Publications

factors affecting the seasonal abundance of ground squirrel and wood rat fleas (siphonaptera) in san diego county, california.	abiotic and biotic factors affecting the seasonal abundance of 3 species of sylvatic fleas on their hosts were examined at 7 sites in san diego county, california. indices for oropsylla (diamanus) montana (baker) were usually highest on spermophilus beecheyi nudipes (huey) when < 18.4 degrees c (october-december), whereas those for hoplopsyllus anomalus (baker) were highest when > 18.4 degrees c (july-september). o. montana was affected most by ambient temperature (inversely for the coastal site ...	1996	8840686
reproductive success and effective population size in woodrats (neotoma macrotis).	discrepancies between the census size and the genetically effective size of populations (n(e)) can be caused by a number of behavioural and demographic factors operating within populations. specifically, strong skew in male reproductive success, as would be expected in a polygynous mating system, could cause a substantial decrease in n(e) relative to census size. because the mating system of neotoma macrotis had previously been described as one nearing harem polygyny, i examined the distribution ...	2004	15140106
principal host relationships and evolutionary history of the north american arenaviruses.	a previous study suggested that the genomes of the arenaviruses native to north america are a product of genetic recombination between new world arenaviruses with significantly different phylogenetic histories. the purpose of this study was to extend our knowledge of the principal host relationships and evolutionary history of the north american arenaviruses. the results of this study suggest that the large-eared woodrat (neotoma macrotis) is a principal host of bear canyon virus and that the pr ...	2007	17624390
xenobiotic metabolism of plant secondary compounds in oak (quercus agrifolia) by specialist and generalist woodrat herbivores, genus neotoma.	the challenge of consuming plant compounds that are recognized to have toxic physiological effects is an unavoidable consequence of an herbivorous diet and requires mechanisms to metabolize and eliminate them after consumption. we took a pharmacological approach to understanding how an oak (quercus agrifolia) specialist (neotoma macrotis) and generalist (n. lepida) herbivores process the same dietary toxins. oak contains polyphenolic compounds considered toxic to most other mammals. n. macrotis ...	2007	17929091
an oak (quercus agrifolia) specialist (neotoma macrotis) and a sympatric generalist (neotoma lepida) show similar intakes and digestibilities of oak.	dietary specialization is thought to be rare in mammalian herbivores as a result of either a limitation in their detoxification system to metabolize higher doses of plant secondary compounds or deficiencies in nutrients present in a diet composed of a single species of plant. neotoma macrotis is an oak specialist, whereas neotoma lepida is a dietary generalist when sympatric with n. macrotis. we hypothesized that n. macrotis would have a higher tolerance for and digestibility of oak. we determin ...	2017	18544017
use of a chitin synthesis inhibitor to control fleas on wild rodents important in the maintenance of plague, yersinia pestis, in california.	a study was designed to test the insect development inhibitors fluazuron and lufenuron for the control of fleas on sylvatic rodents as an adjunct to the control of plague. historical data of flea burden from 15 prior years of study at chuchupate campground, ventura county, ca, were compared to six years of treatment period data to determine if fluazuron and lufenuron were effective in controlling flea densities. the insect development inhibitors, delivered systemically via a feed cube, reduced f ...	2008	19263847
genetic variation in multilocus microsatellite genotypes in two species of woodrats (neotoma macrotis and n. fuscipes) from california.	five microsatellite loci were used to develop multilocus genotypes for neotoma macrotis (n = 128) and n. fuscipes (n = 29). several statistical analyses were used to estimate genetic structure, levels of genetic variability, and degree of relatedness within groups of these 2 species. samples of n. macrotis represented 2 groups and 4 population clusters throughout southern california. samples of n. fuscipes represented 2 regions in northern and southern california. genetic structure was detected ...	2007	19920871
relapsing fever group borrelia in southern california rodents.	wild rodent reservoir host species were surveyed prospectively for infection with borrelia hermsii, the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever in the western united states. trapping occurred during the summer of 2009-2012 at field sites surrounding big bear lake, ca, a region where human infection has been reported for many years. using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qpcr), we tested 207 rodents from 11 species and found chipmunks (tamias spp.) and a woodrat (neotoma macrotis) in ...	2014	25276933
parasite prevalence and community diversity in sympatric and allopatric populations of two woodrat species (sigmodontinae: neotoma) in central california.	patterns of host-parasite association may vary across the landscape in part because of host and parasite diversity, divergence, local ecology, or interactions among these factors. in central coastal california, we quantified parasite prevalence, infection intensity, and diversity in two sister species of woodrats (neotoma fuscipes and neotoma macrotis) where the species co-occur (sympatry) and where each species exists alone (allopatry). in feces from 50 adults we identified seven taxa: the prot ...	2015	25574805
epizootiology of tacaribe serocomplex viruses (arenaviridae) associated with neotomine rodents (cricetidae, neotominae) in southern california.	the objective of this study was to advance our knowledge of the epizootiology of bear canyon virus and other tacaribe serocomplex viruses (arenaviridae) associated with wild rodents in california. antibody (immunoglobulin g [igg]) to a tacaribe serocomplex virus was found in 145 (3.6%) of 3977 neotomine rodents (cricetidae: neotominae) captured in six counties in southern california. the majority (122 or 84.1%) of the 145 antibody-positive rodents were big-eared woodrats (neotoma macrotis) or ca ...	2015	25700047
speciation along a shared evolutionary trajectory.	groups of organisms-whether multiple species or populations of a single species-can differ in several non-exclusive ways. for example, groups may have diverged phenotypically, genetically, or in the evolutionary responses available to them. we tested for the latter of these-response divergence-between 2 species of woodrats: neotoma fuscipes and neotoma macrotis. based on random skewers analyses we found that, despite being well differentiated both phenotypically and genetically, n. fuscipes and ...	2016	29491940