Life Sciences Commons^™

Drivers And Direct Impacts Of Lean Mass Dynamics On The Stopover Ecology And Migratory Pace Of Nearctic-Neotropical Migrant Songbirds In Spring, Mariamar Gutierrez Ramirez

Doctoral Dissertations

Annual migration in songbirds is one of the most demanding life-history stages. It represents a period of high mortality, yet there is still much unknown about the ecological correlates that influence its successful completion. After long non-stop migratory flights, birds require a stopover period to rest and replenish depleted energy reserves. Birds use fat as the primary fuel to power long-distance flights. However, birds also burn lean tissue, which results in significant reductions in muscle and organ masses. The discovery and quantification of lean mass catabolism represented a paradigm shift in migration ecology because non-fat components were thought to remain …

Several Vegetation Characteristics Affect Reproductive Success Of Grassland Birds At A Restored, Warm-Season Grassland In Central Georgia, Kayla B. Allen

Biology Theses

Grassland birds are experiencing major population declines due to habitat loss and fire suppression throughout North America. Large-scale grassland restoration efforts are ongoing, but there is little data on breeding bird productivity on restored habitats, nor on the impact of specific vegetation characteristics on reproductive output. Since 2005, agriculture fields at Panola Mountain State Park, GA have been undergoing restoration to warm-season grasslands; however, up until now there has been no monitoring of nest success or productivity. The goals of this project are to 1) quantify reproductive success and 2) determine which vegetation characteristics are associated with reproductive success. From …

Investigating Dispersal Ability To Infer Diversification In The Birds Of Madagascar, Robert D. Lauer

Master's Theses

The objective of this study was to investigate whether dispersal ability, as measured by a proxy of hand-wing index 2, influenced diversification of the birds of Madagascar at two scales. Madagascar is home to several avian lineages that have diversified greatly while other lineages are only represented by a single species. a key question in evolutionary biology is why some of these lineages diversified while others did not. One way to address this is to examine what features of these lineages promotes their diversification. Recent studies have focused on the relative importance of dispersal ability to diversification at the continental …

Investigating The Avian Species Composition, Diversity, And Abundance Of Engelhorn Pond, Kiana Rose

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Central Washington University’s Engelhorn Pond contains important habitats for many organisms, particularly migratory birds, and is a valuable resource for students. However, little information is available about the wildlife inhabiting the pond. The pond’s discrete location means that many people are unaware of its existence. In addition, the pond is threatened by a number of anthropogenic sources, including chemical runoff, garbage, and feral cats. By using point counts, a common ornithological survey technique, I recorded the bird species present at the pond during all seasons of the year. I collected data using point counts during 13 visits from June of …

Where Birds Chill: An Assessment Of The Habitat Preferences Of Birds Overwintering In Hudson Valley Forests, Elizabeth Claire Axley

Senior Projects Spring 2019

Many avian species overwinter in eastern North America; however, studies on bird populations are rarely undertaken during this critical survival time, and little is known as to their habitat preferences and foraging behavior. In this observational study, we performed a survey of birds overwintering in the Hudson Valley’s temperate, primarily-deciduous forests, assessing avian populations’ habitat preferences through the vegetative structural variables surrounding overwintering birds as they forage. Our results suggest that high canopy cover is critically important to predicting overwintering bird occupancy on a microhabitat scale. Moreover, overwintering birds preferentially occupy forest plots not dominated by sugar maples, in spite …

Avian Thermoregulation In The Heat: Resting Metabolism, Evaporative Cooling And Limits To Activity In Sonoran Desert Birds, Eric Smith

Biology ETDs

Birds in subtropical deserts face significant thermoregulatory challenges as environmental temperatures regularly exceed avian body temperature. To understand the differing susceptibility of desert birds to increasing temperatures, this dissertation initially examined thermoregulatory performance in seven passerine bird species varying in body mass from 10 to 70g – Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Pyrrhuloxia, Cactus Wren, Northern Cardinal, Abert’s Towhee and Curve-billed Thrasher – and three larger Sonoran Desert nesting bird species – Mourning Dove (104 g), White-winged Dove (147 g) and Gambel’s Quail (161 g). Daytime resting metabolism, evaporative water loss and real-time body temperature were measured using flow-through respirometry at …

Cryptic Diversification Of Two Widespread Species In Madagascar, Lynika Sharlice Strozier

Master's Theses

Using phylogenetic and phylogeographic tools to uncover hidden diversity within the genus Newtonia in Madagascar

Madagascar is known for its rich biodiversity and high level of endemic species that are found nowhere else. Cryptic diversification, defined as genetically and evolutionarily distinct species that are hard to detect because they are morphologically indistinguishable from their closest relatives, has been hypothesized to occur in many groups on Madagascar. Currently it is unclear to what extent this phenomenon occurs in birds because only a few studies have been conducted. My study examined the phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns within a songbird genus, Newtonia, that …

Birds And Vegetation Structure Of Isolated Juniper And Oak Communities In The Trans-Pecos Chihuahuan Desert., Kayla Garza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Birds of the Trans-Pecos region are historically understudied, with most literature covering birds of desert grasslands and scrub in New Mexico and Northern Mexico. A multitude of vegetation communities within the Chihuahuan Desert have also been neglected due to this gap in the research, for reasons including lack of access to public or preserve land in West Texas, and rough terrain. Indio Mountains Research Station (IMRS), is located 42-km southwest of Van Horn, Texas and encompasses many different vegetation communities, including juniper-oak habitats of arroyo and canyon systems. The purpose of this study was to document the bird species utilizing …

Breeding Bird And Bat Activity Surveys At Dairymen's Inc., Mandy M. Salminen

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to conduct baseline inventories of breeding birds and bat activity for the Dairymen's Inc. property. In addition, I compared the breeding bird communities of two habitats, black ash swamp and alder thickets. I conducted line transects and point counts to collect data on the breeding birds. For bat activity levels, I conducted acoustic point counts on the Dairymen's lakes. The data from this study, was used to predict the outcome of the white-nose syndrome and emerald ash borer becoming part of the landscape. The inventory data will be used to create a baseline for …

Seasonality Of The Stress Response In House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus)., Michael R. Hasstedt

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Seasonal changes in plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels indicate that birds modify their stress response through the year. Although this has been well documented, the method by which birds achieve this seasonality is not well understood. In this study I used house sparrows to determine if changes in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) immunoreactivity in several stress-related brain nuclei showed seasonal variation. The house sparrowsshowed seasonal variation in their stress response with baseline CORT levels being highest during the breeding season and lowest during winter. There was also significant change in plasma CORT post-dexamethasone during breeding, but not during other times of the …

Occupancy Modeling Of Herpetofauna And Grassland Nesting Birds At Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Kasandra A. Brown

Master's Theses

Only about 11% of native grasslands remain in the United States (North America Bird Conservation Initiative, 2011). Grasslands are a considerable source of biodiversity and play a crucial role in nutrient cycling (Suttie et al. 2005; Holechek et al. 2011). Stewards, such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service, are essential to grassland conservation, especially in Kansas, where less than one percent of land is under federal stewardship or public trust (Holechek et al. 2011). Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, an 8,900 hectare refuge located in Stafford County, has traditionally been managed as a stopover for migratory birds, but is now …

Constraints On Distributions And Diversity Of Birds And Mammals Over Variable Environments, Trevor S. Fristoe

Biology ETDs

The distributions of species are determined by intrinsic factors such as physiological tolerances as well as extrinsic factors of the environment such as the availability of resources. While physiological tolerances generally change over evolutionary time scales, changes in environmental productivity due to processes such as succession or seasonal progression often occur over ecological times. I address both physiology and resource availability as drivers of the distributions and diversity of endothermic birds and mammals using a macroecological approach and a metabolic perspective. Migratory birds, altering communities over seasonal cycles, provide a unique opportunity to investigate the drivers of distributions and diversity …

Evolution And Ecology Of Two Iconic Australian Clades: The Meliphagidae (Birds) And The Hakeinae (Plants), Eliot Trimarchi Miller

Dissertations

The first part of this dissertation explores the evolution of two iconic groups of species through Australian climate space: the Meliphagidae, or honeyeaters, which are primarily nectar-feeding birds, and the Hakeinae, a section of the plant family Proteaceae. Both groups are inferred to have had their origins in Gondwanan rainforests that were widespread across Australia 45 million years ago and then diversified into more arid environments as the continent’s climate became more arid. Accordingly, dry environments are inhabited by closely related (phylogenetically clustered) sets of species, although, in contrast to the honeyeaters, Hakeinae communities are characterized by more localized diversification. …

Wildwood/Kraemer Lake County Park Observational Study: The Effects Of Fragmentation On Old-Growth Forest Species, Rhonda H. Zimmerman

Culminating Projects in Biology

Habitat fragmentation generates forest fragments with increased ratio of "edge". This "edge effect" alters the natural community. Old growth forests support deep forest communities which rely on the closed canopy for survival, often indicators of healthy old growth communities. Putative old growth forest patches were identified in Wildwood Park and St. John’s Arboretum/University. One study objective was to collect baseline data on flora and fauna in Wildwood to confirm the presence of old-growth patches. The main ecological goal of the study was to determine if bird and plant communities exhibited patterns consistent with the operating assumption of 50 acre old-growth …

Variation In Habitat Thresholds: An Analysis Of Minimum Habitat Requirements Of North American Breeding Birds, Yntze Van Der Hoek

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Many species show dramatic changes in population extinction or persistence probability at particular habitat amounts. These `extinction thresholds' could be translated to conservation targets, under the condition that we can derive generalities. I investigated the level of variation in landscape-level habitat thresholds for a suite of North American, forest-associated, breeding birds. Records from Breeding Bird Atlases and the availability of remotely-sensed land cover data allowed me to compare habitat thresholds for 25 species across the states of Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. I show that variation in thresholds is considerable (Chapter II, III), as thresholds range from …

Changes In Spring Arrival And Fall Departure Dates Of Migratory Birds As An Indication Of Local Climate Change: A Phenological Study Of New York State's Capital Region Using Citizen Science, Olivia C. Townsend

Honors Theses

Climate change is becoming an increasingly important topic of scientific research, and studies commonly analyze biological indicators. Migratory birds are responsive to environmental changes because life cycles depend on finding proper seasonal locations. eBird is a citizen science database launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society in 2002, and this study focused on eBird data to analyze migratory shifts over the past two decades for the Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca), Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Snow Goose (Chen …

An Avian Survey Conducted At Five Water Sources Within The Northern Chihuahuan Desert On Indio Mountains Research Station, Texas, Geoffrey Hugh Wiseman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to conduct an avian survey of five water sources (four ephemeral former cattle tanks and one perennial spring), determine how many species inhabit or use Indio Mountains Research Station, and show a hierarchal similarity between the survey sites. This survey was conducted in a Chihuahuan Desert scrub landscape on Indio Mountains Research Station (IMRS) in Hudspeth County, Texas. There have been no previous formal studies of the avifauna at IMRS. All species accounts or sightings have been from casual sightings.

Eighty-five avian species were recorded during this project bringing the total of avian species …

Connecting The Dots: Understanding Migration In The Context Of Other Periods Of The Annual Cycle, Kristina Lee Paxton

Dissertations

Migration is a fundamental characteristic of the life history of many organisms. Large-scale seasonal movements expose migratory species to an array of differing environmental conditions such that the ecology, behavior, and life history strategies of migratory species must balance selection pressures associated with each phase of the annual cycle. Therefore, scientists increasingly realize that to understand the ecology of a migratory species in any one phase of the annual cycle requires an understanding of how other phases may interact with and influence the period of interest. That said, following individuals throughout the year poses a serious challenge.

The focus of …

Investigating The Function Of The Mold Specific Gene M46, In The Pathogenic Dimorphic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Davida Lashaundra Crossley

Dissertations

Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a dimorphic fungus that is the etiologic agent for the respiratory infection histoplasmosis. The fungus is found in the environment in contaminated soils of birds and bat excreta as a multi-cellular saprophytic mold. Once the soil is disturbed, spores are released and are inhaled into the lungs. In the lungs, the fungus converts to uni-cellular parasitic yeast (Maresca & Kobayashi, 1989). The conversion from mold to yeast is a requirement for pathogenesis. Previously, several mold specific genes have been isolated by our laboratory from a subtracted cDNA library. One such gene, is M46. M46 is a …

A Bird In The Binoculars: Understanding Birdwatchers' Potential To Contribute To Sustainable Development And Biological Conservation, Sheri Lynn Glowinski

Dissertations

The three studies comprising this research drew from local economic development and environmental sociology to understand aspects of human dynamics that influence the conservation of birds. Using survey data collected from birdwatchers visiting coastal Alabama, the first study examined the local economic impact of birdwatching tourism and the factors that participants deemed important with respect to their recreation. Birdwatchers spent $103,305 during the four month study period. The total annual economic impact of this recreation on the area was estimated at $937,470, producing a multiplier of 1.48 and the equivalent of 20.3 full time jobs. Infrastructural variables (parking, bathrooms, site …

The Rise And Fall Of Kin Structure In The Neotropical, Family-Living Buff-Breasted Wren (Cantorchilus Leucotis) In Gamboa, Panama, Sarah C. Alessi

Masters Theses

Family-living species provide an exciting model to examine how natal dispersal and kin structure influence genetic structuring within local populations. Juvenile buff-breasted wrens (Cantorchilus leucotis) of both sexes delay dispersal and exhibit short-distance natal dispersal, which should lead to kin-structured populations in which relatives of both sexes occupy neighboring territories. Blood samples collected from juvenile and adult wrens in Gamboa, Panama were analyzed using microsatellite markers to determine whether related individuals are spatially clustered on neighboring territories, spatial clusters of relatives change over time, and if kin structure is sex-specific. Global and local spatial autocorrelation analyses detected genetic …

Bird Use Of Cumberland Island's Freshwater Wetlands, Lisa Dlugolecki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cumberland Island is the southernmost barrier island off the coast of Georgia. Its freshwater wetlands are an important, rare habitat to have on a barrier island surrounded by saltmarsh and ocean. Many species of birds require freshwater wetlands as feeding, roosting and nesting grounds. However, the freshwater wetlands on Cumberland Island have been impacted by humans for centuries causing birds to abandon their historic nesting ground. Known land use histories of Cumberland Island's freshwater wetlands were gathered to try and determine how the wetlands changed over time Wetlands were analyzed for presence of wetland-dependent birds and recorded. Thirty-six species of …

Evolution And Biogeography Of Fire-Eye Antbirds (Genus Pyriglena): Insights From Molecules And Songs, Marcos Maldonado Coelho

Dissertations

The importance of climatic and geologic factors as drivers of population differentiation and speciation in the Neotropical region has long been appreciated. However, many questions remain regarding their roles underlying the processes and patterns of diversification. Studies conducted in distinct regions containing a suite of geological and ecological conditions constitute ideal scenarios to assess the role of Pleistocene climatic changes, rivers, and mountain building as historical diversification mechanisms. In chapters 1 and 2, I used an integrative approach combining molecular phylogenetics, phylogeography and population genetics to elucidate the importance of climatic and geological factors as engines of diversification. I focused …

Movement Ecology Of An Intercontinental Migratory Bird During Spring Stopover, Emily Beth Cohen

Dissertations

Movement ecology is a component of nearly all aspects of animal behavior and an animal’s decision to move is likely influenced by a complex combination of exogenous and endogenous factors. Therefore, an examination of the causes and consequences of organismal movement provides a conceptual framework for understanding complex behavioral strategies. My dissertation research is focused on the movement ecology of an intercontinental migratory songbird during spring migration. I adopted experimental approaches to study the factors influencing how a songbird migrant, red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus), makes decisions in unfamiliar landscapes from the initiation of spring stopover.

I simulated the …

Disturbance As Restoration In The Intermountain Sagebrush Steppe: Effects On Non Target Bird Species, Russell Edward Norvell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in shrubsteppe passerine bird habitat associations in response to disturbance were investigated at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Spatial measures incorporated the effects of area at different ecological scales (nest site, territory, and landscape) to include ecologically meaningful extents. Temporal measures included seasonal and annual effects, and were designed to detect lagged responses should they occur. Local-to-landscape scale effects of mechanical restoration treatments on local extirpation and abundances of nine species indicated most were insensitive to changes in habitat quality, while abundance models showed only broad declines. Changing the availability of nesting habitat on both the attractiveness and quality …

Spatiotemporal Variation Of Avian Populations Within Geographically Isolated Freshwater Marshes, Brian Rodenbeck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metacommunity connectivity, i.e., multi-species dispersal events, is vital to metapopulation persistence in patchy landscapes. Assessments of metacommunity connectivity are not trivial. However, a relationship between trophic rank and the species-area relationship has been found in previous studies, allowing for the use of the predator species-area relationship to act as a surrogate measure of actual metacommunity connectivity of prey species in some systems. For this study, avian species were selected as they are generalist top predators within the study system. Predator species richness within geographically isolated freshwater marshes is influenced by a number of factors. I explore the relative roles of …

Bird Use Of Lakes In The Claremont-Upland Area, Valerie Banschbach

Pomona Senior Theses

I studied water bird use of two lakes in the Claremont-Upland area to determine what physical, chemical, and biological aspects of these lakes provide suitable water bird habitat and food resources. I censused the Bernard Field Station Lake in Claremont and a gravel pit freshwater area in Upland from 10/85 to 3/86 for water bird use. I also mapped these sites, noted their water surface area and water depth changes, monitored their water chemistry, and censused their vegetation. The results of this work showed more total water birds per hour of observation time, and more birds per hour of observation …

A Comparative Study Of Growth And Survival In Nestling Mockingbirds And Brown Thrashers, Bette J. Schardien

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Parameters For Nine Avian Species At Moore Creek, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, G. Tanner Girard

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Blood Oxygen Capacity Of Birds, J. R. Powell

Master's Theses

Avian blood oxygen capacity (BOC: Vol. %) was measured by a modified Roughton - Scholander syringe method with regard to parameters of body weight and sex. Two samples, collected from the Richmond vicinity, were investigated: the domestic pigeon (Columba livia Gmelin) and 25 other bird species.