@article{sasmal_gould_schuler_chang_thachil_strules_olfenbuttel_datta_deperno_2019, title={LEPTOSPIROSIS IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN AMERICAN BLACK BEARS (URSUS AMERICANUS) IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, USA}, volume={55}, ISSN={["1943-3700"]}, DOI={10.7589/2017-10-263}, abstractNote={Abstract: American black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in North Carolina, US have recovered significantly in recent decades and now occupy much of western North Carolina, including urbansuburban areas. We used the black bear as a potential sentinel for leptospirosis, a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira spp., which is maintained by domestic and wild mammals. We determined whether Leptospira spp. were present across a gradient of housing densities in the urban and suburban black bear population in and around Asheville, North Carolina using serologic and molecular surveys. We collected blood from captured black bears (n=94) and kidneys and bladders from carcasses (n=19). We tested a total of 96 (47 females, 47 males, and 2 unknown) serum samples by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and had positive results (titer .1:100) for L. kirschneri serovar Grippotyphosa (L. Grippotyphosa) in 4 females (8%) and 5 males (10%). No other serovars showed elevated titers in MAT. We tested a total of 125 samples using PCR (n=96 serum, n=20 kidney, and n=9 bladders) and obtained positive results from one serum (1%), one kidney (5%), and one bladder (11%). The presence of Leptospira spp. in black bears occupying an urban and suburban landscape may indicate a more extensive occurrence of the bacteria among animals in the study region because black bears are the top carnivore in that ecosystem. Potential threats of widespread contamination during natural events such as flood or drought must be considered.}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES}, author={Sasmal, Indrani and Gould, Nicholas P. and Schuler, Krysten L. and Chang, Yung-Fu and Thachil, Anil and Strules, Jennifer and Olfenbuttel, Colleen and Datta, Shubham and DePerno, Christopher S.}, year={2019}, month={Jan}, pages={74–83} }
 @article{sasmal_moorman_swingen_datta_deperno_2019, title={Seasonal space use of transient and resident coyotes (Canis latrans) in North Carolina, USA}, volume={97}, ISSN={["1480-3283"]}, DOI={10.1139/cjz-2018-0209}, abstractNote={Coyote (Canis latrans Say, 1823) is a recent immigrant into eastern United States and little is known about the species’ space use and movement in the region. We compared space use and movement of radio-collared coyotes among biological seasons. We captured and collared 30 coyotes from February through May 2011 and collected 85 386 GPS locations through October 2012 at Fort Bragg Military Installation. We defined four biological seasons according to coyote life history: breeding (December–February), gestation (March–May), pup-rearing (June–August), and dispersal (September–November). Out of 27 radio-collared individuals, we identified 10 as transient and 11 as resident based on home-range size and variability across seasons; 6 switched their status and were classified as intermediate. We observed low variability of core-area size across seasons for resident males and females, whereas we documented high variability for transient males. Movement rate of resident coyotes during spring (449.75 m/h) was greater than summer (295.33 m/h), whereas movement rates did not differ between any other seasons. For transient coyotes, movement rate during summer (283 m/h) was less than fall (374.73 m/h), spring (479.85 m/h), and winter (488.5 m/h). Some coyotes adjusted their residency status seasonally and other individuals dispersed large distances (>200 km).}, number={4}, journal={CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY}, author={Sasmal, Indrani and Moorman, Christopher E. and Swingen, Morgan B. and Datta, Shubham and DePerno, Christopher S.}, year={2019}, month={Apr}, pages={326–331} }
 @article{sasmal_kilburg_deperno_chitwood_lashley_collier_moorman_2018, title={Eastern Wild Turkey Roost-site Selection in a Fire-maintained Longleaf Pine Ecosystem}, volume={17}, ISSN={["1938-5412"]}, DOI={10.1656/058.017.0301}, abstractNote={Abstract Night-time roosting in Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey) is a quotidian activity that minimizes vulnerability to predators and weather. Roost-site selection in managed Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) communities is poorly documented. We assessed roost-site selection by comparing use and availability of vegetation types at the individual female Wild Turkey home-range level. We monitored 14 Wild Turkeys from February 2011 to June 2012. The Wild Turkeys did not use vegetation types within the estimated home ranges for roosting in proportion to availability (χ2 = 601.696, P < 0.001). Female Wild Turkeys roosted in the upland Longleaf Pine in proportion to availability, selected for lowland hardwood, and avoided upland hardwood patches. We documented that roost-site availability is not likely a limiting factor in managed Longleaf Pine forests.}, number={3}, journal={SOUTHEASTERN NATURALIST}, author={Sasmal, Indrani and Kilburg, Eric L. and DePerno, Christopher S. and Chitwood, M. Colter and Lashley, Marcus A. and Collier, Bret A. and Moorman, Christopher E.}, year={2018}, month={Sep}, pages={371–380} }
 @article{sasmal_deperno_swingen_moorman_2017, title={Influence of Vegetation Type and Prescribed Fire on Peromyscus Abundance in a Longleaf Pine Ecosystem}, volume={41}, ISSN={["1938-5463"]}, DOI={10.1002/wsb.740}, abstractNote={Prescribed fire temporarily can alter food and cover resources for ground-dwelling wildlife, potentially leading to changes in animal abundance. Small mammals are an important ecosystem component in many terrestrial communities and depend on ground-level vegetation most commonly affected by prescribed fire. In this complex system of food and cover availability where easier access to food might compromise cover, and vice versa, it is imperative to study postfire habitat use by mice and other grounddwelling wildlife. We evaluated effects of time since burn and vegetation type on Peromyscus spp. abundance in a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem in Fort Bragg Military Installation, North Carolina, USA, during 2011 and 2012. We trapped in 5 vegetation types and captured 208 individual Peromyscus. Peromyscus abundance did not differ among 1, 2, and 3 years postburn upland pine vegetation types, although we noted a trend of decreasing abundance as time since burn increased; however, abundance was greater in the lowland hardwood vegetation type than in open areas (i.e., military drop zones). The lack of an effect of time since burn could be due to the short fire-return interval at the study site, which limited the time for postburn shifts in the composition of the understory from herbaceous to woody plant species. Therefore, we suggest future research in the longleaf pine ecosystem incorporate a wider time frame to assess shortand long-term effects of fire on small mammal populations. 2017 The Wildlife Society.}, number={1}, journal={WILDLIFE SOCIETY BULLETIN}, author={Sasmal, Indrani and DePerno, Christopher S. and Swingen, Morgan B. and Moorman, Christopher E.}, year={2017}, month={Mar}, pages={49–54} }
 @article{sasmal_klaver_jenks_schroeder_2016, title={Age-specific Survival of Reintroduced Swift Fox in Badlands National Park and Surrounding Lands}, volume={40}, ISSN={["1938-5463"]}, DOI={10.1002/wsb.641}, abstractNote={In 2003, a reintroduction program was initiated at Badlands National Park (BNP), South Dakota, USA, with swift foxes (Vulpes velox) translocated from Colorado and Wyoming, USA, as part of a restoration effort to recover declining swift fox populations throughout its historical range. Estimates of age-specific survival are necessary to evaluate the potential for population growth of reintroduced populations. We used 7 years (2003–2009) of capture–recapture data of 243 pups, 29 yearlings, and 69 adult swift foxes at BNP and the surrounding area to construct Cormack–Jolly–Seber model estimates of apparent survival within a capture–mark–recapture framework using Program MARK. The best model for estimating recapture probabilities included no differences among age classes, greater recapture probabilities during early years of the monitoring effort than later years, and variation among spring, winter, and summer. Our top ranked survival model indicated pup survival differed from that of yearlings and adults and varied by month and year. The apparent annual survival probability of pups (0.47, SE = 0.10) in our study area was greater than the apparent annual survival probability of yearlings and adults (0.27, SE = 0.08). Our results indicate low survival probabilities for a reintroduced population of swift foxes in the BNP and surrounding areas. Management of reintroduced populations and future reintroductions of swift foxes should consider the effects of relative low annual survival on population demography. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.}, number={2}, journal={WILDLIFE SOCIETY BULLETIN}, author={Sasmal, Indrani and Klaver, Robert W. and Jenks, Jonathan A. and Schroeder, Greg M.}, year={2016}, month={Jun}, pages={217–223} }