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- Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method (2)
- Landscape Development Index (2)
- Vegetation Index of Biotic Integrity (2)
- Aggression (1)
- Amphibians (1)
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- Aquatic Insects (1)
- Aquatic habitat (1)
- Avian Vocalizations (1)
- Begging (1)
- Behavior (1)
- Bird species richness (1)
- Blackside Dace (1)
- Bobwhite (1)
- Brood loss (1)
- Captive (1)
- Chaetura Pelagica (1)
- Chimney Swift Displays (1)
- Chimney Swift Vocalizations (1)
- Chimney Swifts (1)
- Chrosomus cumberlandensis (1)
- Chrosomus erythrogaster (1)
- Convict cichlid (1)
- Darter (1)
- Effective size (1)
- Endangered species (1)
- Etheostoma (1)
- Extra-pair Paternity (1)
- Fish movement (1)
- Flight Displays (1)
- Forested Riverine Wetlands (1)
Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Offspring Retrieval Behaviors After Brood Loss In The Convict Cichlid, Heather Witherspoon Govert
Offspring Retrieval Behaviors After Brood Loss In The Convict Cichlid, Heather Witherspoon Govert
Online Theses and Dissertations
Parents provide care for their young in several different ways. One of these is searching for and retrieving any young that may become displaced from their nest. In monogamous biparental species, parents may share care of their young, including retrieval efforts. Convict cichlids (Amatitlania siquia) are an example of a monogamous biparental fish that show shared parental care of young. In the wild, these cichlids defend nests and search for missing young in response to complete or catastrophic brood loss. This retrieval behavior is important for both parents because parents, especially the males, have been observed to abandon their mate …
Vegetation-Based Metrics Of Biotic Integrity For Assessing The Ecological Condition Of Wetlands Of Kentucky, Tanner Matthew Morris
Vegetation-Based Metrics Of Biotic Integrity For Assessing The Ecological Condition Of Wetlands Of Kentucky, Tanner Matthew Morris
Online Theses and Dissertations
Over the last two centuries, wetland acreage across the world has significantly declined due to human disturbances. It has been estimated that Kentucky has lost over 80% of its wetland area. In response to these losses occurring across the United States, the Clean Water Act was passed to halt this dramatic decline and to restore the ecological integrity of waters of the United States. To enforce the Clean Water Act, a number of ecological assessment techniques have been developed to quantify the ecological quality of the waters of the United States. Kentucky recently adopted a rapid method for assessing the …
Distribution, Movement, And Ecology Of Etheostoma Spilotum (Gilbert), The Kentucky Arrow Darter, In Gilberts Big Creek And Elisha Creek, Red Bird River Basin, Clay And Leslie Counties, Kentucky, Jonathan Bradley Baxter
Distribution, Movement, And Ecology Of Etheostoma Spilotum (Gilbert), The Kentucky Arrow Darter, In Gilberts Big Creek And Elisha Creek, Red Bird River Basin, Clay And Leslie Counties, Kentucky, Jonathan Bradley Baxter
Online Theses and Dissertations
The Kentucky Arrow Darter (KAD), Etheostoma spilotum, is an endemic species to the Upper Kentucky River Basin and is currently proposed for listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The ecology and population status of this benthic species is poorly understood, so this study was designed to investigate the species’ movement capabilities, population dynamics, and overall ecology in two streams (Gilberts Big and Elisha Creek) in the Red Bird Ranger District, Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky. Project objectives included quantification of movement patterns, identification of microhabitat use, and estimation of population size in both streams. Sampling was conducted during …
Effects Of Supplemental Food On The Behavior, Aggression, And Paternity Status Of Male Indigo Buntings (Passerina Cyanea), Bradley Mcleod
Effects Of Supplemental Food On The Behavior, Aggression, And Paternity Status Of Male Indigo Buntings (Passerina Cyanea), Bradley Mcleod
Online Theses and Dissertations
Breeding is an energetically costly activity for birds. If energy-limited, birds may alter their time budgets, reducing time spent in some activities and spending more time in others. To date, no experimental study has investigated the possible effect of food availability on male mate guarding behavior. Additionally, previous results from food supplementation studies are mixed. My objectives were to determine how food supplementation might influence the breeding behavior of male Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea). I predicted that, compared to non-supplemented males, food-supplemented males would: 1) spend less time foraging, 2) spend more time singing, 3) spend more time mate guarding, …
Flight Vocalizations And Displays Of Adult Chimney Swifts (Chaetura Pelagica): Description And Function, Louise Ann Peppe
Flight Vocalizations And Displays Of Adult Chimney Swifts (Chaetura Pelagica): Description And Function, Louise Ann Peppe
Online Theses and Dissertations
The vocalizations of many songbirds have been well documented and analyzed, but less is known about the vocal behavior of many non-passerines, including swifts. While flying alone as well as during aerial displays with conspecifics, Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica) often utter a twitter call consisting of a series of high-frequency chip notes. However, little is known about the possible function(s) of swift flight displays and their twitter call. My objectives were to record, analyze, and document the aerial behaviors and associated vocalizations of adult Chimney Swifts. I studied swifts at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky, where …
Reproductive Biology Of Syntopic Blackside Dace And Southern Redbelly Dace In Two Kentucky Streams, Brajaan Hayes
Reproductive Biology Of Syntopic Blackside Dace And Southern Redbelly Dace In Two Kentucky Streams, Brajaan Hayes
Online Theses and Dissertations
When a rare endemic species and an ecologically similar, but more cosmopolitan species share habitat, understanding how they interact with each other is important for conservation efforts. This is especially true if both species rely on the same spawning habitat, which could potentially lead to competitive displacement or hybridization. It is known that the federally threatened Blackside Dace and common Southern Redbelly Dace are ecologically similar species, occur syntopically in Kentucky in the upper Cumberland River basin, and utilize some of the same host species for nest sites; however, it is unclear if the two fish species are spawning site …
Fate Of Captive-Reared Bobwhite Quail Released In Central Kentucky, Adam Carter
Fate Of Captive-Reared Bobwhite Quail Released In Central Kentucky, Adam Carter
Online Theses and Dissertations
The fate of pen-raised bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) released onto two farms (Site 1 and 2) and a reclaimed coal surface mine (Site 3) in south-central Kentucky during the summers of 2008 and 2009 was assessed. Of the 57 bobwhite quail radio-tagged and released in this study, the fate of 26 (45%) was unknown because the telemetry signal was lost and the birds could not be located. Within 34 days after release, mortality of the remaining 31 radio-tagged birds was 100%. Raptors, coyotes, and mesomammal predators were responsible for most (84%) of the identified quail mortality; accounting for the deaths …
Temporal Comparisons On The Genetic Variation Of The Dusky Gopher Frog (Lithobates Sevosus), Kristin Michelle Hinkson
Temporal Comparisons On The Genetic Variation Of The Dusky Gopher Frog (Lithobates Sevosus), Kristin Michelle Hinkson
Online Theses and Dissertations
Monitoring temporal changes in genetic diversity within populations can provide vital information on future viability. The dusky gopher frog, Lithobates sevosus, exists in isolation with an estimated population size of 100-200 individuals, and previous research has shown that low genetic variability exists as a consequence of isolation and population size reduction. However, the temporal changes in genetic variation are not known. Therefore, my objectives were to (1) determine temporal trends in population genetic variation and implications for long-term viability of L. sevosus and (2) estimate effective population size. To accomplish these objectives, egg samples collected from 1997 to 2014 were …
Validating A Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method For Forested Riverine Wetlands Using Vegetation, Bird Surveys, And Landscape Analysis, Johnryan Andrew Polascik
Validating A Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method For Forested Riverine Wetlands Using Vegetation, Bird Surveys, And Landscape Analysis, Johnryan Andrew Polascik
Online Theses and Dissertations
Within the last two centuries, Kentucky has undergone wetland losses exceeding 80 percent (approximately 500,000 hectares). As a response to these losses, the Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW) and Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) developed the Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method (KY-WRAM) to evaluate the condition of Kentucky's remaining wetlands. The goal of this study was to validate the KY-WRAM for forested riverine wetlands using a vegetation index of biotic integrity (VIBI), bird surveys, and landscape development index (LDI). Specific objectives of this study were to: 1) determine the correlation between bird species richness, VIBI, and LDI with the KY-WRAM in …
Effect Of Variation In Nestling Hunger Levels On The Begging Behavior Of Nestlings And The Provisioning Behavior Of Adult American Kestrels, Katheryn Ann Watson
Effect Of Variation In Nestling Hunger Levels On The Begging Behavior Of Nestlings And The Provisioning Behavior Of Adult American Kestrels, Katheryn Ann Watson
Online Theses and Dissertations
Little is known about how variation in nestling begging intensity influences the behavior of adult raptors and how responses of adult males and females to such variation might differ. My objective was to manipulate the begging intensity of nestling American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) and examine the responses of adult males and females. I studied 12 pairs of kestrels nesting in nest boxes from 1 March to 1 July 2014 at the Blue Grass Army Depot, Madison County, Kentucky. Nest boxes were modified with a separate compartment for a camcorder to record nestling behavior, and a second camcorder was placed outside …
Examining The Impacts Of Valley Fills In Stream Ecosystems On Amphibian And Aquatic Insect Communities In Southeastern Kentucky, John Clayton Bourne
Examining The Impacts Of Valley Fills In Stream Ecosystems On Amphibian And Aquatic Insect Communities In Southeastern Kentucky, John Clayton Bourne
Online Theses and Dissertations
Chapter 1. Abstract: Biodiversity is not evenly distributed, and understanding factors that determine spatial patterns of species diversity remains a key question in ecology. Because of their relatively high abundance and complex life cycles, stream salamanders and aquatic insects are important trophic links and serve a critical role in transferring energy. Despite this importance little research has examined their community structure simultaneously in aquatic ecosystems. The primary objective of this research was to determine the structure of these communities across natural areas of southeastern Kentucky and understand what factors impact their abundances and distributions. To address this, we sampled eight …