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Angiotensin (Ang) II causes hypertrophy of rat aortic smooth muscle cells in culture and results in the rapid activation of c-fos. This study demonstrated that Ang II also activated c-jun and, in addition, could activate the AP-1 enhancer element. These data add support for a role of Ang II as an important mediator of vascular smooth muscle cell growth.

We documented roosting and foraging habitat use by Wood Storks during the post-breeding season in the coastal zone of Georgia from 1994-1998. Larger, more persistent aggregations of roosting storks typically occurred in enclosed wetlands on large estuarine islands. Smaller, more ephemeral aggregations tended to occur on salt marsh/upland ecotones, where storks appeared to be waiting for local conditions (tide levels) to become suitable for foraging. Examination of habitat types within a 2-km radius of the larger (mean > 10 storks/survey) vs. smaller (mean <10 storks/survey) roosts showed that surrounding habitat structure, including those used for foraging, were similar. Foraging storks typically fed in close proximity (median = 0.5 km) to large roosts, much closer than storks using coastal wetlands during the breeding season. Tidal creeks were used almost exclusively as foraging habitat (92%). Storks and other wading birds were almost always present when the study bird arrived. The foraging patterns of study birds and four storks carrying radios suggested that storks often used the same foraging sites and/ or marsh systems in the non-breeding season. Coastal Wood Storks apparently selected roosting sites based on the presence of conspecifics, abundant local prey, or possibly as shelter from adverse weather conditions.

In 1999, we compared foraging success rates (captures/min) and foraging behaviors of Wood Storks {Mycteria americana) at tidal (Georgia) and non-tidal freshwater (South Carolina) foraging sites. Foraging success rates were 30 times greater at the tidal site, but storks foraging in tidal areas only fed at low tide, which limited their foraging time at that site. On-site behaviors indicated the window of prey availability. Storks at the tidal site engaged almost exclusively in foraging behaviors, whereas storks at the non-tidal site devoted more time to other, non-foraging behaviors (e.g., preening, resting). The greater foraging success rate associated with the tidal site suggests that salt marsh/tidal creek habitats are high-quality foraging areas.

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