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Pheasant Ecology In An Agricultural Landscape Of South Dakota, Sprih Harsh
Pheasant Ecology In An Agricultural Landscape Of South Dakota, Sprih Harsh
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest threats to wildlife conservation. Grasslands are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. The large-scale conversion of North American grasslands to cultivation has been strongly associated with declines of grassland bird populations. The ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is a common grassland bird which is negatively impacted by the conversion of grassland to cropland. Though pheasants are non-native to South Dakota, they have become naturalized in most of the state. However, with increases in agricultural intensification in South Dakota, indices of pheasant abundance from brood route surveys suggest that pheasant populations have declined to historically …
Understanding How Agricultural Intensification Impacts Ring-Necked Pheasant Distribution And Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Hilary R. Kauth
Understanding How Agricultural Intensification Impacts Ring-Necked Pheasant Distribution And Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Hilary R. Kauth
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Historically, pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) have thrived in South Dakota in conjunction with successful land retirement programs or early farming practices through the 1950s, which created interspersions of agriculture and native landscapes that were ideal for pheasants. Recently, the Prairie Pothole ecosystem has undergone rapid agroeconomic expansion, effectively reducing ideal interspersions of native prairie and cropland into agriculturally homogeneous landscapes. Indices of pheasant abundance have suggested persistent population declines since 2008, raising concerns regarding landscape suitability. Our goal was to understand how agriculture intensification impacts pheasant ecology. The objectives were to: 1) estimate overwinter hen probability of survival, resource …
Comparative Analysis Of Survival And Decay Of Fecal Indicator Bacteria In Bovine Feces And Freshwater Microcosms, Reem Tariq
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Agricultural runoff can carry FIB that can pollute surface waters through the soil matrix. This study was designed to inspect the impact of temperature and matrix on the survival of FIB. The FIB were routinely enumerated over an 18-day period from fecal samples and freshwater microcosms maintained at 4oC, 22oC, and 35oC. It was found that the FIB studied underwent a primary growth of up to 1-log10 to 3-log10, highlighting the weakness of conventional FIB as indicators of pathogen contamination. The concentrations of FIB in the water phase were found to be significantly greater than those observed in the fecal …
Assessment Of A Hatchery Based Rainbow Smelt Supplementation Effort, Andrew O'Malley
Assessment Of A Hatchery Based Rainbow Smelt Supplementation Effort, Andrew O'Malley
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) are an important fish distributed throughout northeastern North America with both anadromous and landlocked populations. Abundance, size at age, and maximum size vary widely among populations and life histories. In order to compare anadromous and landlocked populations, we collected spawning adults in 2014 from four anadromous and three landlocked populations. Scales and otoliths from the anadromous fish were examined and compared for estimates of bias and precision in ageing. Analysis of both scales and otoliths provided age estimates that were acceptable, but estimates from scales were more precise and had less bias. Otoliths were …
Effect Of Oil And Natural Gas Development On Survival And Health Of White-Tailed Deer In The Western Dakotas, Katherine L. Moratz
Effect Of Oil And Natural Gas Development On Survival And Health Of White-Tailed Deer In The Western Dakotas, Katherine L. Moratz
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Oil and gas development in North Dakota has resulted in the need for information regarding how increased activity has affected white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations. We evaluated white-tailed deer ecology in response to energy development and hypothesized that oil and gas development would negatively affect adult and neonate white-tailed deer due to increased vehicle traffic and human-related effects. We captured and radio-collared adult female and neonate white-tailed deer across three study areas: Dunn County, North Dakota, an area influenced by energy development, and Grant County, North Dakota, and Perkins County, South Dakota, areas not impacted by energy development at this …
Movement Patterns, Survival, And Sightability Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In Eastern South Dakota, Kevin A. Robling
Movement Patterns, Survival, And Sightability Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In Eastern South Dakota, Kevin A. Robling
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Limited information is available on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) movements, survival, density, and resource selection in the Prairie Pothole Region of South Dakota where semi-permanent wetland densities are relatively high. Primary objectives of this study were to develop a sightability model for aerial surveying and document seasonal movement patterns and survival rates for white-tailed deer in this region. Secondary objectives were to calculate seasonal home ranges, daily and seasonal movements relative to management unit boundaries, determine cause specific mortality, and evaluate summer and winter resource use and selection. From February 2009 – February 2010, 43 adult female white-tailed deer along …
Effect Of Coyotes And Release Site Selection On Survival And Movement Of Translocated Swift Foxes In The Badlands Ecosystem Of South Dakota, Greg M. Schroeder
Effect Of Coyotes And Release Site Selection On Survival And Movement Of Translocated Swift Foxes In The Badlands Ecosystem Of South Dakota, Greg M. Schroeder
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Success of different release strategies for swift fox (Vulpes velox) translocation was evaluated in the Badlands Ecosystem in southwestern South Dakota. Release site selection (outside coyote [Canis latrans] core-use areas compared to random release sites) and release method (i.e., hard, semi-hard, and soft) were examined to determine effects on swift fox survival and movements at 50 days post-release. I hypothesized that swift foxes released outside of coyote core-use areas would survive at a higher rate than foxes released at random sites. From 2003-2006, 16 adult coyotes were fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) radio collars and monitored during the pup …