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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Meaning Of Song Type: Exploring Behavioral Responses Of Field Sparrows To Three Simple Song Types, Eliza Foli Apr 2019

The Meaning Of Song Type: Exploring Behavioral Responses Of Field Sparrows To Three Simple Song Types, Eliza Foli

Honors Theses

The frequency, rate, and overall quality of a male’s song may indicate the singer’s physical quality, either as a threat or as a potential mate, and are used for species recognition. However, the degree to which a song must differ acoustically to communicate different information about the singer remains unclear. Analysis of male field sparrow simple song recorded in southwest Michigan revealed three structurally distinct clusters of simple song that differ in frequency characteristics. We hypothesize that songs in each cluster convey information about the singer and that receivers respond more strongly to songs more similar to their own song. …


Snowshoe Hares (Lepus Americanus) Alter Feeding Behavior In Response To Coyote (Canis Latrans) And Moose (Alces Alces) Cues At Diverse Vegetation Densities, Zachary K. Lankist Apr 2019

Snowshoe Hares (Lepus Americanus) Alter Feeding Behavior In Response To Coyote (Canis Latrans) And Moose (Alces Alces) Cues At Diverse Vegetation Densities, Zachary K. Lankist

Student Scholarship

Prey interpret predator cues as a warning and use them to assess the danger of a given area. Multiple prey species avoid chemical cues from predators at feeding sites because the risk of death outweighs the benefit of food. However, we lack information regarding avoidance of chemical cues from competitors as well as how foraging behavior changes alongside vegetative cover. To test if chemical cues and veget~tive cover alter prey vigilance, number of visits, and time spent at feeding sites, I observed snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) in plots containing coyote (Canis latrans; predator) and moose (Alces alces; competitor) urine across …