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Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are among the most detrimental invasive species in the USA. They are damaging to crops and agriculture, pose a public health risk as reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens, and may also spread disease to livestock. One pathogen identified in wild pigs is bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a virus that causes an economically important disease of cattle (Bos taurus and Bos indicus). We sought to determine the BVDV seroprevalence in wild pigs in 17 states across the US and to determine whether age category, sex, or location were associated with a positive antibody titer. Serum samples from 945 wild pigs were collected from 17 US states. Virus neutralization assays were performed to determine antibody titers against BVDV-1b and BVDV-2a. Total BVDV seroprevalence for the study area was 5.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.11-8.89). Seroprevalence across all evaluated states was determined to be 4.4% (95% CI, 2.48-6.82) for BVDV-1b and 3.6% (95% CI, 1.54-5.60) for BVDV-2a. The seroprevalence for individual states varied from 0% to 16.7%. There was no statistical difference in median antibody titer for BVDV-1b or BVDV-2a by sex or age category. State seroprevalences for both BVDV-1b and BVDV-2a were associated with wild pig population estimates for those states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scatterhoarder responses to factors that influence stored food (i.e., flooding) is important given the strong reliance on hoarded food for survival. We examined how eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis, Gmelin 1778) have adapted to a seasonally flooded ecosystem in Alabama. Our study area was dry September–November and flooded the rest of the year. We predicted squirrels would respond to flooding by storing food in areas that stay dry during winter, seasonally shifting to dry habitat, or decreasing the amount of hard mast in their winter diet. We also examined previously reported survival differences between the dry and flooded seasons. During the dry season, 72% of acorns were buried in areas that later flooded. Habitat use did not change significantly during the flooded and dry seasons; however, squirrels used habitat that stayed dry during flooding to a greater degree during non-flood seasons. The amount of hard mast in the diet did not change significantly between the dry and flooded seasons. However, squirrels were more likely to die during the flooded season (P = 0.02). We did not find any behavioral adaptations to seasonal flooding. Further research is needed to fully understand the effects of fluctuating environmental conditions on scatterhoarders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Use of camera trap data in wildlife research is reliant on accurate classification of animals at the species, sex–age category or individual level. One such example is white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) camera surveys, which are often conducted to produce demographic estimates used by managers to establish harvest goals for a population. Previous research suggests that misclassification of deer by sex–age category (e.g. adult male, adult female, fawn) is common in these surveys, and represents a source of bias that could misinform important management decisions. Aim: To examine whether training material has an effect on classification accuracy of white-tailed deer and explore other observer-based, experiential factors as they relate to classification accuracy. Methods: We developed and tested the efficacy of species-specific training material designed to reduce sex–age misclassifications associated with white-tailed deer images. Key results: Exposure to training material resulted in the greatest improvement in classification accuracy of deer images compared with any other respondent-based factors we investigated. Other factors, such as professional experience as a wildlife biologist, field experience viewing white-tailed deer and experience viewing deer images from camera traps, were positively associated with classification accuracy of deer images. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that training material has the ability to reduce misclassifications, leading to more accurate demographic estimates for white-tailed deer populations. We also found that prior experience using camera traps and familiarity with target species was positively related to classification accuracy. Implications: Species-specific training material would provide a valuable resource to wildlife managers tasked with classifying animals at the species, sex–age category or individual level. Responsible deer management practices often depend on the reliability of survey estimates. Our findings suggest that sex–age misclassification may be a widespread source of error in white-tailed deer camera surveys. However, we found that species-specific training material, professional experience, and familiarity with target species/camera trap images are associated positively with classification accuracy. Photograph by Auburn University Deer Lab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]