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Geology topics

K. J. Reinecke

Publications and source records attributed to K. J. Reinecke.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS1989

Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Available data are summarized according to the following major topics: (1) characteristics of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV); (2) waterfowl populations associated with the MAV; (3) habitat requirements of migrating and wintering waterfowl in the MAV; (4) current habitat management practices in the MAV, including croplands, moist-soil impoundments, and forested wetlands; (5) status and classification of winter habitat in the MAV; and (6) research and management information needs.

Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississip↗
USGS1986

Mid-winter food use and body weights of mallards and wood ducks in Mississippi

We obtained esophageal food samples from 311 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and 94 wood ducks (Aix sponsa) and body weights from 2,118 mallards and 315 wood ducks in western Mississippi during December and January 1979-83. On average, mallards ingested 3.0% animal food, principally aquatic invertebrates, and 97.0% plant food. Rice, soybeans, and seeds of 'moist soil' plants provided 41.3, 41.6, and 10-11% of the total food intake. Wood ducks ingested nearly 100% plant food, of which 23.4% was soybeans and 74.3% was acorns from Nuttall (Quercus nuttallii), water (Q. nigra), and willow oaks (Q. phellos). Mallard food use varied with water conditions; the use of rice decreased and soybeans increased during 1980-81 when cumulative November-January precipitation was < 50% of normal. Wood duck food use varied with habitat; the diet included more acorns at sites having larger acreages of intact bottomland hardwood forest. Mallard and wood duck body weights varied within and among winters. Mallard weights decreased by about 2% from December to January each year. We considered this a regulated loss, whereas we attributed increases and decreases of 4-5% in average weights during wet and dry winters to changes in feeding opportunities associated with winter precipitation. Wood duck weights followed similar trends. We concluded that continued drainage in the Mississippi Delta will adversely affect waterfowl foraging opportunities, and that research on winter feeding ecology will progress more rapidly if we develop an understanding of the foraging efficiencies associated with alternate food resources.

Mississippi↗
USGS1986

Feeding ecology of sandhill cranes during spring migration in Nebraska

We studied the food habits of midcontinent sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) during spring 1978 and 1979 at their primary staging area along the Platte River and compared population food and foraging habitat requirements with availability. Crane diets varied among the 3 principal foraging habitats, but not between sexes, ages, or years. Cranes feeding in cornfields ate >99% corn (total dry wt); those feeding in native grasslands and alfalfa fields consumed 79-99% invertebrates. The composite diet of cranes was 97% corn and 3% invertebrates, including 2% earthworms, 0.5% snails, and 0.5% insects. Presumably, corn provided energy, whereas invertebrates from grasslands and alfalfa fields provided supplemental nutrients to compensate for protein and calcium deficiencies in corn. The mean density of waste corn decreased (P < 0.05) from 399 kg/ha in November, to 205 kg/ha in early March, to 128 kg/ha after departure of the cranes. Simulations of population energetics indicated that 450,000-550,000 cranes would consume 20-25% of the waste corn available in the Platte River Valley during spring. Corn availability is unlikely to affect crane use of staging areas unless cropping practices or fall tillage reduce the acreage of harvested cornfields by >50%. Management by burning, haying, and grazing is compatible with crane use of grasslands, and reduced-till farming could benefit cranes by increasing invertebrate populations.

Nebraska↗
USGS1985

Fat deposition and usage by arctic-nesting sandhill cranes during spring

Body weight, fat, and protein levels of arctic-nesting Sandhill Cranes ( Grus canadensis ) were measured at several locations during spring migration and on the breeding grounds. Body weights of adult males and females increased by about 34% (1,129 g) and 30% (953 g) from early March at the Platte River to late April at Last Mountain Lake, Saskatchewan; average fat content increased from about 250 to 990 g. Rates of weight gain and fat deposition among males and females averaged 25-18 and 16-13 g/day. Body weights and fat content of cranes staging along the North Platte River followed similar patterns and usually were higher than along the Platte River during comparable periods. Fat reserves of paired cranes collected after their arrival at a major breeding ground on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska averaged about 530 g, or about 46% less than peak fat content in Saskatchewan. Patterns of weight increase and fat deposition in cranes during migration were similar to those previously described for northern-nesting geese, except that nutrient storage is not sex specific in cranes. Body protein of adult female cranes did not change significantly during spring migration (P = 0.28). Female cranes allocate less nutrients to clutch formation in proportion to body size than do northern-nesting geese.

The Auk↗
USGS1984

Proper expression of metabolizable energy in avian energetics

We review metabolizable energy (ME) concepts and present evidence suggesting that the form of ME used for analyses of avian energetics can affect interpretation of results. Apparent ME (AME) is the most widely used measure of food energy available to birds. True ME(TME) differs from AME in recognizing fecal and urinary energy of nonfood origin as metabolized energy. Only AME values obtained from test birds fed at maintenance levels should be used for energy analyses. A practical assay for TME has shown that TME estimates are less sensitive than AME to variation in food intake. The TME assay may be particularly useful in studies of natural foods that are difficult to obtain in quantities large enough to supply test birds with maintenance requirements. Energy budgets calculated from existence metabolism should be expressed as kJ of AME and converted to food requirements with estimates of metabolizability given in kJ AME/g.

Condor↗
USGS1982

Seasonal carcass composition and energy balance of female black ducks in Maine

Female Black Ducks ( Anas rubripes ) collected in Maine during the summer, fall, and winter of 1974-1976 showed significant seasonal variation in body weight, nonfat dry weight, gizzard and pectoral muscle weight, and fat, moisture, and protein content. Variation of body weight within and among seasons was correlated more strongly with carcass protein content, and with fat content during seasons of heavy lipid deposition, than with three structural size variables ( culmen, tarsus, and sternum ). Regression equations including fat and protein as independent variables accounted for 80-90% of the annual and seasonal variation in body weight; structural size variables alone accounted for less than 30%.

Maine↗