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Biology

Master's Theses

Theses/Dissertations

Management

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Pismo Clams (Tivela Stultorum) In Califorina: Population Status, Habitat Associations, Reproduction, And Growth, Alexandria R. Marquardt May 2020

Pismo Clams (Tivela Stultorum) In Califorina: Population Status, Habitat Associations, Reproduction, And Growth, Alexandria R. Marquardt

Master's Theses

Marine shellfish play a vital role in intertidal ecosystems and coastal communities, but many of these fisheries are small-scale and lack the necessary monitoring to ensure long-term sustainability. Effective management often requires information on key demographic parameters, such as population status, reproduction and growth. Pismo clams (Tivela stultorum) are a culturally important and iconic species in California, which supported a thriving commercial and recreational fishery throughout much of the 1900’s. However, Pismo clam populations have declined statewide in recent decades and are attributed to human harvest and predation by California sea otters (Enhydra lutris); However, no …


Breeding Habitat Structure And Use By Kansas-Occurring Black Rail, Stephanie A. Kane May 2011

Breeding Habitat Structure And Use By Kansas-Occurring Black Rail, Stephanie A. Kane

Master's Theses

Two subspecies of Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicenis) occur in the United States, and neither has been studied extensively. Of the two, the Eastern subspecies (L. j. jamaicenis) has a larger range, but has been studied to a lesser degree than the California subspecies (L. j. coturniculus) Eastern Black Rail are known to breed at several locations in Kansas, but as in other inland populations, precisely where these individuals overwinter is unknown. Additionally, little information is available on characteristics of breeding habitat for inland Eastern Black Rail populations, and few studies have investigated the effect of habitat management techniques on these …