Life Sciences Commons^™

Differential Survival Of Nursery‐Reared Acropora Cervicornis Outplants Along The Florida Reef Tract, Robert Van Woesik, Raymond B. Banister, Erich Bartels, David S. Gilliam, Elizabeth A. Goergen, Caitlin Lustic, Kerry Maxwell, Amelia Moura, Erinn M. Muller, Stephanie Schopmeyer, R. Scott Winters, Diego Lirman

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

In recent decades, the Florida reef tract has lost over 95% of its coral cover. Although isolated coral assemblages persist, coral restoration programs are attempting to recover local coral populations. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, Acropora cervicornis is the most widely targeted coral species for restoration in Florida. Yet strategies are still maturing to enhance the survival of nursey‐reared outplants of A. cervicornis colonies on natural reefs. This study examined the survival of 22,634 A. cervicornis colonies raised in nurseries along the Florida reef tract and outplanted to six reef habitats in seven geographical subregions between 2012 …

Identification Of Predation Events In Wild Fish Using Novel Acoustic Transmitters, Amy A. Weinz, Jordan K. Matley, Natalie V. Klinard, Aaron T. Fisk, Scott F. Colborne

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Background: Acoustic telemetry is a commonly used tool to gain knowledge about aquatic animal ecology through the study of their movements. In telemetry studies researchers must make inferences regarding the movements and the fates of tagged animals. Until recently, predation has been inferred in telemetry data using a variety of methods including abrupt changes in movement patterns or habitat use. An acoustic telemetry transmitter has been developed to detect predation events of tagged animals, and while they have performed well in controlled laboratory trials, literature regarding the application of these novel transmitters in field settings is limited. The objective of …

Impacts Of Larval Diet On Pre-Imaginal Development, Survival And Adult Size Of Six Species Of Coccinellidae, Nathan Mercer, John J. Obrycki

Lady Beetle Research Data

Compared larval development, survival, and adult size of six lady beetle species on a diet of aphids or moth eggs

Evaluating Moose Alces Alces Population Response To Infestation Level Of Winter Ticks Dermacentor Albipictus, Daniel D. Ellingwood, Peter J. Pekins, Henry Jones, Anthony R. Musante

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many wildlife populations are experiencing a variety of environmental pressures due to the direct and indirect consequences of a changing climate. In the northeast, USA, moose Alces alces are declining in large part because of the increasing parasitism by winter tick Dermacentor albipictus, facilitated by high host density and optimal environmental conditions. To test this hypothesis, and better understand the influence of this interaction on the stability of the regional population, we constructed a population viability model using data collected through comprehensive survival and productivity studies in 2002–2005 and 2014–2018 in northern New Hampshire. Years of heavy tick infestation (epizootics) …

Effects Of A Regenerating Matrix On The Survival Of Birds In Tropical Forest Fragments, Jared D. Wolfe, Philip C. Stouffer, Richard O. Bierregaard Jr., David A, Luther, Thomas E. Lovejoy

Michigan Tech Publications

Background

Vast areas of lowland neotropical forest have regenerated after initially being cleared for agricultural purposes. The ecological value of regenerating second growth to forest-dwelling birds may largely depend on the age of the forest, associated vegetative structure, and when it is capable of sustaining avian demographics similar to those found in pristine forest.

Methods

To determine the influence of second growth age on bird demography, we estimated the annual survival of six central Amazonian bird species residing in pristine forest, a single 100 and a single 10 ha forest fragment, taking into consideration age of the surrounding matrix (i.e. …

Juvenile Rank Acquisition Is Associated With Fitness Independent Of Adult Rank, Eli D. Strauss, Daizaburo Shizuka, Kay E. Holekamp

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Social rank is a significant determinant of fitness in a variety of species. The importance of social rank suggests that the process by which juveniles come to establish their position in the social hierarchy is a critical component of development. Here, we use the highly predictable process of rank acquisition in spotted hyenas to study the consequences of variation in rank acquisition in early life. In spotted hyenas, rank is ‘inherited’ through a learning process called ‘maternal rank inheritance.’ This pattern is very consistent: approximately 80% of juveniles acquire the exact rank expected under the rules of maternal rank inheritance. …

Anthropogenic Disturbance And Population Viability Of Woodland Caribou In Ontario, John M. Fryxell, Tal Avgar, Boyan Liu, James A. Baker, Arthur R. Rodgers, Jennifer Shuter, Ian D. Thompson, Douglas E. B. Reid, Andrew M. Kittle, Anna Mosser, Steven G. Newmaster, Tom D. Nudds, Garrett M. Street, Glen S. Brown, Brent Patterson

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

One of the most challenging tasks in wildlife conservation and management is to clarify how spatial variation in land cover due to anthropogenic disturbance influences wildlife demography and long‐term viability. To evaluate this, we compared rates of survival and population growth by woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) from 2 study sites in northern Ontario, Canada that differed in the degree of anthropogenic disturbance because of commercial logging and road development, resulting in differences in predation risk due to gray wolves (Canis lupus). We used an individual‐based model for population viability analysis (PVA) that incorporated adaptive patterns …

The Birds And The Trees, Branden Lawson

McNair Scholars

Modification of natural habitats used by native organisms is occurring more rapidly due to the increasing human population. American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are common in urban and non-urban areas and can serve as useful indicators of human activities' effects on wildlife. To create an urban environment, the removal of trees from non-urban habitats is necessary but causes radical alteration of the presence of native avifauna. This study, therefore, examined the influence of tree cover within urban and non-urban sites and how trees' characteristics affected the survival rate of American Robin chicks. Data collection occurred during the 2019 breeding …