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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Patterns Of Genetic Structure In The American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius): Influence Of Distance And Migration And Implications For Monitoring And Management, Michaela Brinkmeyer
Patterns Of Genetic Structure In The American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius): Influence Of Distance And Migration And Implications For Monitoring And Management, Michaela Brinkmeyer
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Genetic structure is useful for inferring patterns of selection, gene flow and connectivity, and can define management units that aid in interpretation of spatially-specific trends and species management. American kestrels (Falco sparverius) are a widespread, generalist species with fully migratory, partial migrant, and resident populations. In many parts of their range, kestrels show evidence of declining population trends; however, it has been difficult to identify threats to kestrels because of differences in regional trends. We used a genome-wide sequencing approach to investigate the genetic structure of American kestrels, test hypotheses about the processes that influence genetic structuring of …
Commentary: Research Recommendations For Understanding The Decline Of American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) Across Much Of North America, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Sarah E. Schulwitz, Richard Van Buskirk, Benjamin P. Pauli, Julie A. Heath
Commentary: Research Recommendations For Understanding The Decline Of American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) Across Much Of North America, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Sarah E. Schulwitz, Richard Van Buskirk, Benjamin P. Pauli, Julie A. Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Across much of North America, populations of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) have been in decline for decades (Farmer et al. 2008, Farmer and Smith 2009, Smallwood et al. 2009a, Paprocki et al. 2014, Sauer et al. 2014). Hypothesized causes of kestrel declines include predation by Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii; Farmer et al. 2008), pathogens (e.g., Nemeth et al. 2006), habitat loss (Sullivan and Wood 2005, Farmer et al. 2008, Bolgiano et al. 2015), pesticides (Smallwood et al. 2009a, Rattner et al. 2015), and climate change (Steenhof and Peterson 2009b), yet no hypothesized factor has been supported …
Simulations Reveal The Power And Peril Of Artificial Breeding Sites For Monitoring And Managing Animals, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Benjamin P. Pauli, Julie A. Heath
Simulations Reveal The Power And Peril Of Artificial Breeding Sites For Monitoring And Managing Animals, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Benjamin P. Pauli, Julie A. Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Despite common use, the efficacy of artificial breeding sites (e.g., nest boxes, bat houses, artificial burrows) as tools for monitoring and managing animals depends on the demography of target populations and availability of natural sites. Yet, the conditions enabling artificial breeding sites to be useful or informative have yet to be articulated. We use a stochastic simulation model to determine situations where artificial breeding sites are either useful or disadvantageous for monitoring and managing animals. Artificial breeding sites are a convenient tool for monitoring animals and therefore occupancy of artificial breeding sites is often used as an index of population …
Local Recruitment And Natal Dispersal Distances Of American Kestrels, Karen Steenhof, Julie A. Heath
Local Recruitment And Natal Dispersal Distances Of American Kestrels, Karen Steenhof, Julie A. Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Variation in recruitment patterns and dispersal behavior can have important consequences for population viability, genetic structure, and rates of evolutionary change. From 1992 to 2006 we studied a marked population of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) nesting in boxes in southwestern Idaho to identify factors that affect local recruitment and natal dispersal distances. A low proportion (4%) of locally produced kestrels (n = 2180) returned to nest in study area boxes. Offspring of locally produced individuals were 3.1 times more likely to return than offspring of parents that did not hatch in study area boxes and, independent of …
Effects Of Developmental Conditions On Nestling American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) Corticosterone Concentrations, Erin H. Strasser, Julie A. Heath
Effects Of Developmental Conditions On Nestling American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) Corticosterone Concentrations, Erin H. Strasser, Julie A. Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
How nestling birds respond to stressful situations may constitute an important survival component that has lasting developmental effects on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. As birds are exposed to increasing amounts of potential anthropogenic stressors through land use change, understanding how these factors contribute to HPA development is important. We examined whether conditions experienced during the nestling stage affected free-living American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) HPA activity prior to fledging. Kestrels experienced varying levels of human disturbance around their nest and we classified this environmental exposure as high or low environmental human disturbance based on traffic patterns and …
Stress Responsiveness In Nestlings: A Comparison Of Two Sampling Techniques, Alfred M. Dufty
Stress Responsiveness In Nestlings: A Comparison Of Two Sampling Techniques, Alfred M. Dufty
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
I compared the effects on plasma corticosterone levels of two methods of collecting blood samples during standardized capture and handling stress protocols. In one method, individual nestling American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) were bled at three time periods: when initially removed from the nest, and 15 and 30 min later. In the other method, siblings removed from a nest were bled once each, either at the time of removal, or 15 or 30 min later. I found that there was no difference between the two groups in plasma corticosterone levels at the first sampling period, but 15 and 30 min after …
Corticosterone Levels During Nest Departure Of Juvenile American Kestrels, Julie Heath
Corticosterone Levels During Nest Departure Of Juvenile American Kestrels, Julie Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Many avian behavior patterns, such as breeding, migration and territoriality, are correlated with changes in hormone levels. Elevated levels of corticosterone, an adrenal steroid hormone, are associated with increased foraging and increased activity levels in birds. Young birds about to take their first flight may benefit from elevated plasma corticosterone levels that facilitate locomotor activity and foraging behavior while they are developing flight and hunting skills. I examined the relationship between corticosterone levels and the timing of nest departure in nestling American Kestrels (Falco sparverius). American Kestrels are cavity nesters and typically depart from the nest between 25-30 …