DOCSLIB.ORG

Food of Cougars in the Cascade Range of Oregon

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Food of Cougars in the Cascade Range of Oregon Great Basin Naturalist Volume 45 Number 1 Article 9 1-31-1985 Food of cougars in the Cascade Range of Oregon Dale E. Toweill Oregon State University, Corvallis Chris Maser U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Corvallis, Oregon Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Toweill, Dale E. and Maser, Chris (1985) "Food of cougars in the Cascade Range of Oregon," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 45 : No. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol45/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. FOOD OF COUGARS IN THE CASCADE RANGE OF OREGON' Dale E. Toweill- and Chris Maser' .\nsTi\.\CT.— Animal and nonanimal items were identified in the digestive tracts of 61 cougars (Felis concolor) collected between 1978 and 1984 from the western slopes of the Cascade Range in Oregon. Forty-two (69%) of the cougars were taken bv hunters in Decembei- and January, 18 (30"(i) were killed at other times of the year because of their proximity to livestock, and one animal was illegally killed in November. Black-tailed deer {Odocoilcus Iwmionu'i columbi(inus) was the most common prey item, although domestic sheep {Ovis ciries), porcupines (Ercthizon dorsatitni). and a variety of small mammals were also recorded. Masticated grass was the most common nonanimal item. Tlie cougar was placed under jurisdiction November and confiscated by Oregon State of the Oregon State Game Commission in Police was also examined. Successful hunters 1967 because of a suspected decline in num- were required to present their cougars to bers in the 1950s and early 1960s (Oregon personnel of the Oregon Department of Fish State Game Commission 1967). Prior to 1967, and Wildlife within 48 hours, at which time tlie cougar had been subjected to the bounty biological data were collected and ownership system established by the Oregon Territorial of the pelt was validated. Additional cougars, Government in 1843. The bounty system was killed to protect livestock (primarily domes- repealed by the Oregon Legislature in 1961 tic sheep), were obtained throughout the (Kebbe 1961), but the cougar was not pro- year. tected until it was declared a game animal in Sex, weight, and physical measurements 1967. It was then protected until 1971, ex- were recorded for each animal either by per- cept for individuals that were killing sonnel of the Oregon Department of Fish and livestock. Wildlife or by us. Digestive tracts and repro- The first controlled hunt for cougars in ductive organs were removed, labeled, and Oregon took place in 1971; 13 were killed. frozen for later analysis. Each complete di- Information on food habits from those 13 ani- gestive tract was examined as three separate mals (3 from the Cascade Range) and from 12 elements: stomach, small intestine, and colon. taken in 1972 (none from the Cascade Range) Because some animals were eviscerated in was reported by Toweill and Meslow (1977). the field by hunters, many of whom brought The purpose of this paper is to present data in only stomachs, more stomachs than colons on foods of cougars from the Cascade Range were available for analysis. Weight of stom- of Oregon and to compare these data with ach contents was recorded to the nearest other data from Oregon (Maser and Rohwe- gram. Endoparasites were also preserved. der 1983, Toweill and Meslow 1977) and Complete digestive tracts normally repre- elsewhere. sented at least two meals: one in the stomach and one in the colon, with elements from both often found in the small intestine (Maser Methods and Rohweder 1983). Items from stomachs and from colons were recorded separately. Most of the animals examined during this Nonanimal items, particularly fragments of study were taken legally by hunters during vegetation, were identified to provide insight the annual controlled season in December about the habitats in which meals were and January; one cougar illegally killed in ingested. 'This is i i paper dedicated to the memory of Ronald Rohweder, an of the Oregon Departn , who helped n cougars of Oregon. Ron was electrocuted 1 July 19S4. -Oregon Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97.3.31. 'U.S. Department of the Interior. Bureau of Land .Management. Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon 97.331 77 Great Basin Naturalist Vol. 45, No. 1 Results and Discussion Absence of Roosevelt elk {Cervus elaphus roosevelti) in the diet of cougars from the Digestive tracts of 61 cougars containing Cascade Range is puzzling. Despite their items were examined. Information, con- food size, elk are commonly reported in the diet sidered to represent 115 separate meals, was of cougars where ranges of the two species obtained from 61 stomach samples and 54 co- overlap (Ackerman et al. 1984, Hornocker samples. lon 1970, Maser and Rohweder 1983, Robinette All cougars examined in this study were et al. 1959, Toweill and Meslow 1977). from the western slopes of the Cas- collected Roosevelt elk are relatively common Range in Oregon between 1978 and cade throughout Douglas and Lane counties, al- 40 (66%) from Douglas County, 19 1984, though they are most often found at eleva- from Lane Covmty, and 1 each from (13%) tions above 600 m (2000 ft) and away from Ciury and Hood River counties. Because of human habitations. We suspect that the lack himt unit boimdaries and because animals of elk in the diet of these cougars was a result taken to control livestock predation were of the small sample size and low elevations at killed near human habitations, all cougars which the cats were taken. were taken at elevations below approx- Depredation of domestic sheep by cougars imately 600 m (2000 ft). occurred all year at low frequency but Cougars taken throughout the year were seemed most common during spring. All oc- examined, although most were taken during currences of domestic sheep in our sample the December-January controlled season. came from cougars killed because of live- Numbers of animals in this sample by month stock damage. The high frequency of occur- killed were as follows: January— 14, March— rence of sheep in the diet of these cougars re- 6, April-3, May-1, June-1, July-2, Sep- sults from the bias introduced by the tember— 4, October— 1, November— 2, and inclusion of cougars killed as a result of live- December— 27. Data were recorded as legal stock depredations. Our data indicate that hmiter kills (42) and others (19). these cougars had usually fed on sheep for at The sex ratio of cougars in our sample was least two consecutive meals. essentially even, 33 males and 28 females. Of Porcupines were recorded in the cougar these, 20 males and 22 females were taken diet with some regularity, and many of the January period, and 13 during the December- cougar carcasses examined showed evidence 6 females were taken at other males and of contact with porcupines in the form of times of the year. embedded quills. The importance of porcu- of stomach contents ranged from Weight pines in the cougar diet has been noted by less than 1 g (traces of hair) to 3.97 kg (9 lbs). Maser and Rohweder (1983) and Young and food item most Black-tailed deer was the Goldman (1964). Deer, porcupines, and grass commonly found in cougars in winter. The have been the most commonly reported dominance of deer in the diet seems a con- ^staples of the cougar diet (Dixon 1982). stant throughout North America, as is evi- The domestic dog {Canis f(uniUaris) found denced by studies conducted in Oregon (Ma- in the stomach of one cougar may represent ser and Rohweder 1983, Towcill and Meslow feeding on carrion. Fly larvae, found among 1977), Washington (Schwartz 1943 in Young clumps of dog hair, indicated that the dog and Goldman 1964), Idaho (Hornocker 1970), had l)een dead several hours before it was California (Dixon 1925), Utah and Nevada consumed by the cougar. (Robinette et al. 1959), Utah (Ackerman et al. Other animals found in the diet of cougars 1984), Arizona and New Mexico (Hibben during this study included mountain beaver 1937), British Columbia (Spalding and Les- {Aplodontia rufa), muskrat {Ondatra zihethi- owski 1971), and throughout the western cus), beaver {Castor canadensis), northern fly- United States (Sperry in Young and Goldman ing squirrel {Claucomijs sahrinus), dusky- 1964). Hippoboscid flies {Lipoptena deprcssa footed woodrat {\cotoma fiiseipes), Trow- pacified), a common ectoparasite of black- bridge shrew {Sorex trowhridii,ei), and hare tailed deer, were recovered from the stom- {Lepus sp.) and may represent opportunistic achs of four cougars. feeding (Table 1). Such small mammals have January 1985 TowEiLL, Maser: Oregon Cougar Diet 79 also been found in other studies of cougar were associated with plant remains from pon- food habits but usually total less than 10% of derosa pine {Pinus ponderosa), vine maple the diet by frequency of occurrence and con- {Acer circinatum), western redcedar {Thuja siderably less in terms of relative biomass plicata), Oregon grape {Berberis nervosa), and consumed. Exceptions have been noted, how- fern {Polystichum sp.). Douglas-fir needles ever, in Arizona (Hibben 1937) and southern were also commonly found in association Utah (Ackerman et al. 1984). with food of cougars killed other than during We assumed that fish bones, found in the December and January (24% of stomach sam- stomach of one cougar reportedly caught in a ples and 63% of colon samples).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Information Circular 41: Origin of Cascade Landscapes
    111ackin I CdrlJ .rc-1J ORIGIN OF CASCADE LANDSCAPES ---=-~--=---------=---- FRONTISPIECE Picket Range in upper Skagit area, Northern Cascade Mountains. Snowfields occupy a former ice-filled cirque. Grass is enroaching on ice-polished rock surfaces. State of Washington DANIEL J. EVANS, Governor Department of Conservation ROY MUNDY, Director DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY MARSHALL T. HUNTTING, SupervisoT Information Circular No. 41 ORIGIN OF CASCADE LANDSCAPES By J. HOOVER MACKIN and ALLENS. CARY STATE PRINTING PLANT, OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON 1965 For sale by Department of Conservation, Olympia, Washington. Price, 50 cents. FOREWORD The Cascade Range has had an important influence on the lives of a great many people ever since man has inhabited the Northwest. The mountains were a barrier to Indian travel; they were a challenge to the westward migration of the early settlers in the area; they posed serious problems for the early railroad builders; and they still constitute an obstruction to east-west travel. A large part of the timber, mineral, and surface water resources of the State come from the Cascades. About 80 percent of the area covered by glaciers in the United States, exclusive of Alaska, is in the Cascades of Washington. This region includes some of the finest mountain scenery in the country and is a popular outdoor recreation area. The Cascade Range is a source of economic value to many, a source of pleasure to many others, and a problem or source of irritation to some. Regardless of their reactions, many people have wondered about the origin of the mountains­ How and when did the Cascades come into being, and what forces were responsible for the construction job? -This report, "Origin of Cascade Landscapes," gives the answers to these questions.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 15 Comparative Phylogeography of North- Western North America: a Synthesis
    Chapter 15 Comparative phylogeography of north- western North America: a synthesis S. J. Brunsfeld,* J. Sullivan,†D. E. Soltis‡and P. S. Soltis§ Introduction Phylogeography is concerned with the principles and processes that determine the geographic distributions of genealogical lineages, within and among closely related species (Avise et al. 1987;Avise 2000).Although this field of study is very new (only a little more than a decade has passed since the term ‘phylogeography’was first coined; see Avise et al. 1987),the scientific literature in this research area is now voluminous. To date, most phylogeographic investigations of natural populations have focused on muticellular animals (Hewitt 1993; Patton et al. 1994; daSilva & Patton 1998; Eizirik et al. 1998;Avise 2000; Hewitt 2000; Schaal & Olsen 2000; Sullivan et al. 2000). This bias is due in large part to the ready availability of population-level genetic markers afforded by the animal mitochondrial genome. The more slowly evolving chloroplast genome,in contrast,often does not provide sufficient variation to reconstruct phylogeny at the populational level (Soltis et al. 1997; Schaal et al. 1998; Schaal & Olsen 2000). Phylogeographic data have accumulated so rapidly for animal taxa that it has been possible to compare phylogeographic structure among codistributed species. In fact, one of the most profound recent contributions of molecular phylogeography is the construction of regional phylogeographic perspec- tives that permit comparisons of phylogeographic structure among codistributed species, and subsequent integration of genealogical data with independent biogeo- graphic and systematic data. Probably the best-known regional phylogeographic analysis for North America involves animals from the southeastern USA (reviewed in Avise 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • GEOLOGIC MAP of the MOUNT ADAMS VOLCANIC FIELD, CASCADE RANGE of SOUTHERN WASHINGTON by Wes Hildreth and Judy Fierstein
    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR TO ACCOMPANY MAP 1-2460 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE MOUNT ADAMS VOLCANIC FIELD, CASCADE RANGE OF SOUTHERN WASHINGTON By Wes Hildreth and Judy Fierstein When I climbed Mount Adams {17-18 August 1945] about 1950 m (6400') most of the landscape is mantled I think I found the answer to the question of why men by dense forests and huckleberry thickets. Ten radial stake everything to reach these peaks, yet obtain no glaciers and the summit icecap today cover only about visible reward for their exhaustion... Man's greatest 2.5 percent (16 km2) of the cone, but in latest Pleis­ experience-the one that brings supreme exultation­ tocene time (25-11 ka) as much as 80 percent of Mount is spiritual, not physical. It is the catching of some Adams was under ice. The volcano is drained radially vision of the universe and translating it into a poem by numerous tributaries of the Klickitat, White Salmon, or work of art ... Lewis, and Cis pus Rivers (figs. 1, 2), all of which ulti­ William 0. Douglas mately flow into the Columbia. Most of Mount Adams and a vast area west of it are Of Men and Mountains administered by the U.S. Forest Service, which has long had the dual charge of protecting the Wilderness Area and of providing a network of logging roads almost INTRODUCTION everywhere else. The northeast quadrant of the moun­ One of the dominating peaks of the Pacific North­ tain, however, lies within a part of the Yakima Indian west, Mount Adams, stands astride the Cascade crest, Reservation that is open solely to enrolled members of towering 3 km above the surrounding valleys.
    [Show full text]
  • Across the Cascade Range
    Series I B> DescriPtive Geology- 4l Bulletin No. 235 \ D, Petrography and Mineralogy, DEPARTMENT'OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES \). WALCOTT, Di HECTOR GEOLOGICAL RECONNAISSANCE ACROSS THE CASCADE RANGE NEAR THE FORTY-NINTH PARALLEL GEORGE OTIS SMITH AND FRANK C. CALKINS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1904 Trri-o^) SL'BD C 0 N T E N T S. I'lliJO. Letter of transmittal. ---_--_---..-.._-_.____.._-______._....._.._____.._.. 9 Introduction-__-._.__,.__-.----._--._._.__..._....__....---_--__._.__.-.-_- 11 Scope of report ---.--_.____.._______-.--....._---.._...._.__ ._.- 11 Route followed ........................:......................... 12 Geography .............................................................. 12 Topography .......................................................... 12 Primary divisions of the region..--.........-.--.-.--.-.-.. 12 Okanogan Valley .................:.. ............................ 18 Cascade Range ...............:........,..._ ....^......i........ 13 General characteristics..._.....-.....-..----.--.----.-.-..-.. 13 Northern termination.,.---.....-......--.-.............._ 13 Subdivision .............................................. 14 Okanogan Mountains ........................................... 14 Hozonieen Range ............................................ 15 Skagit Mountains....-.... ......-.----....-.-----..-...--.--- 16 Drainage ..................................................... 17 Climate ...................................................... ...... 17 Roads and trails
    [Show full text]
  • Tectonic Setting of the Southern Cascade Range As Interpreted from Its Magnetic and Gravity Fields
    Tectonic setting of the southern Cascade Range as interpreted from its magnetic and gravity fields RICHARD J. BLAKELY \ ROBERT C. JACHENS > U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025 ROBERT W. SIMPSON J RICHARD W. COUCH School of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 ABSTRACT every major volcano of the study area is lo- cated on the perimeter of a local gravitational We have compiled and analyzed aeromag- low. We suggest that the gravity lows reflect netic data from the southern Cascade Range subsidence of low-density volcanic material and compared them with residual gravity relative to denser country rock and that the data from the same region in order to investi- major volcanoes have developed over struc- gate regional aspects of these young volcanic tures at the perimeters of their respective rocks and of basement structures beneath depressions. them. Various constant-level aeromagnetic surveys were mathematically continued up- COMPILATION AND ANALYSIS ward to 4,571 m and numerically mosaicked OF THE DATA into a single compilation extending from lat. 40°10'N to lat. 44°20'N. These data were re- During the past six years, Oregon State duced to the pole, upward continued an addi- University has systematically collected aero- tional 10 km, and compared with a magnetic magnetic data of exceptional quality over the topographic model and with residual gravity entire southern part of the Cascade Range, from data upward continued to the same level. lat. 40°10'N to lat. 44°20'N (Connard, 1979; Several intriguing regional features are sug- Connard and others, 1983; McLain, 1981; Hup- gested by these data.
    [Show full text]
  • Geology of the Northern Part of the Southeast Three Sisters
    AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Karl C. Wozniak for the degree of Master of Science the Department cf Geology presented on February 8, 1982 Title: Geology of the Northern Part of the Southeast Three Sisters Quadrangle, Oregon Redacted for Privacy Abstract approved: E. M. Taylorc--_, The northern part of the Southeast Three Sisters quadrangle strad- dles the crest of the central High Cascades of Oregon. The area is covered by Pleistocene and Holocene volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks that were extruded from a number of composite cones, shield volcanoes, and cinder cones. The principal eruptive centers include Sphinx Butte, The Wife, The Husband, and South Sister volcanoes. Sphinx Butte, The Wife, and The Husband are typical High Cascade shield and composite vol- canoes whose compositions are limited to basalt and basaltic andesite. South Sister is a complex composite volcano composed of a diverse assem- blage of rocks. In contrast with earlier studies, the present investi- gation finds that South Sister is not a simple accumulation of andesite and dacite lavas; nor does the eruptive sequence display obvious evolu- tionary trends or late stage divergence to basalt and rhyolite. Rather, the field relations indicate that magmas of diverse composition have been extruded from South Sister vents throughout the lifespan of this volcano. The compositional variation at South Sister is. atypical of the Oregon High Cascade platform. This variation, however, represents part of a continued pattern of late Pliocene and Pleistocene magmatic diver- sity in a local region that includes Middle Sister, South Sister, and Broken Top volcanoes. Regional and local geologic constraints combined with chemical and petrographic criteria indicate that a local subcrustal process probably produced the magmas extruded fromSouth Sister, whereas a regional subcrustal process probably producedthe magmas extruded from Sphinx Butte, The Wife, and The Husband.
    [Show full text]
  • A Tale of Three Sisters: Reconstructing the Holocene Glacial History and Paleoclimate Record at Three Sisters Volcanoes, Oregon, United States
    Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2005 A Tale of Three Sisters: Reconstructing the Holocene glacial history and paleoclimate record at Three Sisters Volcanoes, Oregon, United States Shaun Andrew Marcott Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Geology Commons, and the Glaciology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Marcott, Shaun Andrew, "A Tale of Three Sisters: Reconstructing the Holocene glacial history and paleoclimate record at Three Sisters Volcanoes, Oregon, United States" (2005). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3386. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.5275 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. THESIS APPROVAL The abstract and thesis of Shaun Andrew Marcott for the Master of Science in Geology were presented August II, 2005, and accepted by the thesis committee and the department. COMMITTEE APPROVALS: (Z}) Representative of the Office of Graduate Studies DEPARTMENT APPROVAL: MIchael L. Cummings, Chair Department of Geology ( ABSTRACT An abstract of the thesis of Shaun Andrew Marcott for the Master of Science in Geology presented August II, 2005. Title: A Tale of Three Sisters: Reconstructing the Holocene glacial history and paleoclimate record at Three Sisters Volcanoes, Oregon, United States. At least four glacial stands occurred since 6.5 ka B.P. based on moraines located on the eastern flanks of the Three Sisters Volcanoes and the northern flanks of Broken Top Mountain in the Central Oregon Cascades.
    [Show full text]
  • A Predictive Population Model for Gougars in Oregon
    GeorgeP. Keister, Jr.,r Oregon Department of Flshand W d fe 2995Hughes Lane, Baker Cty. Oregon97814 and WalterA. Van Dyke,Oregon Depart.nent of F sh andWidlife, 38T4 C ark B vd. Ontarlo,Oregon 97914 A PredictivePopulation Model for Gougarsin Oregon Abstract Cougar nunbers in Orcgon declinedberween 1928 and 1961.prinrdrily due lo exccssjveharvest ffom the bc'untysystem. Cougafs werc classified as a game mammal in I967 and spo harvestbegan on a limiled basis in I 970. B ecause detemining population size ofcougars by direct count mcthodsis impractical,indircct nrethodsto evalualestatus are needed. \\'e analyzedharrcst ]cvels. lianage conrplaints.and data obuincd from harvestedcougars 1o evaluate their statusin Orcgon. Biological data oblained lrom oregon and other stateswere used1() dcvelop a densitydependen! nrodel of the cougarpopulation ofOregon. As indicaledby thc model. nLrmbersi ncreased fioln an cslimatedlow of 2 1.1in 196I to 2,830i n I 992, which coincidcdwith other indicators including incrcascdlivesrock damrge. human safety complaints.and sport hanest. The nodel indicaled higher moltality r.rteslbr hunled poputarjonsand lo*,er proportionsofj venile cougarsin populatjonsat caffyirg capacit]'.For the modeledpopuladon in 1993. sportharrest ratesof5.4q. alowed a 5% annualgrowlh. A sporthanest of 107. of thc populationand a total mortality rale of 35% was neededto srabilizethat populatjon.The model predictedthat if spofi harlest ceascd.cougar nunbers would incrcaseuntil carrying capacily is reachedin thc year 2009.We believe the model
    [Show full text]
  • Some Little-Known Scenic Pleasure Places in the Cascade Range in Oregon by IRA A
    .. VOLUME 2 NUMBER 1 '/ MAY, 1916 THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF ORE·GON Published M~nthly By The Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology See Capitalize Oregon I Oregon First Scenery Waterfall in Cascade Range Photo by Weister Some Little-Known Scenic Pleasure Places in the Cascade Range in Oregon By IRA A. WILLIAMS 114 Pages ,66 Illustrations Entered as second cl""s matter at Corvallis, Ore. on Feb. 10, 1914, according to the Act of Aug. 24, 1912. OREGON BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY COMMISSION OniCE ON THE CoMMISSION AND EXHIBIT OREGON BUILDING, PORTLAND, OREGON OniCE o• THE DIRECTOR CORVALLIS, OREGOl-1 JAHES WITHYCOHBE, Governor HENRY M. PARKS, Director COMMISSION ABTHUR M. SwARTLEY, Mining Engineer H. N. LAWRIE, Portland IRA A. WILLIAMS, Ceramist W. C. FELLOWS, Sumpter 1. F .• REnnr, Medford 1. L. Woon, Albany R. M. BETTS, CO\"nucopia P. L. CAMPBELL, Eugene W. 1. KERR, Corvallis Volume 2 Number 1 May Issue of the MINERAL RESOURCES OF OREGON Published by ,.. The Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology I • CONTAINING Some Little-Known Scenic Pleasure Places in the 1 Cascade Range in Oregon By IRA A. WILLIAMS l . 114 Pages 66 Illustrations 1916 ANNOUNCEMENT With this issue we present the first number of Volume.2 of The Mineral Resources of Ore­ gon. This is the first issue since December, 1914, and the first to be completed for publica­ tion giving results of field work during the past season. It is a preliminary paper involving the general geology of the Cascade Range and is to be followed by detailed reports upon the various other economic resources of the Range.
    [Show full text]
  • A Parasitological Survey of the Cascade Red Fox
    A PARASITOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE CASCADE RED FOX (VULPES VULPES CASCADENSIS) AND THE COYOTE (CANIS LATRANS) IN MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK by Jessica Brown A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Environmental Studies The Evergreen State College June 2018 ©2018 by Jessica Brown. All rights reserved. This Thesis for the Master of Environmental Studies Degree by Jessica Brown has been approved for The Evergreen State College by ________________________ Tara Chestnut, PhD Member of the Faculty ________________________ Date ABSTRACT A parasitological survey of the Cascade red fox (Vulpes vulpes cascadensis) and the coyote (Canis latrans) in Mount Rainier National Park. Jessica Brown Loss of biodiversity is widespread and increasing numbers of carnivores in North America are suffering from population decline and reduced distribution. The risk of extinction is reality for many of these species, predominately due to the consequences of human activities. The complexity of biodiversity loss has been linked to environmental alterations such as habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, urbanization, and climate change. In addition, disease emergence among wildlife, including parasitism, is accelerating at an alarming rate. Parasites and pathogens often interact with other environmental stressors and cause species population decline. Species with small populations and low genetic diversity are at the greatest risk of extirpation. Thus the aim of this study was to identify parasitic helminths of the Cascade red fox (Vulpus vulpes cascadensis) and the sympatric coyote (Canis latrans) in the Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) of Washington State. Cascade red fox, an extremely rare mesocarnivore, has experienced a decline in population and a recent loss of genetic diversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Postglacial Vegetation and Climate of the Cascade Range, Central Oregon DEBRA S
    QUATERNARY RESEARCH 43, 370-381 (1995) Postglacial Vegetation and Climate of the Cascade Range, Central Oregon DEBRA S. SEA Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403 AND CATHY WHITLOCK1 Department of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene. Oregon 97403 Received December 15, 1994 radiation. These hemispheric and continent-wide climate Pollen data from two sites provide information on the postgla- controls affected temperature and precipitation gradients cial vegetation and climate history of the Cascade Range. Indian within the region, as well as the location and intensity of Prairie in the western Cascade Range was colonized by subalpine atmospheric circulation features. A series of biological forests of Pinus, Picea, and Tsuga and open meadows prior to ca. — responses to the climate changes included species range 12,400 4t., yr B.P. The treeline lay 500 to 1000 m below its mod- adjustments, creation and dissolution of plant communi- ern elevation and conditions were cooler than at present. From ca. ties, and broad shifts in the composition of biomes (Whit- 12,400 to ca. 9950 14C yr B.P. Abies became important and the forest resembled that presently found at middle elevations in the lock, 1992; Thompson et al., 1993). western Cascade Range. The pollen record implies a rise in tree- Our understanding of the vegetational response to en- line and warmer conditions than before. From ca. 10,000 to 4000- vironmental changes in the Pacific Northwest is drawn 4500 14C yr B.P., conditions that were warmer and effectively largely from pollen records obtained from the lowlands of drier than today led to the establishment of a closed forest com- western Washington, southwestern British Columbia, posed of Pseudotsuga, Abies, and, at lower elevations, Quercus and western Oregon (Whitlock, 1992 and references and Corylus.
    [Show full text]
  • Coyotebrush, Baccharis Pilularis, Plant Guide
    Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Guide COYOTEBRUSH Baccharis pilularis DC. Plant Symbol = BAPI Common Names: coyote brush, coyotebush, coyote bush, chaparral-broom, dwarf baccharis, dwarf chaparral false willow Scientific Subspecies Names: Baccharis pilularis DC. ssp. consanguinea (DC.) C.B. Wolf, Baccharis pilularis DC. ssp. pilularis (DC.) Description Figure 1. Coyotebrush, Baccharis pilularis ssp consanguinea, mature General: Coyotebrush is a native, perennial, evergreen shrub in shrub. Lockeford Plant Materials Center, August 2016. the Asteraceae family with either an erect, rounded or procumbent habit. It ranges in height from 1 to 12 feet, depending upon the subspecies and location (Bogler, D. 2016, Robbins et al., 1970). The stems are dark brown, hairless and shiny; they may be scurfy and are usually resinous and sticky. Leaves are alternate and either lacking or with a short petiole, they are broadly ovate or wedge shaped from ½ to 1 inch long. The leaf blades have 1 or 3 nerves, are hairless, with glands and are resinous. Leaf margins are variable, wavy margined or coarsely toothed with 3 to 8 teeth on each side or entire. The plants are generally dioecious. Female flower heads are discoid and many flowered, without ray florets. They are 0.16 to 0.25 inch long, and clustered at branch tips or in leaf axils. Male flowers are slightly smaller. Seeds (cypselae, technically fruits) are 0.039 to 0.079 inch long and 10 nerved, with a white feathery pappus 0.24 to 0.39 inch- long. The bloom period is from August to December and seed is produced in late fall through early spring.
    [Show full text]