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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Foraging Ecology Of American Oystercatchers In The Cape Romain Region, South Carolina, Christine Hand
Foraging Ecology Of American Oystercatchers In The Cape Romain Region, South Carolina, Christine Hand
All Theses
During the nonbreeding season, the Cape Romain Region of South Carolina supports ca. one-sixth of the total population of the eastern race (palliatus) of the American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), which consists of only ca. 11,000 individuals and appears to be declining. I compared the density, size, and orientation of the primary prey, Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and the foraging behaviors of adult American Oystercatchers among the three largest bays in the Cape Romain Region that American Oystercatchers used as foraging areas. Results indicated that prey size, prey orientation, and the foraging behaviors of American …
A Population Survey And Foraging Analysis Of The Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax Auritus) On The Santee Lakes, South Carolina, Adam Kelley
All Theses
This study was designed to determine whether Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) were having an impact on the Santee lakes fishery for Striped bass (Morone saxatilis). I surveyed the lakes' population in the summer of 2007 and winter of 2008 to determine population levels and 76 birds were necropsied in order to determine foraging preferences. Summer populations were estimated at 203 birds and winter at 6000. Clupeids (primarily Gizzard, Threadfin, and American shads) made up the bulk of the diet in both seasons with an overall percentage of 86.19%. No bass of any size or species were found in the stomachs …
Breeding And Foraging Ecology Of American Oystercatchers In The Cape Romain Region, South Carolina, Janet Thibault
Breeding And Foraging Ecology Of American Oystercatchers In The Cape Romain Region, South Carolina, Janet Thibault
All Theses
The majority of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) in South Carolina make their nests on narrow, elevated mounds of oyster shells deposited naturally along the edges of bays by storms or formed artificially by boat wakes along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW). I compared reproductive success of American Oystercatchers nesting along the AICW with those nesting on naturally formed shell mounds in Bulls Bay within the Cape Romain Region of South Carolina during the breeding seasons of 2006 and 2007. I identified timing and causes of nest failure and attributes of re-nesting. Hatching success (15%) and productivity estimates (0.25 chicks per …
Foraging Ecology Of Seabirds In Relation To Commercial Shrimp Trawler Activity, Lisa Wickliffe
Foraging Ecology Of Seabirds In Relation To Commercial Shrimp Trawler Activity, Lisa Wickliffe
All Theses
Population dynamics of seabirds have been linked to the availability of bycatch discarded from commercial fishery operations. This issue has been examined primarily in Europe where studies demonstrated that tens of thousands of seabirds each year may be supported by discards from a regional fishery, and that discards from commercial fisheries contributed to the increase in seabird abundance and to changes in their distribution in the North Sea and Northeast Atlantic. To date, however, little to no research has been conducted on seabird-fisheries interactions in the United States. This research examined this issue in the coastal waters of South Carolina …
The Effects Of Land Use On Sedimentation, Inorganic Substrate, Organic Substrate, And Fish Assemblages In South Carolina's Coastal Plain Streams, Cathy Marion
All Theses
This research is part of a larger, long-term assessment of South Carolina's wadeable streams funded by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources entitled the 'South Carolina Stream Assessment Project'. Biological, physical, and chemical data were collected for this project during the summer seasons of 2006 and 2007. The purpose of this research was to identify relationships among land use, sedimentation, organic substrate, and fish assemblages in three South Carolina coastal plain ecobasins. An additional focus was to determine if South Carolina coastal plain ecobasins were similar enough in species composition, environmental variables, land use, and measured fish metrics to …