User:Dharmeep/sandbox

Conservation (Peer reviewing Dharmee's rough draft) -Brian Waterbury

Conservation Status (Rough Draft)[edit | edit source]

Neotoma floridana is found in about 17 states of United States. The total population size of Neotoma floridana is more than 10,000 individuals and therefore, it is marked as a Least Concerned species by IUCN^[1] whereas different states have assigned different conservation status based on the individuals found in a particular state. It is marked as Endangered or threatened in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Maryland whereas it is given a status of special concern or extirpated by states like Tennessee, Virginia, south Carolina(Page 2 of Source 9 under the “Status” section states that the species is “Secure” in South Carolina), New York, Connecticut and Alabama. On the other hand, states like Texas and Kentucky - where this species are also found, does not have any official status.

Certain threats to this species have been discovered by biologists and these treats are the cause of decline in Eastern Woodrat's population decline. Predation is one of the threat for this species. It's (“Its’ “ should be used here) common predators are black rat snake, spotted skunk, timber rattlesnake, great-horned owl, red and grey fox, raccoons, opossums and feral cats found in developed areas. Newborns and juveniles are high on risk for predation by snakes in their den itself. Based on the historical events it is also evident that exposure to extremely cold winters causes a dramatic decline in wood-rat's population. In 1912 and 1918, exposure of Illinois woodrat population to severe winter dropped the population. In March of 1948, extreme winters along with accumulation of snow and ice might have caused the demise of litter in Kansas. The very next year, in January, Kansas again witnessed unusually cold weather and snow had accumulated for about 21 days continuously. As a result, many woodrats may have died out of starvation due to the lack of availability of food.

In South Carolina, massive development in (of) various places have impacted this species. Construction work and urbanization have lead to habitat loss and isolation of woodrats. Suitable habitats in the Coastal Plains of South Carolina are not protected at all. This has become a huge threat to them. Human inflected(I believe the word you want here is “inflicted”) changes in habitat areas as well as the nearby areas such as using forest for agricultural purpose, roads and other construction affects lives of woodrats adversely and it is threatening for them. (The use of the word “massive” in sentence 1 of this paragraph and the word “huge” in sentence 4 are misleading and opinionated. There is no data to back up those quantifying adjectives. The source does not use these quantifiers; the species is secure in that state and it is not declining rapidly, thus there isn’t a “huge” threat. Your source mentions the construction being “intense”, but not massive. I wouldn’t even use “intense” because that too is a matter of opinion with not data behind it.)

Woodrats forage on many different items such as berries, stems, buds, fruits, seeds, leaves and insects but(This information is unnecessary, simply state that they are dependent on acorns during the winter) during winters they are largely depended on acorns and nuts. Therefore, another possible(try not to use the word “possible”, according to your sources it is, and has been a threat)  threat to these little ones (“This species” is more appropriate)is the lack of important food such as Acorns and American chestnut. Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) had invaded the crop of Acorns in Lower Mississippi River Basin during 1964 and 1965, resulting in cultivation of poor crop. This reduced availability of Acorns in 1966 resulted in hunger and followed by death in many individuals(This is a theory according to your source, so don’t state it as fact)

Raccoons mostly coexist with humans because human activities benefit them on a large scale. They can easily forage in dumpsters, gardens, farms, ponds, leftover pet food as well as bird feeder. Hence, mere human presence increases the likelihood of raccoon invasion(This is interesting information, but not specifically about the wood rat nor vital to this passage. The last sentence is an idea with solid reasoning, but no data to back it up in this article). It has been noted in the past years that an increase in raccoon population caused woodrats population to decrease. This is because parasitic worm called B. procyonis is an intestinal roundworm of raccoons and if this parasite is transmitted to woodrats then these parasite can potentially travel to brains of woodrats and it can lead to individual's death. This is very common in Allegheny woodrats and hence there are potential chances that B. procyonis is a threat to eastern woodrats (N. floridana) as well.

Many conservative steps are taken to conserve this species because each organism of our food chain and ecosystem is important. In 2003, The Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida department of Environmental Protection jointly initiated a program for the removal of feral and free-roaming cats from the public lands that are occupied by woodrats. Hence, taking predators away from species will prevent them from getting consumed by their predators.

Another step towards preserving this species is keeping human activities and invasion at a farther end from the habitat areas. Woodrats will not feel threatened and isolated because of construction and development works and also a check on human boundaries will automatically keep a check on raccoons interference in woodrats habitats to certain a certain extend.

Reintroduction of this species in their previously inhabited areas is another initiative taken to conserve N. floridana. Illinois department of Natural Resources along with U.S. Forest Services and Southern Illinois University have taken an initiative of reintroducing woodrats from Pine Hills, Union County and some sites in Missouri to eastern Shawnee Forest areas. At the time of reintroduction it is essential to check the areas for adequate available food and shelter resources for woodrats and to check if the area is infected by B. procyonis. It is highly recommended for the sex ratio to be skewed toward females because eastern woodrats are polygynous and do not form pair bonds (Asdell 1964). (One of your sources has information dating from both before and after this source, with contradicting information. Page 7, under Population Biology & Viability http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm91_054316.pdf ) Based on the theoretical perspective, while reintroduction, if genetic diversity is provided then there are higher chances of promoting variations in offspring and possibly improving their survival rates. (After researching the phrase “theoretical perspective” and then the phrase “ecological perspective”, I don’t believe this is relevant. I also do not find any factual recorded data similar to or proving this sentence in your sources. It makes logical sense, but there is no data.)

Suggestions:

·        Perhaps organize sections into paragraphs with Sub-topic titles?

·        Use less “uncertain” or opinionated adjectives like “possibly” and “massive”. This is written like a persuasive research piece.

·        There are some grammatical and spelling errors, I’m pretty sure I pointed them all out, but I may have missed some.

Comments:

Sources all seem reliable and the citations are complete and in proper format except for source #3. I checked out the page for the source and couldn’t find the information needed to create a proper citation. On the page of source #3 it also mentions that the information has yet to be reviewed by a “species expert.” Also, I couldn’t access source #8 through your link because there was an error with proquest. Otherwise everything looks good and the research is thorough.

Population (Peer reviewing Brian's rough draft)

Population Density:

Eastern Woodrats are typically solitary creatures, so they usually have a buffer between territories. The females have a smaller territory than males, averaging around 0.17ha. Males average around 0.26ha and the species-wide average territory area is 662 square meters. Being solitary, the rats tend not to stray much farther than 21m from their nests unless sexually active or for a preferred food. This species is found in 17 states of the South-Eastern and South-Central United States. With a wide range, but low population density this species is considered uncommon. No official count of the species has been done for the entirety of their range, but it is know that their total population well exceeds 10,000. The population overall has been decreasing since 1982. The primary cause for this decline has been habitat loss in the South-Eastern United States due to human development of the Coastal Plains.

Growth and Regulation:

Eastern Woodrats have been assigned the global rank of G-5, meaning the species is secure. They are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern in 5 of the 17 states that they are found in. State status designations may not be accurate since there is little research done where woodrats are presumed to be common. All states with recorded population decline are on the edge of the species range. The only conservation action taken has been habitat protection in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, and Florida.

(I found your "population density" as well as "growth and regulation section pretty appropriate!!)

(Because you have added mortality rate later in this category, you might want to consider adding another subsection saying reproduction)

Life History:

The male to female ratio for newborns is 1:1; female young are given food over males when food is scarce. The young wean for 3-4 weeks and become independent after 70-90 days. Reproductive maturity occurs for females after 5-6 months and after a year for males. Juveniles have yet to molt, have soft gray fur, and typically weigh about 150g ("gm"). “Sub-adults” are darker in fur color than adults; males weigh less than 250g (do you mean grams over here, if so them abbreviation for gram is "gm") and females weigh less than 200g ("gm"). Adults are classified as such after they attain sexual maturity. The Eastern Woodrat is solitary and aggressive; they attack other woodrats and are very territorial. If a female is involved in a fight she is usually the aggressor.

Mortality Rate:

In captivity the Eastern Woodrat has been recorded to live for up to 8.6 years, however the average lifespan in the wild is 3 years. The majority of deaths occur within their first year of life. In a study done in 1956, 27 individuals were caught in Kansas. Of those individuals only 6 survived to adulthood and only 3 lived long enough to reproduce.

Population Genetics:

(Something to consider in the paragraph below is using "italics" feature for scientific names of the sub-species)

There are 8 species under the semispecies “Neotoma floridana”, these being Neotoma floridana illinoensis, Neotoma floridana floridana, Neotoma floridana smalli, Neotoma floridana baileyi, Neotoma floridana pennsylvanica, Neotoma floridana attwateri, Neotoma floridan osagensis, and Neotoma floridana rubida.

Neotoma floridana magister was once thought to be a subspecies to the Neotoma floridana species, but was later found to be a species of its’ own in 2001 due to a significant difference in the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene. Populations of the various Eastern Woodrats from the southern and western United States also have relatively different DNA structure in the cytochrome b gene; a sequence divergence of 5.3% which implies a current divergence of the subspecies into new species.

Wikipedia Stub Expansion Bibliography

1) Guilliams, B. 2008. "Neotoma floridana" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 06, 2016 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Neotoma_floridana/

(All the Sources cited below are really appropriate for your section the only change you could do is add a workable link to it so that viewers can access the information)

2) Monty, Anne-Marie and Feldhamer, George A. (2002) Conservation Assesment for The Eastern Woodrat, and Allegheny Woodrat, Accessed November 6, 2016 at www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm91_054316.pdf

3) Pearson, P. (1952). Observations concerning the Life History and Ecology of the Woodrat, Neotoma floridana floridana (Ord). Journal of Mammalogy, 33(4), 459-463. doi:1. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1376018 doi:1

4) McClure, P. A. and Randolph, J. C. (1980), Relative Allocation of Energy to Growth and Development of Homeothermy in the Eastern Wood Rat (Neotoma floridana) and Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus). Ecological Monographs, 50: 199–219. doi: 10.2307/1942479

5) Linzey, A.V. & NatureServe (Jordan, R.A. & Hammerson, G.). 2008. Neotoma floridana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T42650A10740600. Downloaded on 26 October 2016.

6) McCleery, R.A., Lopez, R.R., Silvy, N.J.Frank, P.A. and S.B. Klett. 2006. Population status and habitat selection of the endangered Key Largo woodrat. Amer. Midl. Nat. 155(1):197-209.

7)Molecular Phylogenetics of the Neotoma Floridana Species Group, Cody W. Edwards, Robert D. Bradley, Journal of Mammalogy Aug 2001, 82 (3) 791-798; DOI: 10.1644/1545-1542(2001)082<0791:MPOTNF>2.0.CO;2

Conservation Status (Rough Draft)

Neotoma floridana is found in about 17 states of United States. The total population size of Neotoma floridana is more than 10,000 individuals and therefore, it is marked as a Least Concerned species by IUCN whereas different states have assigned different conservation status based on the individuals found in a particular state. It is marked as Endangered or threatened in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Maryland whereas it is given a status of special concern or extirpated by states like Tennessee, Virginia, south Carolina, New York, Connecticut and Alabama. On the other hand, states like Texas and Kentucky - where this species are also found, does not have any official status.

Threats

Certain threats to this species have been discovered by biologists and these treats are the cause of decline in Eastern Woodrat's population decline. Predation is one of the threat for this species. It's common predators are black rat snake, spotted skunk, timber rattlesnake, great-horned owl, red and grey fox, raccoons, opossums and feral cats found in developed areas. Newborns and juveniles are high on risk for predation by snakes in their den itself. Based on the historical events it is also evident that exposure to extremely cold winters causes a dramatic decline in wood-rat's population. In 1912 and 1918, exposure of Illinois woodrat population to severe winter dropped the population. In March of 1948, extreme winters along with accumulation of snow and ice might have caused the demise of litter in Kansas. The very next year, in January, Kansas again witnessed unusually cold weather and snow had accumulated for about 21 days continuously. As a result, many woodrats may have died out of starvation due to the lack of availability of food.

In South Carolina, massive development in various places have impacted this species. Construction work and urbanization have lead to habitat loss and isolation of woodrats. Suitable habitats in the Coastal Plains of South Carolina are not protected at all. This has become a huge threat to them. Human inflected changes in habitat areas as well as the nearby areas such as using forest for agricultural purpose, roads and other construction affects lives of woodrats adversely and it is threatening for them.

Woodrats forage on many different items such as berries, stems, buds, fruits, seeds, leaves and insects but during winters they are largely depended on acorns and nuts. Therefore, another possible threat to these little ones is the lack of important food such as Acorns and American chestnut. Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) had invaded the crop of Acorns in Lower Mississippi River Basin during 1964 and 1965, resulting in cultivation of poor crop. This reduced availability of Acorns in 1966 resulted in hunger and followed by death in many individuals.

Raccoons mostly coexist with humans because human activities benefit them on a large scale. They can easily forage in dumpsters, gardens, farms, ponds, leftover pet food as well as bird feeder. Hence, mere human presence increases the likelihood of raccoon invasion. It has been noted in the past years that an increase in raccoon population caused woodrats population to decrease. This is because parasitic worm called B. procyonis is an intestinal roundworm of raccoons and if this parasite is transmitted to woodrats then these parasite can potentially travel to brains of woodrats and it can lead to individual's death. This is very common in Allegheny woodrats and hence there are potential chances that B. procyonis is a threat to eastern woodrats (N. floridana) as well.

Conservation steps

Many conservative steps are taken to conserve this species because each organism of our food chain and ecosystem is important. In 2003, The Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida department of Environmental Protection jointly initiated a program for the removal of feral and free-roaming cats from the public lands that are occupied by woodrats. Hence, taking predators away from species will prevent them from getting consumed by their predators.

Another step towards preserving this species is keeping human activities and invasion at a farther end from the habitat areas. Woodrats will not feel threatened and isolated because of construction and development works and also a check on human boundaries will automatically keep a check on raccoons interference in woodrats habitats to certain a certain extend.

Reintroduction of this species in their previously inhabited areas is another initiative taken to conserve N. floridana. Illinois department of Natural Resources along with U.S. Forest Services and Southern Illinois University have taken an initiative of reintroducing woodrats from Pine Hills, Union County and some sites in Missouri to eastern Shawnee Forest areas. At the time of reintroduction it is essential to check the areas for adequate available food and shelter resources for woodrats and to check if the area is infected by B. procyonis. It is highly recommended for the sex ratio to be skewed toward females because eastern woodrats are polygynous and do not form pair bonds (Asdell 1964). Based on the theoretical perspective, while reintroduction, if genetic diversity is provided then there are higher chances of promoting variations in offspring and possibly improving their survival rates.

Outline for Conservation Status of Neotoma Floridana

1. IUCN classification - classified by Least concerned
2. Classification of conservation status based on different state's status designation
3. Principal causes of decline in N. Floridana population -
   1. Increased predation by horned owls and feral cats in developed areas
   2. Changing in landscape such as changing in forest composition
   3. Reduced availability of staple food -
      1. Acorns
      2. American chestnuts
   4. Infection from nematode parasite for e.g. B. procyons, which is carried by raccoons (P. Lotor)
   5. Severe winter weather
4. Principal Conservation measures -
   1. Reintroduction of N. Floridana in sites with low or possibly no B. procyons contamination
   2. Captive breeding to promote variations and hence increasing the survival rates
   3. Reintroduction of N. Floridana in previously inhabited areas
   4. Investigating reasons for major declines

Resources for my section i.e. conservation status of Neotoma Floridana are:-

1. Anne-Marie Monty and Feldhamer, George A. (2002) Conservation Assesment for The Eastern Woodrat, and The Allegheny Woodrat, Retrieved from http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm91_054316.pdf
2. McCleery, R., Oli, M. K., Hostetler, J. A., Karmacharya, B., Greene, D., Winchester, C., & ... Mengak, M. T. (2013). Are declines of an endangered mammal predation-driven, and can a captive-breeding and release program aid their recovery?. Journal Of Zoology, 291(1), 59-68. doi:10.1111/jzo.12046, Retrieved from - http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=89942212&site=ehost-live
3. Arkive.org entry. Retrieved from - http://www.arkive.org/eastern-woodrat/neotoma-floridana/
4. Poole, A. K., Novosak, B. A., Gooley, A. C., Ing, D. M., Bluett, R. D., Carter, T. C., & Feldhamer, G. A. (2013). Reintroduction of the Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana) in Southern Illinois. Southeastern Naturalist, 12(1), 1-10. retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=87334852&site=ehost-live
5. McCleery, R. A., Lopez, R. R., Silvy, N. J., Frank, P. A., & Klett, S. B. (2006). Population Status and Habitat Selection of the Endangered Key Largo Woodrat. American Midland Naturalist, 155(1), 197-209. Retrieved from - http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=19714897&site=ehost-live
6. Muiznieks, B. (2006, Apr). Captive propagation and the key largo woodrat. Endangered Species Update, 23, A32-A33. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215052671?accountid=40177
7. "Linzey, A.V. & NatureServe (Jordan, R.A. & Hammerson, G.). 2008. Neotoma floridana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T42650A10740600.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T42650A10740600.en" - Pdf version
8. Monty A, Heist E, Wagle E, Emerson R, Nicholson E, Feldhamer G. GENETIC VARIATION AND POPULATION ASSESSMENT OF EASTERN WOODRATS IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. Southeastern Naturalist [serial online]. June 2003;2(2):243. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 4, 2016. Retrieved from - http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.smccme.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=eb1ced13-c9b5-4bbc-9050-f81ae871277c%40sessionmgr4006&vid=10&hid=4204
9. Bunch, M., Miller, S. and D. Webster. 2005. Eastern woodrat. In: South Carolina State Wildlife Action Plan. Supplemental volume: Species of conservation concern. Revised 2012 by S. Fields and D. Webster. - this is a pdf file which will be retrieved from - http://dnr.sc.gov/swap/supplemental/mammals/easternwoodrat2015.pdf