An Economic Impact Analysis of South Texas Landowner Hunting Operation Expenses

Dodd, Erika P.; Bryant, Fred C.; Brennan, Leonard A.; Dudensing, Rebekka M.; McCorkle, Dean A.

doi:10.3996/122011-jfwm-069

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“…Tick control on cattle is efficient and highly effective at eliminating ticks; however, the shifting economy and landscape in south Texas toward hunting [7] has resulted in large populations of native and nonnative species of wild ungulates, i.e., white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), etc. These species are viable alternative hosts for cattle fever ticks, as the ticks can reproduce on these hosts [8][9][10], and various life stages of the tick have been recovered from them [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nilgai antelope display no signs of infection upon experimental challenge with a virulent Babesia bovis strain

Johnson,

Persinger,

Taus

et al. 2024

Parasites Vectors

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Background Bovine babesiosis is caused by infection with the protozoal parasite Babesia bovis, which is transmitted by Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) spp. It can cause mortality rates up to 90% in immunologically naive Bos taurus cattle. In south Texas, R. (B.) microplus is known to infest nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus); however, their susceptibility to infection with B. bovis and their role in the transmission of the parasite remain unknown. In this study, we challenged nilgai antelope with B. bovis and evaluated their susceptibility to infection. Methods Nilgai were needle inoculated with ≈108B. bovis-parasitized erythrocytes (merozoites) or a homogenate of B. bovis-infected larval ticks (sporozoite) delivered intravenously. Bos taurus beef calves were inoculated in parallel, as this strain of B. bovis is lethal to cattle. Temperature and hematocrit were monitored daily over the course of each study, and whole blood was collected for molecular [polymerase chain reaction (PCR)] and serological [indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)] diagnostic evaluation. Histological sections of nilgai cerebral tissue were examined for evidence of infection. Recipient bovine calves were sub-inoculated with blood from nilgai challenged with either stage of the parasite, and they were monitored for clinical signs of infection and evaluated by a PCR diagnostic assay. Red blood cells (RBCs) from prechallenged nilgai and B. taurus beef cattle were cultured with an in vitro B. bovis merozoite culture to examine colonization of the RBCs by the parasite. Results Nilgai did not display clinical signs of infection upon inoculation with either the merozoite or sporozoite stage of B. bovis. All nilgai were PCR-negative for the parasite, and they did not develop antibodies to B. bovis. No evidence of infection was detected in histological sections of nilgai tissues, and in vitro culture analysis indicated that the nilgai RBCs were not colonized by B. bovis merozoites. Cattle subinoculated with blood from challenged nilgai did not display clinical signs of infection, and they were PCR-negative up to 45 days after transfer. Conclusions Nilgai do not appear to be susceptible to infection with a strain of B. bovis that is lethal to cattle. Tick control on these alternative hosts remains a critical priority, especially given their potential to disseminate ticks over long distances. Graphical Abstract

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nilgai antelope display no signs of infection upon experimental challenge with a virulent Babesia bovis strain

Johnson,

Persinger,

Taus

et al. 2024

Parasites Vectors

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Scale of effect of landscape patterns on resource selection by bobcats (Lynx rufus) in a multi-use rangeland system

Branney,

Dutt,

Wardle

et al. 2024

Landsc Ecol

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Context There is a growing appreciation that wildlife behavioral responses to environmental conditions are scale-dependent and that identifying the scale where the effect of an environmental variable on a behavior is the strongest (i.e., scale of effect) can reveal how animals perceive and respond to their environment. In South Texas, brush management often optimizes agricultural and wildlife management objectives through the precise interspersion of vegetation types creating novel environments which likely affect animal behavior at multiple scales. There is a lack of understanding of how and at what scales this management regime and associated landscape patterns influence wildlife. Objectives Our objective was to examine the scale at which landscape patterns had the strongest effect on wildlife behavior. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) our model species, are one of the largest obligated carnivores in the system, and have strong associations with vegetation structure and prey density, two aspects likely to influenced by landscape patterns. We conducted a multiscale resource selection analysis to identify the characteristic scale where landscape patterns had the strongest effect on resource selection. Methods We examined resource selection within the home range for 9 bobcats monitored from 2021 to 2022 by fitting resource selection functions which included variables representing landcover, water, energy infrastructure, and landscape metrics (edge density, patch density, and contagion). We fit models using landscape metrics calculated at 10 different scales and compared model performance to identify the scale of effect of landscape metrics on resource selection. Results The scale of effect of landscape metrics occurred at finer scales. The characteristic scale for edge density and patch density was 30 m (the finest scale examined), and the characteristic scale for contagion occurred at 100 m. Bobcats avoided locations with high woody patch density and selected for greater woody edge density and contagion. Bobcats selected areas closer to woody vegetation and water bodies while avoiding herbaceous cover and energy development infrastructure. Conclusions A key step in understanding the effect of human development and associated landscape patterns on animal behavior is the identifying the scale of effect. We found support for our hypothesis that resource selection would be most strongly affected by landscape configuration at finer scales. Our study demonstrates the importance of cross-scale comparisons when examining the effects of landscape attributes on animal behavior.

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Measuring job creation for HOPE VI: a success story for community development efforts

Hanka

Gilderbloom

Meares

et al. 2015

Community Development

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An Economic Impact Analysis of South Texas Landowner Hunting Operation Expenses

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Nilgai antelope display no signs of infection upon experimental challenge with a virulent Babesia bovis strain

Nilgai antelope display no signs of infection upon experimental challenge with a virulent Babesia bovis strain

Scale of effect of landscape patterns on resource selection by bobcats (Lynx rufus) in a multi-use rangeland system

Measuring job creation for HOPE VI: a success story for community development efforts

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