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Theses/Dissertations

Life Sciences

Agriculture

Boise State University

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Earlier Nesting By A Predatory Bird Is Associated With Human Adaptations To Climate Change, Shawn Heath Smith Aug 2016

Earlier Nesting By A Predatory Bird Is Associated With Human Adaptations To Climate Change, Shawn Heath Smith

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Advancing growing seasons and prey abundance drive earlier breeding in dietary specialists because, ultimately, consumers benefit by timing their reproduction to coincide with peak prey abundance. The selective pressure to breed earlier may be lower for species that forage on diverse prey items that vary in abundance both spatially and temporally. The selective pressure may be reduced further if predators have access to a mosaic of habitats, each of which having different shifts in growing seasons. We studied whether earlier breeding of a predatory generalist, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) nesting in a mosaic of habitat types was …


Ecotoxicological Risk And Exposure: A Comparison Of Western Burrowing Owls Nesting In Agricultural And Non-Agricultural Areas In The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds Of Prey National Conservation Area, Matthew Stuber Aug 2015

Ecotoxicological Risk And Exposure: A Comparison Of Western Burrowing Owls Nesting In Agricultural And Non-Agricultural Areas In The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds Of Prey National Conservation Area, Matthew Stuber

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In some portions of their range, western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) nest in higher densities near irrigated agricultural areas when compared to non-agricultural, arid habitat. Previous research suggests that owls may associate with agricultural areas because of more reliable and abundant prey, particularly invertebrates. One potential cost of this association, however, is an increased risk of exposure of owls to pesticides that are applied to agricultural fields. I investigated the exposure to and possible effects on burrowing owls of organophosphate, organochlorine, and carbamate pesticides in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) …


Evaluating The Effects Of Fungicides And Other Pesticides On Non-Target Gut Fungi And Their Aquatic Insect Hosts, Emma R. Wilson May 2013

Evaluating The Effects Of Fungicides And Other Pesticides On Non-Target Gut Fungi And Their Aquatic Insect Hosts, Emma R. Wilson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Pesticides are widespread and have been long used to combat the attack and destruction of crops. Fungicides have been used to prevent the establishment of many fungal pathogens, yet little is known about the impacts of fungicides on non-target fungi. With these considerations, it was predicted that trichomycetes, or gut fungi, a group of symbiotic fungi associated with aquatic macroinvertebrates and other arthropods, might be a candidate system to study because of the intimate association with their hosts. Field and laboratory studies were initiated to assess non-target impacts of fungicides on gut fungi. Field surveys were conducted on four streams …