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Analysis Of Response Calls To Diverse Ground Predators From Three Geographically Separate Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) Subpopulations, Sarah A. (Bales) Douglass

Master of Environmental Science (MES) Theses

Dialectic variation occurs in many bird species. Different factors have been investigated regarding dialectic variation, including cultural and genetic transmission of songs or calls, and geographic separation. In this study, the predator alarm call of the Florida Scrub-Jay to ground predators was recorded in three geographically separate subpopulations across Florida—Canaveral National Seashore/Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Lyonia Preserve and Leisure Lakes/Lake June in Winter Scrub State Park—to examine any dialectic occurrence between these three subpopulations. Additionally, many bird species are recognized as having highly evolved predator recognition systems, often with different calls for specific predators. The Florida Scrub Jay has …