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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
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Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Wolf-Cougar Co-Occurrence In The Central Canadian Rocky Mountains, Ellen Brandell
Wolf-Cougar Co-Occurrence In The Central Canadian Rocky Mountains, Ellen Brandell
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Cougars and wolves are top carnivores that influence the dynamics of an ecosystem, including prey behavior and dynamics, and interspecific competition. Studies about the interactions between wolves and cougars typically find wolves are dominant competitors to cougars. We examined single-species, single-season occupancy models and co-occurrence models of wolves and cougars in the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains to understand interactions between these two species on a grand landscape. Data was collected from 2012-2013 using remote wildlife cameras and separated into seasons. Naïve occupancy estimates were larger for wolves in both seasons, but both species had smaller ranges in winter. There were …
Why Do Caterpillars Whistle? Acoustic Mimicry Of Bird Alarm Calls In The Amorpha Juglandis Caterpillar, Jessica Lindsay
Why Do Caterpillars Whistle? Acoustic Mimicry Of Bird Alarm Calls In The Amorpha Juglandis Caterpillar, Jessica Lindsay
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Caterpillar species possess a range of anti-predator defenses, from regurgitation to sonar jamming. The North American walnut sphinx caterpillar (Amorpha juglandis) produces a variety of whistling noises when pinched. Limited observations indicate that this causes avian predators to retreat, leaving the caterpillar alone. However, it is unknown why this whistle is such an effective deterrent. Interestingly, the A. juglandis whistle is acoustically similar to the “seet” alarm call that many bird species produce in response to their own predators. We propose that the A. juglandis whistle is a form of acoustic mimicry, in which the caterpillar protects itself …
Population Differentiation And Habitat Selection Of A Montane Red Fox Population In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Patrick Cross
Population Differentiation And Habitat Selection Of A Montane Red Fox Population In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Patrick Cross
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Montane red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations across the western United States are genetically and morphologically distinct from foxes at lower elevations. These montane populations also share a preference for subalpine forest habitats. One hypothesis is that they stem from boreal forest-associated ancestors that expanded during the Pleistocene when boreal forests extended farther south than they do today. Forest habitat selection may therefore aid the persistence of native populations surrounded by non-native conspecifics. Alternatively, this behavior may be an avoidance mechanism in response to competition with larger coyotes (Canis latrans), or a product of the fox's natural adaptability. The red fox …
Cows And Plows: Science-Based Conservation For Grassland Songbirds In Agricultural Landscapes, Marisa K. Lipsey
Cows And Plows: Science-Based Conservation For Grassland Songbirds In Agricultural Landscapes, Marisa K. Lipsey
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Temperate grasslands are among earth’s most imperiled ecosystems. In North America, steep declines of endemic songbird populations indicate that grassland loss and degradation may be approaching critical levels. Grasslands are agricultural landscapes largely (~85%) under private ownership with little formal protection status. Remaining bird populations depend on grazing lands that have not been converted to cropland. We combine regional data from a hotspot for grassland bird diversity (northeast Montana, USA; 26,500-km2) with continental data spanning the northern Great Plains (1,000,000-km2) to evaluate how land use and management influence bird distribution and abundance. Regionally, habitat used by seven grassland specialists spanned …
Decadal Scale Responses Of Soil And Ecosystem Processes To Forest Restoration In Rocky Mountain Conifer Forests, Peter Ganzlin
Decadal Scale Responses Of Soil And Ecosystem Processes To Forest Restoration In Rocky Mountain Conifer Forests, Peter Ganzlin
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Decades of fire suppression have left much of the forest in the intermountain western United States exceedingly dense, and forest restoration techniques – including thinning and prescribed fire – are increasingly being used in an attempt to mitigate the potentially disastrous effects of severe wildfire, to enhance tree growth and regeneration, and to stimulate soil nutrient cycling. While many of the short-term effects of forest restoration have been established, the long-term effects on soil biogeochemical and ecosystem processes are largely unknown. In this thesis I present two manuscripts documenting and synthesizing these long-term impacts. The first chapter focuses on the …
Ecological Status Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs On Boulder, Colorado Open Space And Mountain Parks Land: An Analysis Of Select Indicators, Rachel A. Caldwell
Ecological Status Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs On Boulder, Colorado Open Space And Mountain Parks Land: An Analysis Of Select Indicators, Rachel A. Caldwell
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are ecosystem regulators, significantly influencing the surrounding ecosystem. On Boulder County, Colorado Open Space and Mountain Parks land, and throughout their range, prairie dogs affect a number of ecological functions including plant dynamics and associated animals. The ability of prairie dogs to promote the wellbeing of associated plant and animal species depends on the condition of prairie dog populations. One way to evaluate the current condition of prairie dogs and predict their future impact on the ecosystem is to evaluate the status of prairie dogs in relation to specific indicators. I address the …
Use Of Airborne Digital Imagery To Examine Floodplain Complexity At Varying Discharges, Katelyn P. Driscoll
Use Of Airborne Digital Imagery To Examine Floodplain Complexity At Varying Discharges, Katelyn P. Driscoll
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Floodplains are composed of aquatic and terrestrial habitats that are frequently reshaped by hydrologic processes operating at various spatial and temporal scales. I hypothesized that floodplain habitat complexity is maximized at intermediate discharges because small changes in flow result in substantial aquatic habitat changes and extreme discharges are associated with a decreased habitat heterogeneity. Between April and September 2014, I collected ultra-high resolution digital multispectral imagery of the Clark Fork River, Montana taken on 6 dates between early spring and fall. Following image mosaicking into a single image, unsupervised classification of the spectral reflectance was used to identify and quantify …
Abundance, Density, And Opinions About Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Whidbey Island, Washington, Robert P. Wingard
Abundance, Density, And Opinions About Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Whidbey Island, Washington, Robert P. Wingard
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Obtaining reliable knowledge is the first step towards properly managing wildlife species. Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) on Whidbey Island, Washington have not been the subject of study, and little is known about the population, or the opinion of resident’s of Whidbey Island towards the deer population. However, wildlife managers suggest deer on the island may be overabundant or over social carrying capacity. Given the lack of empirical knowledge about the deer population or human opinions towards deer on Whidbey Island, I designed research to determine the abundance and density of Columbian black-tailed deer on Whidbey Island, …
Chromosomal Rearrangements Directly Cause Underdominant F1 Pollen Sterility In Mimulus Lewisii-M. Cardinalis Hybrids, Angela M. Stathos
Chromosomal Rearrangements Directly Cause Underdominant F1 Pollen Sterility In Mimulus Lewisii-M. Cardinalis Hybrids, Angela M. Stathos
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Chromosomal rearrangements can contribute to the evolution of postzygotic reproductive isolation directly, by disrupting meiosis in F1 hybrids, or indirectly, by suppressing recombination among genic incompatibilities. Because direct effects of rearrangements on fertility imply fitness costs during their spread, understanding the mechanism of F1 hybrid sterility is integral to reconstructing the role(s) of rearrangements in speciation. In hybrids between monkeyflowers Mimulus cardinalis and M. lewisii, rearrangements contain all quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for both premating barriers and pollen sterility, suggesting that they may have facilitated speciation in this model system. I used artificial chromosome doubling and …
Community Perturbation Associated With New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamapyrgus Antipodarum) Invasion: Discrepancies In Temporal And Spatial Assessment, Eric H. Richins
Community Perturbation Associated With New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamapyrgus Antipodarum) Invasion: Discrepancies In Temporal And Spatial Assessment, Eric H. Richins
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Invasive species have the potential to alter the ecosystems within which they establish as well as adjacent but uninvaded ecosystems by altering the flow of nutrients or biota across system boundaries. New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum; NZMS) are often very abundant where they invade, sequestering the majority of stream primary production. This sequestering of production may reduce aquatic insect production, subsequent insect emergence and subsidies to riparian ecosystems. Tetragnathid spiders, an insectivorous riparian specialist, are dependent on the emergence of aquatic insects and are typical indicators of aquatic insect subsidies to riparian zones. In addition, NZMS invasions can result …
A Gis Assessment Of Ecoregion Representation In Chile's Existing And Proposed Integrated Network Of Protected Areas, Jessica Schutz
A Gis Assessment Of Ecoregion Representation In Chile's Existing And Proposed Integrated Network Of Protected Areas, Jessica Schutz
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Chile's state designated protected areas are reported to show representation bias and to be unable to meet conservation goals. Private protected areas are considered an important tool to resolve these issues, which has led to support for increasing the role of private protected areas in Chile and creating an integrated public-private protected area network. But the validity of the capacity of private protected areas to fix Chile's state protected area network bias, and the advantage of creating an integrated protected area network, have not been assessed. This study uses the most recent data on Chile's state, private, and international protected …
Assessing Changes In Avian Communities, Jessie D. Golding
Assessing Changes In Avian Communities, Jessie D. Golding
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Grazing is a potentially powerful tool to address wildlife declines associated with land use conversion in the western United States. Grazing systems can be manipulated to achieve desired vegetation outcomes, preserve native habitat and economically benefit multiple stakeholders. As a result, systems designed to benefit native ecosystems are being widely implemented. However, the benefits of these grazing systems on many wildlife communities remain relatively unexplored. Songbirds provide an ideal study system to test these benefits because they continue to use native habitat that is currently grazed. Given limited time and resources, conservation practitioners often monitor a single focal species or …