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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Flushing Responses Of Golden Eagles (Aquila Chrysaetos) In Response To Recreation, Robert J. Spaul, Julie A. Heath
Flushing Responses Of Golden Eagles (Aquila Chrysaetos) In Response To Recreation, Robert J. Spaul, Julie A. Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Disturbance because of human activity, including recreation on wildlands, can affect bird behavior which in turn can reduce breeding success, an important consideration for species of management concern. We observed Golden Eagles (Aquila chysaetos) during the breeding season to determine whether the probability of flushing was affected by the type of recreationist, distance to encounter, eagle nest attendance, or date. We monitored eagles in 23 nesting territories from distant (600-1,200 m) observation points and recorded recreation activity within 1,200 m of eagles in the Owyhee Front of southwestern Idaho. In most (86%, n = 270) encounters, eagles did …
Simulations Reveal The Power And Peril Of Artificial Breeding Sites For Monitoring And Managing Animals, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Benjamin P. Pauli, Julie A. Heath
Simulations Reveal The Power And Peril Of Artificial Breeding Sites For Monitoring And Managing Animals, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Benjamin P. Pauli, Julie A. Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Despite common use, the efficacy of artificial breeding sites (e.g., nest boxes, bat houses, artificial burrows) as tools for monitoring and managing animals depends on the demography of target populations and availability of natural sites. Yet, the conditions enabling artificial breeding sites to be useful or informative have yet to be articulated. We use a stochastic simulation model to determine situations where artificial breeding sites are either useful or disadvantageous for monitoring and managing animals. Artificial breeding sites are a convenient tool for monitoring animals and therefore occupancy of artificial breeding sites is often used as an index of population …
Correlates Of Immune Defenses In Golden Eagle Nestlings, Benjamin M. Dudek, Julie A. Heath
Correlates Of Immune Defenses In Golden Eagle Nestlings, Benjamin M. Dudek, Julie A. Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
An individual’s investment in constitutive immune defenses depends on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We examined how Leucocytozoon parasite presence, body condition (scaled mass), heterophil-to-lymphocyte (H:L) ratio, sex, and age affected immune defenses in golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nestlings from three regions: California, Oregon, and Idaho. We quantified hemolytic-complement activity and bacterial killing ability, two measures of constitutive immunity. Body condition and age did not affect immune defenses. However, eagles with lower H:L ratios had lower complement activity, corroborating other findings that animals in better condition sometimes invest less in constitutive immunity. In addition, eagles with Leucocytozoon infections had higher …
Forecasting Disturbance Effects On Wildlife: Tolerance Does Not Mitigate Effects Of Increased Recreation On Wild Lands, B. P. Pauli, R. J. Spaul, J. A. Heath
Forecasting Disturbance Effects On Wildlife: Tolerance Does Not Mitigate Effects Of Increased Recreation On Wild Lands, B. P. Pauli, R. J. Spaul, J. A. Heath
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
There is widespread evidence that human disturbance affects wildlife behavior, but long-term population effects can be difficult to quantify. Individual-based models (IBMs) offer a way to assess population-level, aggregate effects of disturbance on wildlife. We created TRAILS (Tolerance in Raptors and the Associated Impacts of Leisure Sports), an IBM that simulates interactions between recreationists and nesting raptors, to assess the effect of human disturbance on raptor populations and test if changes in tolerance to disturbance could mitigate negative consequences. We used behavioral and demographic data from golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), and recreation activity data to parameterize TRAILS and …