Bruce D. Leopold

Prescribed burning and/or herbicide applications are performed in managed pine (Pinus spp.) forests to control non-pine vegetation. Little research has examined small mammal or herpetile community response to these treatments in mid-rotation pine stands. Therefore, our objective was to determine prescribed burning and herbicide treatments effects on small mammal and herpetile communities within mid-rotation pine plantations in Mississippi. We established 4 treatments (herbicide only, herbicide/burn, burn only, control) with 6 replicates within thinned, mid-rotation (18-22 years old)...

Prescribed burning is an often used and economical management tool to manage for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus). Although prescribed fire creates and maintains early successional plant communities that benefit cottontails, short-term effects (direct and indirect) of prescribed burning on cottontails are unclear. To document cottontail response to fire, we examined pre- and post-burn home range (HR) and core area (CA) size, post-burn movement rates, and post-burn survival and cause-specific mortality rates for 10 cottontails (...

Carnivores elicit a variety of responses from society, and predator management has a correspondingly diverse history in the wildlife management profession. Attempts to manage or control predators often create controversy, and therefore is a constantly contentious issue with wildlife managers. In many regards, views regarding predator management have changed considerably during the past few decades, but recent trends suggest that predator management strategies are being considered and/or implemented in various management scenarios. Societal changes, large-scale changes in landscape...

Although an extremely important biome, little has been studied concerning specific plant responses to wildfire within the pinyon (Pinus spp.)-juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodland. A wildfire in the semi-arid Chisos Mountains, Texas, during 1980 provided an opportunity to examine the phenological response of desert plant species to burning. Consequently, we examined the response of vegetation and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus carminis) to wildfire for 2 years in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park (BBNP), Texas. Permanently established, random plots (1 m2) were established...

Understanding space use patterns of wildlife may be useful to spatially plan habitat management options and understand how species use resources on a landscape. Spatial fidelity can be defined as the tendency of an animal to maintain similar space use patterns among periods of interest and can be described in terms of differences in dispersion of points and shift in central tendency. However, little information is available concerning spatial fidelity in wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). Therefore, we investigated seasonal spatial fidelity of male and female eastern wild turkeys (M. g....

Historically, corpora luteal counts have been used to index reproductive output; however, there has been skepticism as to their usefulness in bobcats because bobcats may retain their corpora lutea from one season to the next. We conducted this study to determine if bobcats retain corpora lutea and if they are functional. Luteal bodies were monitored throughout multiple breeding seasons. The functionality of luteal bodies of previous cycles (LBPCs) in bobcats was explored using radioimmunoassay, and compared to that of corpora lutea (CL). LBCPs continued to produce progesterone, although CL...

Bobcat (Lynx rufus) home range is generally considered to be a function of habitat quality, but there have been few published studies that explicitly address this idea. We used empirically developed bobcat habitat models to predict habitat quality within bobcat home ranges on 2 study areas in central Mississippi. We then assessed the relationship between home range size and habitat quality. Habitat quality and variability of habitat quality were not (P>0.10) predictors of home range size. Moreover, habitat quality differed statistically (P<0.01), and habitat composition differed...

We estimated survival and cause-specific mortality of 59 raccoons (Procyon lotor) on a wildlife area in Mississippi which was in the early stages of an intensive land management program to enhance northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) habitat quality and populations. Average annual survival of radio-collared raccoons was 0.81 for males (N=47) and 0.79 for females (N=12) from March 1997 to February 1999. We detected no effect of sex, season, year, or age (P≥0.05) on survival. Causes of mortality (N=14) included vehicle collision (N=5), unknown (N=4), harvest (N=2), predation (N= 1),...

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are important furbearers that generate considerable income and recreation across the southeastern United States. Growing concerns about impacts of raccoons on wildlife populations necessitates sound information on raccoon behavior and population dynamics. Forest management has changed throughout the southeastern United States due to increased demands for wood fiber and changing land-use objectives on public lands. However, little research has examined potential influences of forest management strategies on raccoon ranging behavior, particularly within intensively...

Age structure of harvested populations is important to wildlife biologists to adequately observe effects of harvest and management regimes. We aged harvested cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) and swamp (S. aquaticus) rabbits by eye lens weight. We developed 2 logistic regression equations based on external morphometrics (mass [N=213] and hind foot length [N=209]) to predict age and species. Our model used to delineate species had high correct classification rates (>89%). Hind foot length and mass were significant predictors of age class for both species and correct classification rates...