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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Florida Panther And Black Bear: A Road And Urban Avoidance/Utilization Analysis And Impacts Of Land Use And Climate Change On Large Carnivore Habitat In Florida, Andrew James Whittle
Florida Panther And Black Bear: A Road And Urban Avoidance/Utilization Analysis And Impacts Of Land Use And Climate Change On Large Carnivore Habitat In Florida, Andrew James Whittle
University of Kentucky Master's Theses
Florida is expanding its urban borders into areas of the native habitat. Increased expansion is predicted through the next several decades. Several sections of the state are home to large carnivores, such as Florida panther and black bear, which are important to ecosystem function. Expansion of roads and urban centers will greatly reduce the quality and quantity of carnivore habitat. In this study, I used Euclidean distance analyses and very high frequency (VHF) telemetry points to produce distance categories in which carnivores either have a negative/neutral/positive association with roads and urban centers. The seven black bear populations followed four different …
Maternal Antibody Transfer And Meningeal Worm Infection Rates In Kentucky Elk, Willie Elwood Bowling
Maternal Antibody Transfer And Meningeal Worm Infection Rates In Kentucky Elk, Willie Elwood Bowling
University of Kentucky Master's Theses
Elk (Cervus elaphus) were historically present throughout Kentucky, but were extirpated by the mid 19th century. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources initiated elk reintroduction efforts in 1997, resulting in a self-sustaining population. I designed this project to study the effects of a parasitic nematode, meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), on Kentucky’s elk herd. I examined potential maternal transfer of P. tenuis antibodies to elk calves, and investigated the relationship between elk habitat use and meningeal worm infection. I captured neonatal elk in 2004-06, fitted them with VHF transmitters, and collected blood samples for an enzyme-linked …
Matrix Geochemistry And Phytophthora Occurrence On Reforested Mine Lands In Appalachia, Kathryn M. Ward
Matrix Geochemistry And Phytophthora Occurrence On Reforested Mine Lands In Appalachia, Kathryn M. Ward
University of Kentucky Master's Theses
At the Bent Mountain surface mine, Pike County, Kentucky, a study has been ongoing since 2005 to assess the influence of various types of loose-graded mine spoils on water quality and forest establishment. Six research plots consist of two replicates of brown weathered sandstone, gray unweathered sandstone, and mixed brown sandstone, gray sandstone, and shale that were emplaced according to Forestry Reclamation Approach criteria. A series of analyses was initiated in 2007 to examine influence of spoil matrix composition on sulfate and carbonate geochemistry of infiltrated waters, as well as to investigate the occurrence of Phytophthora, a group of …
The Effects Of Roads On Space Use And Movements Of Black Bears In Eastern Kentucky, Rebekah A. Jensen
The Effects Of Roads On Space Use And Movements Of Black Bears In Eastern Kentucky, Rebekah A. Jensen
University of Kentucky Master's Theses
Kentucky, USA, is the site of recent natural recolonization by the American black bear (Ursus americanus); however, bears are rarely observed outside the Cumberland Mountains along the state‘s southeastern border. I examined the influence of roads in constraining the distribution of this population by altering animal space use and movement. I identified patterns of road avoidance and road crossing using data from Global Positioning System collars worn by 28 adult bears (16M, 12F), and described road mortality trends using 27 roadkill events. Bears avoided roads at the home range and landscape scale, primarily crossed low-traffic roads, and crossed …