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Western Red-backed Vole
The western red-backed vole (''Clethrionomys californicus'') is a species of vole in the family Cricetidae. It is found in California and Oregon in the United States and lives mainly in coniferous forest. The body color is chestnut brown, or brown mixed with a considerable quantity of black hair gradually lightening on the sides and grading into a buffy-gray belly, with an indistinct reddish stripe on the back and a bicolored tail about half as long as the head and body. Taxonomy The western red-backed vole was initially described by C. Hart Merriam under its original scientific name ''Evotomys californicus''. The type specimen was obtained at near Eureka, California. It was an adult male collected by Theodore Sherman Palmer on June 3, 1889. Description The length of the western red-backed vole ranges from overall, with a tail between , hindfoot , and ear . The height ranges between . The species is closely related to the southern red-backed vole (''Clethrionomys gapperi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clinton Hart Merriam
Clinton Hart Merriam (December 5, 1855 – March 19, 1942) was an American zoologist, mammalogist, ornithologist, entomologist, ecologist, ethnographer, geographer, natural history, naturalist and physician. He was commonly known as the "father of mammalogy," a branch of zoology referring to the study of mammals. Early life Clinton Hart Merriam was born in New York City in 1855 to Clinton Levi Merriam, a U.S. congressman, and Caroline Hart, a judge's daughter and a graduate of Rutgers University, Rutgers Institute. The name Clinton, shared by both father and son, was in honor of New York governor DeWitt Clinton, whom the Merriam family had connections with. To avoid confusion, the younger Merriam went by his first initial combined with his middle name, his mother's maiden name, and thus often appears as C. Hart Merriam in both the literature of his time and thereafter. Although born in New York City, where his parents were staying the winter, the family home and place where Mer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhizopogon Vinicolor
''Rhizopogon vinicolor'' is a species complex of ectomycorrhizal fungus which forms a mutualistic relationship with the Douglas-fir (''Pseudotsuga'' spp.). The species was first described scientifically by American mycologist Alexander H. Smith in 1966. Taxonomy A number of species of ''Rhizopogon'' are morphologically similar and they are collectively known as the ''R. vinicolor'' species complex. A phylogenetic investigation of ''R. vinicolor'', ''R. diabolicus'', ''R. ochraceisporus'', ''R. parvulus'' and ''R. versiculosus'' was published in 2002. It was determined that they separated into two distinct clades, ''R. vinicolor'' and ''R. versiculosus''. Characteristics The fruit bodies of ''R. vinicolor'' are produced underground. They are in diameter, rounded or irregularly shaped, of a dirty white colour, later red, and with a few rhizomorphs at the base. The peridium is a single layer, becoming wine-red when exposed. The gleba is firm and buff coloured, darkening with ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mammals Described In 1890
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, from which their ancestors diverged in the Carboniferous Period over 300 million years ago. Around 6,640 extant species of mammals have been described and divided into 27 orders. The study of mammals is called mammalogy. The largest orders of mammals, by number of species, are the rodents, bats, and eulipotyphlans (including hedgehogs, moles and shrews). The next three are the primates (including humans, monkeys and lemurs), the even-toed ungulates (including pigs, camels, and whales), and the Carnivora (including cats, Canidae, dogs, and Pinniped, seals). Mammals are the only living members of Synapsida; this clade, together with Sauropsida (reptiles and birds), co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast Ranges, the Klamath Mountains have a varied geology, with substantial areas of Serpentine group, serpentinite and marble, and a climate characterized by moderately cold winters with very heavy snowfall and warm, very dry summers with limited rainfall, especially in the south. As a consequence of the geology and soil types, the mountains harbor several endemism, endemic or near-endemic trees, forming one of the largest collections of conifers in the world. The mountains are also home to a diverse array of fish and animal species, including black bears, large cats, owls, eagles, and several species of Pacific salmon. Millions of acres in the mountains are managed by the United States Forest Service. The northernmost and largest sub-range of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Rodents Of The United States
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. Endemism is also of interest in evolutionary biology, because it provides clues about how changes in the environment cause species to undergo range shifts (potentially expanding their range into a larger area or becomin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clethrionomys
''Clethrionomys'' is a genus of small, slender voles. In recent years the genus name was changed to ''Myodes'', however a 2019 paper found that ''Myodes'' was actually a junior synonym for '' Lemmus'', thus making it unusable. As such, ''Clethrionomys'' is re-established as the proper genus name. At the same time, several species were moved to the genus ''Craseomys'', so members of both genera are referred to as red-backed voles. This genus was described by Johannes von Nepomuk Franz Xaver Gistel under the pseudonym "G. Tilesius". Some authors cite the taxonomic authority as "Gistel, 1850", whereas others still use "Tilesius, 1850". The complete list of species is: * Western red-backed vole, ''Clethrionomys californicus'' *Tien Shan red-backed vole, ''Clethrionomys centralis'' * Southern red-backed vole, ''Clethrionomys gapperi'' *Bank vole The bank vole (''Clethrionomys glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organochlorine compounds with the formula C12 H10−''x'' Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectric and coolant fluids for electrical equipment. They are highly toxic and carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer electronic products, whose production was banned internationally by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001. Because of their longevity, PCBs are still widely in use, even though their manufacture has declined drastically since the 1960s, when a multitude of problems was identified. With the discovery of PCBs' environmental toxicity, and classification as persistent organic pollutants, their production was banned for most uses by United States federal law on January 1, 1978. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) rendered PCBs as definite carcinogens in humans. According to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Persistent Organic Pollutants
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. They are toxic and adversely affect human health and the environment around the world. Because they can be transported by wind and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released. The effect of POPs on human and environmental health was discussed, with intention to eliminate or severely restrict their production, by the international community at the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001. Most POPs are pesticides or insecticides, and some are also solvents, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals. Although some POPs arise naturally (e.g. from volcanoes), most are man-made. The "dirty dozen" POPs identified by the Stockholm Convention include aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, HCB, mirex, toxaphene, PCBs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biological Indicator
A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other small water crustaceans that are present in many water bodies can be monitored for changes (biochemical, physiological, or behavioural) that may indicate a problem within their ecosystem. Bioindicators can tell us about the cumulative effects of different pollutants in the ecosystem and about how long a problem may have been present, which physical and chemical testing cannot. A biological monitor or biomonitor is an organism that provides quantitative information on the quality of the environment around it. Therefore, a good biomonitor will indicate the presence of the pollutant and can also be used in an attempt to provide additional information about the amount and intensity of the exposure. A biological indicator is also the name given ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Spotted Owl
The northern spotted owl (''Strix occidentalis caurina'') is one of three spotted owl subspecies. A western North American bird in the family Strigidae, genus ''Strix (genus), Strix'', it is a medium-sized dark brown owl native to the Pacific Northwest. An important Bioindicator, indicator species, the northern spotted owl remains Threatened species, threatened due to continued population decline from human-caused habitat destruction and competition with invasive species, its main competitor being the barred owl. Description Northern spotted owls have dark brown plumage with white spots and no ear tufts. They are typically around sixteen to nineteen inches in length and one to one and one sixth pounds. They have a round facial disc that is dark brown with a visible "X" between their eyes. Females are about 10-20% larger than males. Their wingspan is approximately 42 inches. They are a mainly nocturnal species, and form long-term pair bonds. While most owls have yellow to red- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Flying Squirrel
The northern flying squirrel (''Glaucomys sabrinus'') is one of three species of the genus '' Glaucomys'', the only flying squirrels found in North America.Walker EP, Paradiso JL. 1975. ''Mammals of the World''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.Forsyth A. 1999. ''Mammals of North America: Temperate and Arctic Regions''. Willowdale: Firefly Books. They are found in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests across much of Canada, from Alaska to Nova Scotia, and south to the mountains of North Carolina and west to Utah in the United States. They are light brown with pale underparts and grow to a length of . They are proficient gliders but uncoordinated walkers on the ground. They feed on a variety of plant material as well as tree sap, fungi, insects, carrion, bird eggs and nestlings. They mostly breed once a year in a cavity lined with lichen or other soft material. Except when they have young, they change nests frequently, and in winter a number of individuals may huddle tog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Tree Vole
The red tree vole (''Arborimus longicaudus'') is a rodent of the Pacific Northwest, found in the US states of Oregon and California. They were formerly known as ''Phenacomys longicaudus'' and have also been called the red tree mouse. Description The red tree vole is a rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in coastal forests of Oregon and northern California. They feed exclusively on the needles of conifers, primarily Douglas-fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii''), though they occasionally eat the needles of western hemlock (''Tsuga heterophylla''), Sitka spruce (''Picea sitchensis''), grand fir (''Abies grandis''), and Bishop pine (''Pinus muricata''). Red tree voles are about 6-8 in long, including the tail. When they are young, they exhibit a dull brown coat and develop a more reddish color with age. They are nocturnal and very difficult to see, but they can be detected by finding piles or wads of resin ducts (see below) on the ground. Nesting and home range Red tree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
