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The Spatial Ecology Of Black Groupers (Mycteroperca Bonaci) In The Upper Florida Keys, Veronique Koch Jun 2011

The Spatial Ecology Of Black Groupers (Mycteroperca Bonaci) In The Upper Florida Keys, Veronique Koch

Open Access Theses

Black groupers (Mycteroperca bonaci) are a critical component of coral reef ecosystems as well as South Florida fisheries. It is therefore of great concern that their essential fish habitat has not yet been fully defined. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the ecology of black groupers was characterized in the Upper Florida Keys. The first part of this study utilized acoustic telemetry. Self-contained acoustic receivers were placed in an array around Conch Reef and tracked 16 tagged black groupers for 483 days. Patterns of movement behavior and habitat usage were modeled using presence-absence data. The capture-recapture program MARK was used to estimate …


The Effect Of Stream Restoration On Preferred Cutthroat Trout Habitat In The Strawberry River, Utah, Nicolas R. Braithwaite May 2011

The Effect Of Stream Restoration On Preferred Cutthroat Trout Habitat In The Strawberry River, Utah, Nicolas R. Braithwaite

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Stream restoration has become a popular management tool for attempting to increase and/or restore fish populations by improving habitat. A section of the Strawberry River, Utah recently underwent a stream restoration project, where the main goals of the project included increasing spawning activity, rearing potential, and resident populations of Bear Lake cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkia utah. The impact of the restoration project on cutthroat trout was investigated by first characterizing preferred habitat for different life stages, investigating habitat as a limiting factor in the system, and then assessing the quality of available habitat by comparing restored/unrestored sections of stream …


Ecology Of The Rock Rattlesnake, Crotalus Lepidus, In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, Vicente Mata Silva Jan 2011

Ecology Of The Rock Rattlesnake, Crotalus Lepidus, In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, Vicente Mata Silva

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Rock Rattlesnake, Crotalus lepidus is a small species that is found from southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and southern Texas, in the U.S., into northern Mexico. To date, little is known about the ecology of this species. Ecological information is becoming desperately needed for supporting the conservation and protection of species living in fragile environments such as the Chihuahuan Desert amid current local and global threats (e.g., habitat destruction and modification, urban development, and climate change). Although rattlesnakes spend a significant amount of time underground while overwintering, little is known about the physiology and behavior of these organisms during …


Sampling Assemblages Of Turtles In Central Illinois: A Case Study Of Capture Efficiency And Species Coverage, Robert D. Bluett, Eric M. Schauber, Craig K. Bloomquist, Douglas A. Brown Jan 2011

Sampling Assemblages Of Turtles In Central Illinois: A Case Study Of Capture Efficiency And Species Coverage, Robert D. Bluett, Eric M. Schauber, Craig K. Bloomquist, Douglas A. Brown

Publications

Low and variable rates of capture are chronic problems in chelonian studies. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate protocols for future inventories of turtles in Illinois by comparing capture efficiency and species coverage for 2 devices (hoop net and cage trap), baits (fresh and day-old fish), habitats (lentic and lotic) and time periods . We accrued 402 captures of 378 individuals representing 7 species. At Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area (Sanganois), hoop nets produced more captures of more species (n = 231; 6 species) than cage traps (n = 119; 4 species). Statistical tests were equivocal for a …


Multiscale Effects Of Forest Roads On Black Bears (Ursus Americanus), Benjamin S. Jimenez Jan 2011

Multiscale Effects Of Forest Roads On Black Bears (Ursus Americanus), Benjamin S. Jimenez

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As the vast network of roads continues to expand across the continent, so too does the necessity to understand the associated ecological effects. To appropriately assess the impacts of these roads on wildlife it is necessary to evaluate how they affect ecological processes at multiple spatial and temporal scales. In particular, where hunting is associated with road access, roads may induce heightened behavioral responses. I assessed the effects of forest roads on habitat selection and activity patterns of a population of black bears (Ursus americanus) in the Coeur d’Alene Mountains of northern Idaho, USA. This black bear population is exposed …


Taxonomy And Ecology Of The Western Australian Soldier Crab, Mictyris Occidentalis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Mictyridae), Joyleen Florence Unno Jan 2011

Taxonomy And Ecology Of The Western Australian Soldier Crab, Mictyris Occidentalis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Mictyridae), Joyleen Florence Unno

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The taxonomy and autoecology of the Western Australian soldier crab, Mictyris occidentalis Unno, 2008 is presented including a new species description, a comprehensive ichnology, sampling methods, an extensive habitat description and a decadal population dynamics study. Such a wide ranging, holistic study has not been carried out for any mictyrid specious previously. In detail, a taxonomy component compares M. occidentalis with congeners, clearly establishing it as a separate species from M. longicarpus to which it was previously referred, and the issues affecting taxonomic classification in the Mictyris genus in general are discussed. A species identification key is provided for the …