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Animal Sciences Commons

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Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Winter Habitat Selection By A Reintroduced Population Of Migratory Whooping Cranes: Emerging Patterns And Implications For The Future, Lara E. A. Fondow Jan 2008

Winter Habitat Selection By A Reintroduced Population Of Migratory Whooping Cranes: Emerging Patterns And Implications For The Future, Lara E. A. Fondow

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

In an effort to model the reintroduced eastern migratory population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) after the remaining wild whooping crane population, biologists selected the salt marshes of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Florida as the winter release site for ultra-light led juvenile cranes due to its similarities to Aransas NWR, Texas. Releases began in the fall of 2001, and the 3 subsequent winter seasons have afforded the opportunity to observe whether habitat selection by these whooping cranes would be influenced by the pre-selection of salt marsh. Intensive monitoring efforts each winter have revealed a dominant early-winter pattern. …


Sandhill Crane Nest Habitat Selection And Factors Affecting Nest Success In Northwestern Minnesota, Stephen J. Maxson, John R. Fieberg, Michael R. Riggs Jan 2008

Sandhill Crane Nest Habitat Selection And Factors Affecting Nest Success In Northwestern Minnesota, Stephen J. Maxson, John R. Fieberg, Michael R. Riggs

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We studied 62 greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida) nests in northwestern Minnesota during 1989-1991 to document nest habitat use and selection, nest success, and factors associated with nest success. We recorded 15 habitat variables at each nest and at a randomly selected site in the same wetland. Nests were in basins 0.01-601 ha (Median = 2.2 ha) and at water depths 0-35.7 cm (Median = 9.7 cm). Cattail (Typha sp.) was the dominant vegetation at 58.0% of nests while 21.0% were at sites dominated by phragmites (Phragmites australis). Conditional logistic regression models indicated …


Oviposition Behavior Partitions Aquatic Landscapes Along Predation And Nutrient Gradients, C. A. Binckley, W. J. Resetarits Jr. Jan 2008

Oviposition Behavior Partitions Aquatic Landscapes Along Predation And Nutrient Gradients, C. A. Binckley, W. J. Resetarits Jr.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

That individuals attempt to minimize the ratio of mortality risk/growth rate (μ/g) when foraging within individual habitat patches is well established. Do species partition among spatially discrete communities embedded in complex landscapes in a similar manner? We investigated how 3 ovipositing species (2 Hyla treefrogs and a hydrophilid beetle, Tropisternus lateralis) responded to simultaneous gradients of nutrients and predation risk. Species partitioned our experimental metacommunity primarily by reducing oviposition with fish. Tropisternus positively responded to increased nutrients, but the effect decreased with increasing risk, as predicted by μ/g theory. Use of fish habitats by Tropisternus was unrelated to breeding …