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Early Life History Of Tarpon (Megalops Atlanticus) In South Carolina Estuaries: Assessment Of Juvenile Recruitment And Validity Of Aging And Back-Calculation Methods, Garrett M. Elmo Dec 2020

Early Life History Of Tarpon (Megalops Atlanticus) In South Carolina Estuaries: Assessment Of Juvenile Recruitment And Validity Of Aging And Back-Calculation Methods, Garrett M. Elmo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Larval Fish Sampling And Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon Drift Dynamics In The Mississippi And Missouri Rivers, Hae Hyun Kim Dec 2020

Larval Fish Sampling And Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon Drift Dynamics In The Mississippi And Missouri Rivers, Hae Hyun Kim

MSU Graduate Theses

Humans have been altering the natural ecosystem for centuries. These alterations provide many socioeconomic benefits (e.g., navigation and flood-control). However, these alterations can have negative ecological consequences. Large rivers across the country have been manipulated to facilitate various human activities. Rivers are dynamic systems governed by various abiotic and biotic factors. Ultimately these alterations change the natural biogeochemical cycles and reduce available habitats. These impacts likely affect riverine fishes’ ability to carry out their lifecycle. Riverine organisms, and particularly fish, have adapted to survive in free-flowing systems. Population dynamics (i.e., recruitment, growth and mortality) are the basis of fisheries management. …


Assessment Of Factors Influencing Migratory Landbird Use Of Forested Stopover Sites Along The Delmarva Peninsula During Autumn Migration, J. Andrew Arnold Dec 2020

Assessment Of Factors Influencing Migratory Landbird Use Of Forested Stopover Sites Along The Delmarva Peninsula During Autumn Migration, J. Andrew Arnold

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Autumn migration is a time when billions of birds move from breeding grounds in North America to wintering grounds in Central and South America, with many individuals relying on stopover habitats en route for resting and refueling purposes. These stopover sites are critical to the survival of the hundreds of species of migratory landbirds that migrate annually, and thus identifying important stopover sites is a high priority for conserving such taxa. The Delmarva Peninsula; a coastal region of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia along the mid-Atlantic flyway; consists of forested habitats with ample food and shelter that likely serves as quality …


Movements And Space-Use Of Female Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) During Nesting And Breeding Seasons, Drew W. Retherford Nov 2020

Movements And Space-Use Of Female Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) During Nesting And Breeding Seasons, Drew W. Retherford

Theses and Dissertations

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are a species of conservation concern throughout their range including the state of Idaho. Little is known about the size of areas used by female sage-grouse during the breeding and nesting seasons, fidelity of females to those areas, or fidelity of female sage-grouse to specific leks or nest sites. The recent miniaturization of global positioning system (GPS) transmitting devices allows for a more thorough analysis of this behavior. We placed GPS transmitters on 234 female sage-grouse in Idaho, USA, from 2015 to 2019. We monitored 145 nest attempts, 15 of which occurred in consecutive years, from …


Population Structure And Habitat Use Of Bluegill In The Upper Mississippi River, Ethan Allyn Rutledge Aug 2020

Population Structure And Habitat Use Of Bluegill In The Upper Mississippi River, Ethan Allyn Rutledge

MSU Graduate Theses

Fish populations are driven by the dynamic rate functions (i.e., recruitment, growth, and mortality). Knowledge of these vital rates can provide critical information to determine spatiotemporal population-level changes in the system. Therefore, understanding these vital rates are important in the proper management of any fishery. Anthropogenic modifications to the environment have had damaging effects on the organisms within these ecosystems. Specific to Upper Mississippi River fishes, channelization, dams, and loss of floodplain connectivity have all been purported as deleterious. In the face of these modifications, understanding habitat use and vital rates of individual species is needed to help guide management …


Survival Of Off-Host Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) Annulatus (Acari: Ixodidae) Larvae In Study Arenas In Relation To Climatic Factors And Habitats In South Texas, Usa, Emily Jesselle Zamora May 2020

Survival Of Off-Host Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) Annulatus (Acari: Ixodidae) Larvae In Study Arenas In Relation To Climatic Factors And Habitats In South Texas, Usa, Emily Jesselle Zamora

Theses and Dissertations

The cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (Say), is an economically destructive arthropod because of its ability to vector bovine babesiosis. Cattle fever ticks can spend more than 90% of their life cycle as questing larvae, but the effect of climatic factors on their off-host behavior and survival is unclear. The goal of this study was to measure the effects of specific ecological factors on off-host larvae in nature. The study was conducted in a south Texas pasture over a 20-mo period, during which time larval populations were surveyed and ambient weather variables - relative humidity and temperatures – were …


Habitat Selection And Host Detection In The Salamander Mussel, Simpsonaias Ambigua, Eric A. Stegmann May 2020

Habitat Selection And Host Detection In The Salamander Mussel, Simpsonaias Ambigua, Eric A. Stegmann

MSU Graduate Theses

The native freshwater mussels, Order Unionida, have suffered many species extinctions and loss of abundance. Two important threats to native mussels are loss of habitat and loss of access to the vertebrate hosts of the parasitic mussel larvae. The Salamander mussel, Simpsonaias ambigua, is a habitat specialist, living under flat rocks. It is often found in direct association with its only known host, the common mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus. This association could result from movement and habitat selection by the mussels themselves. Alternatively, it might result from the deposition of juveniles by a resident host. Habitat selection and host …


Spatiotemporal Variability Of Rockfish Recruitment On California's North Coast In Relation To Habitat Availability, Carolyn Belak Jan 2020

Spatiotemporal Variability Of Rockfish Recruitment On California's North Coast In Relation To Habitat Availability, Carolyn Belak

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Characterizing primary drivers of temporal and spatial variability in recruitment is imperative to understanding the role of pre- and post-settlement processes influencing marine population dynamics. On benthic reefs, the quality and quantity of suitable settlement habitat can alter post-settlement density-dependent mortality rates and increase chances of survival. The north coast of California has experienced highly unusual oceanographic conditions in recent years, leading to severe loss of highly productive kelp forests and potentially deleterious ecosystem consequences. In the present thesis, I aimed to determine the effects of canopy-forming bull kelp (Nereocystis) and alternative complex habitats on the recruitment of …


Multivariate Habitat-Based Predictive Modeling Of Three Demersal Rockfish Species In Central California, Georgia R. Martel Jan 2020

Multivariate Habitat-Based Predictive Modeling Of Three Demersal Rockfish Species In Central California, Georgia R. Martel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Accurate, spatially explicit models of rockfish abundance are critical in implementing ecosystem-based management strategies and designating essential fish habitats and marine protected areas. Multibeam bathymetry methods and visual, non-extractive submersible transect surveys were combined to collect environmental variables and fish abundance data at three distinct sites within the study region. Zero-adjusted models were developed using habitat classification analyses of high-resolution (5 m) digital elevation models. Model accuracies were assessed by using a reserved subset of the original datasets. To demonstrate that a model’s predictive power was linked to its spatial origins, Mean Absolute Error and coefficient of determination values were …


Use And Partitioning Of Riparian Corridors By Mammalian Carnivores In Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge, Armando Toral Becker Jan 2020

Use And Partitioning Of Riparian Corridors By Mammalian Carnivores In Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge, Armando Toral Becker

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Land conversion across the Southwestern U.S. for agricultural and livestock use and prolonged drought conditions cascade to reduce ecosystem function, including habitat provision for wildlife. Arroyo restoration efforts aim to improve wildlife habitat by decreasing soil erosion and enhancing water retention. These hydrologic and geomorphic changes increase the likelihood that wildlife use restored corridors by increasing riparian vegetation cover. Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge (RMNWR) has restored several arroyos by installing a system of one-rock dams throughout the refuge, but the extent to which mammals prefer restored over unrestored riparian corridors and how habitat structure influences mammalian use and density …


Golden Eagle Resource Selection And Environmental Drivers Of Reproduction In The Northern Range Of Yellowstone National Park, David Brown Haines Jan 2020

Golden Eagle Resource Selection And Environmental Drivers Of Reproduction In The Northern Range Of Yellowstone National Park, David Brown Haines

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the United States (US), National Parks are considered the “crown jewels” of protected lands. However, the importance of National Parks to wildlife populations and the species that inhabit them is not often quantified, thus, requiring a better understanding of National Parks as a conservation tool. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are a North American species of conservation concern and territories in the northern range of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) are relatively dense. However, average reproductive rates over the past ten years (2011-2020) have been low (productivity = 0.34, nest success = 28%). The contrast of high density and …