South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Theses and Dissertations 1974 Studies of the White Pelican in South Dakota: Reproductive Biology of Wild Populations and Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and DDT on the Behavior of Penned Birds Vernon Pat McCrow Follow this and additional works at: http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd Part of the Natural Resources and Conservation Commons Recommended Citation McCrow, Vernon Pat, "Studies of the White Pelican in South Dakota: Reproductive Biology of Wild Populations and Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and DDT on the Behavior of Penned Birds" (1974). Theses and Dissertations. 178. http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/178 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. 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STUDIES OF THE WHITE PELICAN IN SOUTH DAKOTA: REPRODUCTIVE BIOLCGY OF WILD POPULATIONS AND EFFECTS OF POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS AND DDT ON THE BEHAVIOR OF PENNED BIRDS By VERNON PAT McCROW A thesis subr.litted in partial fulfillr.\ent of the requirements for the degree Master of Science, Major in Wildlife Biology, South Dakota State University 1974 STUDIES OF THE 'vv'HITE PELICAN IN SOUTH DAKOTA: REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF WILD POPULATIONS AND EFFECTS OF POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS AND DDT ON THE BEHAVIOR OF PENNED BIRDS This thesis is approved as a creditable and independent investi- gation by a candidate for the degree, Master of Science, and is acceptable as meeting the thesis requirements for this degree, but without implying that the conclusions reached by the candidate are necessarily the conclusions of the major department. '1h ·. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I express sincere appreciation to my adviser, R. L. Linder, for his guidance and assistance throughout these studies and for review of this manuscript. I also wish to thank L. D. Flake for his review of this manu­ script. As part of an interdisciplinary investigation, the operant con­ ditioning study required the cooperation and assistance of many indi­ viduals. I am especially grateful to Y. A. Greichus (principal investigator of the project), and D. J. Call of the Experiment Station Biochemistry Department, South Dakota State University. I am also grateful to A. Greichus, Entomology-Zoology Department, and E. J. Bicknell, Veterinary Science Department. Thanks to G. C. DeLaRonde, II, L. L. Poppen, and S. P. Schultz for care and feeding of the penned pelicans, and to C. Ost for his assistance in construction of the Y-maze. P. E. Hamm, F. X. Kartch, and K. E. Solomon assisted with the operant conditioning experiments. Their help is appreciated. Appreciation is also extended to L. N. Locke, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland and to D. E. Reed, H. J. Shave, and I. J. Stotz of the Veterinary Science Department, South Dakota State University for their help with necropsy of the penned pelicans. Thanks is extended tow. L. Tucker, Experiment Station Statis­ tician, for his aid in experin�ntal design and statistical analysis. I am indebted to personnel of the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, and to the staff and students of the Department of Wildlife and Fish­ eries Sciences, South Dakota State University for their reports of white pelican observations. Special thanks are due to the following personnel of Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge for allowing me to use data they collected on the Lacreek pelican colony: V. M. Hall, former refuge manager, H. H. Burgess, refuge manager, C. A. Fjetland, assist­ ant refuge manager, and G. Koeln, temporary employee. I am particu­ larly indebted to the following personnel of Sand Lake National Wild­ life Refuge for the�r assistance and support and for allowing me to study the Sand Lake pelican colony and use refuge facilities: L. J. Schoonover, former refuge manager, L. S. Swenson, refuge manager, and s. J. Waldstein, former acting refuge manager. I wish to thank the Bird Banding Laboratory, Migratory Bird Populations Station, Laurel, Maryland for providing white pelican banding data, and also thank the many amateur and professional bird banders whose efforts made identifi­ cation of banded pelicans possible. Appreciation is extended to fellow graduate students, M. s. Moe and W. H. Rosin, who took time from their projects to assist me with field.work. I also wish to thank Betty Prunty for typing this manuscript. Special thanks to my wife, Lynne, for drawing the figures and edit­ ing and typing the first drafts of this thesis, but most of all, for her ratience and encouragement throughout the course of this project. Financial support for this project was provided by the South Dakota Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit through the National Science Foundation Research Grant No. B019121. VPM STUDIES OF THE WHITE PELICAN IN SOUTH DAKOTA: REPRODUCTIVE BIOL(X:;Y OF WILD POPULATIONS AND EFFECTS OF POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS AND DDT ON THE BEHAVIOR OF PENNED BIRDS Abstract VERNON PAT McCROW The learning behavior of penned white pelicans (Pelecanus erythro­ rhynchos) was studied 2 August to 5 October 1972 using a swirrITT1ing pool - Y-maze apparatus in an operant conditioning experiment. The experiment consisted of three consecutive phases: trial-and-error learning, extinction, and relearning. Three groups of nine pelicans each were studied: a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) treated group, a DDT, DDD, DOE treated group, and a Control group. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of PCB and DDT, DDD, DDE on the learning ability of penned white pelicans. Control, PCB, and DDT groups of penned white pelicans learned to respond to a positively reinforced stimulus in an operant conditioning experiment. Learning performance, in terms of response rates and re­ sponse latency, improved over time in the three groups. Repeated trials without reinforcement (extinction) had the primary effect of reducing the total number of responses per treatment group while the proportion of responses to the previously reinforced stimulus remained high. Response recovery was rapid when positive reinforcement was reintroduced (relearning), and the proportion of responses to the reinforced stimulus remained high through termination of the study. Variation among birds within each treatment group was manifested by a complete failure to respond by some birds, rejection of reward and decline in performance by others, and fluctuation in performance over the study by several individual birds. The only significant difference among groups was found in the extinction phase of study, in which the DDT group exhibited a greater resistance to extinction than the Con­ trol and PCB groups (P < 0. 01), and the Control group exhibited a greater resistance to extinction than the PCB group (P < 0.01). It ·was concluded that consistent differences in learning ability among treatment groups were not demonstrated, but the inconclusive nature of the results indicates that further studies of the effects of en­ vironmental contaminants on learning behavior are warranted. During the surrmier of 1973 a survey was conducted to locate white pelican nesting colonies in South Dakota. Four colonies were located in northeastern South Dakota� Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Brown County; Piyas Lake, Marshall County; North Drywood Lake, Roberts County; and Grass Lake, Coddington County. A fifth colony was located at Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, Bennett County, in southwestern South Dakota. The 1973 breeding population for South Dakota was estimated at 3, 664 pelicans, with the five colonies contributing a total of 1,832 nests (or breeding pairs). An estimated 1, 894 young were produced resulting in a production rate for the state of 1.03 young per breeding pair. The Lacreek colony contributed 65. 5 percent of the breeding pairs and 69. 5 percent of the production to the state total and had the highest rate of production (1. 10 young per breeding -�-�--\.-_,.. _..Lt..,_ £.: .... £".....,..., ,... ...... � ,...r,. Th,., 1'.Jr,.,.,+h n.,.,""'nnrl L=d(P colonv had the colonies located in northeastern South Dakota. The Sand Lake Refuge colony had a much lower breeding population, production, and production rate than the other colonies. An intensive study of the nesting colony at Sand Lake was con­ ducted in 1973 to determine nesting effort and success of white peli­ cans using the island and to observe behavior patterns of nesting birds. Twenty-nine pelican nests were established in the colony. Eggs in 16 nests hatched, nine nests were abandoned prior to hatching and six were destroyed and/or abandoned due to raccoon (Procyon lotor) pre­ dation and disturbance. It was estimated that 57 eggs were laid in the 29 nests (mean = 1. 95), and 28 eggs hatched in the 16 successful nests. Thirteen young survived to flight stage for a survival rate of 0. 23 juveniles per egg over the 99-day period from start of incubation to fledging. Rate of production was 0. 45 young fledged per breeding pair. It was concluded that maintenance of a viable nesting colony of peli­ cans a·t Sand Lake may not be possible if the number of breeding pairs and their rate of production continues at the level found in 1973. Recommendations for managing white pelican colonies include main­ tenance of islands by controlling bank erosion, creation of islands, protection of islands from human disturbance and mamma1ian predation, ;;,._ and annual monitoring of pelican breeding populations and production. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 STUDY AREAS 8 Northeastern South Dakota • 8 Minnesota River-Red River Lowland 10 Coteau des Prairies . 10 James River Lowland 13 Lake Dakota Plain 13 Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge 16 METHODS .