23 July 1993 during the post-calving period. The primary objective of the study was to obtain an accurate estimate of the current size of the herd to permit the monitoring of population trends and effective management of the herd. The census procedure consisted of (1) use of satellite and conventional radio-telemetry to locate and photograph post-calving aggregations during the period of optimal aggregation, (2) determination of the minimum population size by direct counts from photographs, and (3) estimation of the total population size using the Petersen Index method. This method allowed extrapolation of the data to caribou that were either not photographed or that were not aggregated at the time of the census. The minimum count indicates that the Rivière George caribou herd consisted of at least 358 460 adults (older than calves) at the time of the census. This co...

Four radio-marked adult female blue grouse, Dendragapus obscurus, had brood ranges 1 km to more open brood ranges. Cumulative movements of 7 of 20 brood hens exceeded 1 km in the first week post-hatch; two adults remained within 0.5 km of their nests but five yearlings moved beyond that. Mean daily movements of brood hens in the first week post-hatch were 0.14 and 0.11 km/day for yearling and adult females, respectively. Mean bimonthly sizes of home ranges of brood hens were relatively constant throughout summer but mean cumulative sizes increased steadily. Eleven of 30 hens moved 1 to 3.2 km from their nest sites immediately after losing their clutches or broods; 10 entered dense forest. Post-nesting home ranges of 12 of 28 broodless hens were >0.5 km from their nests. Mean sizes of pre-migratory bimonthly home ranges of most broodless females remained constant following loss of eggs or chicks and were the same size as those of brood hens; mean cumulative sizes increased steadily until departure from breeding range. Hens with broods used more open vegetative cover than those without broods and remained on breeding range until late August or early September. Hens without broods remained on breeding range from 3-54 days after loss of nests or chicks and, on average, left breeding range about one month before hens with broods. Movements of brood and broodless hens from breeding range (postbreeding migration) were largely unidirectional and began with a sudden move toward upland forest. Migratory movements ranged from 1-1.8 km/day. We suggest that: 1) some yearling females may nest in sub-optimal habitats that are not adjacent to acceptable brood ranges because of saturation of optimal habitats by adults and other yearlings, and 2) that broods may remain on breeding ranges longer than broodless females because of resources required by chicks. Hannon et al. (1982) provided evidence that most yearling female blue grouse, Dendragapus obscurus, settle for nesting only after most adults are laying or incubating eggs. They suggested that restriction of movements by nesting adult females tends to reduce interactions between the two age-classes and might explain settling patterns among yearling females. We studied post-nesting movements of radio-marked female D. obscurus with and without broods to examine the relationship between preand post-nesting home ranges. The principal question we asked was: "are sites settled by females in spring chosen to provide brood range for chicks?" This question bears on a suggestion of Sopuck (1979) that adults may be excluding some yearlings from prime nesting habitat. Secondary objectives were to compare post-nesting movements, post-nesting use of cover, and migration from breeding range of brood hens to those of broodless hens, for these comparisons might provide clues as to needs of hens with chicks. Studies were conducted in the springs and summers of 1976 and 1977 in the foothills and nearby mountains of east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Distribution of the Central Arctic caribou herd is characterized by segregation of the sexes and different habitat preferences by male and female caribou over most of the annual cycle. During all periods except late winter and postcalving, females showed a more northern distribution than did males. Females used riparian habitats less than availability and were generally farther from major river valleys than expected during all seasons except late winter. In contrast, males preferred riparian habitats from late winter to calving and were generally found closer to river valleys than were females from late winter to August dispersal. During the spring and calving periods near the coast females preferred sedge meadow and used riparian habitat less than availability whereas males preferred riparian and tussock tundra and used sedge meadow less than availability. It is theorized that sexual segregation and differential habitat use reflect predator avoidance strategies of females with calv...

Eight of 31 radio-tagged female blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) that had first nests terminated before hatch produced second clutches. Significantly more adult than yearling hens renested. All yearling hens that produced a second clutch had first nests terminated during laying or early incubation; but most yearlings did not renest. Adult females renested independently of the stage of incubation when nests were terminated. Average size of second clutches of adults are likely larger than those of yearlings and average size of second clutches of all females are likely smaller than those of first clutches. Most prenesting home ranges used during second nesting attempts were in the same general areas and of the same sizes as those used during initial nesting attempts.