Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Theses and Dissertations

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 1 - 30 of 229

Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Habitat Utilization Of Marsh And Adjacent Submerged Landscape By Fish And Macroinvertebrates In A Gulf Of Mexico Tidal Oligohaline Environment, Tia Offner Dec 2023

Habitat Utilization Of Marsh And Adjacent Submerged Landscape By Fish And Macroinvertebrates In A Gulf Of Mexico Tidal Oligohaline Environment, Tia Offner

Theses and Dissertations

Estuarine habitats are considered nursery habitats for fishes and invertebrates, but oligohaline environments are critically understudied. Using a seine net and fyke nets, we sampled Back Bay, Mississippi (USA), a low salinity estuary, once a month for a year to explore the temporal use of the marsh and adjacent submerged landscape by nekton species. We also looked at whether there is evidence of habitat preference in the most numerous nekton species. We used a novel habitat usage index (HUI) to compare seine and fyke net catches of our top 10 species, and evaluated catch size in relation to maturation size. …

Go to article

Towards Understanding The Interactions Between Ospreys And Human-Made Structures In The Tennessee River Valley, Natasha Karina Murphy Dec 2023

Towards Understanding The Interactions Between Ospreys And Human-Made Structures In The Tennessee River Valley, Natasha Karina Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

Raptor nests on human-built structures represent a significant source of conflict as they can result in bird mortality, fires, structure damage, service distribution, or power outages when falling nest materials or animals connect with energized conductors. Power companies, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), wish to mitigate these conflicts to avoid service disruptions. In this dissertation, I present my work towards understanding and mitigating the interactions between Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) and human-made structures. To achieve this, I explored multiple elements of conflict identification, monitoring, and basic ecology of the target species to better inform conflict mitigation. In Chapter I, …

Go to article

A Four-Pronged Approach To Addressing A Wild Pig Invasion In A Bottomland And Upland Forested Landscape, Tyler Scott Evans Aug 2023

A Four-Pronged Approach To Addressing A Wild Pig Invasion In A Bottomland And Upland Forested Landscape, Tyler Scott Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Among exotic species that are capable of invading, establishing, and reaching pest status, few pose the range of impacts to biotic (e.g., competition with native species, predation, herbivory, introduction of other exotics) and abiotic (e.g., soil, hydrology) ecosystem components that can be attributed to the wild pig (Sus scrofa). Despite the presence of wild pigs throughout the southeastern United States for centuries, new invasions continue to occur in previously uninhabited and often under-investigated landscapes, including bottomland and upland forests. The recent invasion of the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge (hereafter, NNWR) in east-central Mississippi represents an …

Go to article

Tamaulipan Thornforest Restoration: Factors Influencing Restoration Outcomes And Impacts Of Cover Crops During Replanting, Jerald Thomas Garrett Jul 2023

Tamaulipan Thornforest Restoration: Factors Influencing Restoration Outcomes And Impacts Of Cover Crops During Replanting, Jerald Thomas Garrett

Theses and Dissertations

Though the rate of deforestation has slowed in recent years, it remains a primary cause of land cover change within forest ecosystems. The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas (LRGV) has lost nearly 95% of its native thornforest since the early 1900’s due to agricultural and urban expansion. The focus of this study is to assess the current vegetative state of restored thornforest sites located in the eastern LRGV and to evaluate the use of cover crops during replanting of native seedlings. Our assessment of restored thornforest sites revealed actively restored sites demonstrated higher overall averages of richness, abundance, and diversity …

Go to article

Determining The Impact Of Post-Harvest Water Management On Chironomid Abundance, Agrochemical Biomass And Potential Trophic Biomagnification, Mason Thomas May 2023

Determining The Impact Of Post-Harvest Water Management On Chironomid Abundance, Agrochemical Biomass And Potential Trophic Biomagnification, Mason Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Agriculture has diminished shorebirds’ natural habitat in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Remaining natural stopover sites are supplemented with agricultural fields during the fall and winter. This study evaluates the impact of 4 different post-harvest water management strategies on shorebird food abundance and potential agrochemical biomagnification. Chironomid samples estimated abundance, biomass, and chironomid agrochemical concentration in each field. A risk assessment of agrochemical biomagnification to shorebirds was made across all treatments. Of treatments represented on all study sites, winter treatment had greatest chironomid abundance and biomass. Models indicated that days since flood initiation, start date, and temperature are significant predictors of …

Go to article

Evaluation Of Nutrient Digestibility Of Weaned Calves From Early And Late Shedding Dams, Jennifer Keele May 2023

Evaluation Of Nutrient Digestibility Of Weaned Calves From Early And Late Shedding Dams, Jennifer Keele

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have investigated several factors that could alter fetal growth, including nutrient restriction (Valiente et al., 2021), hair shedding (Gray et al., 2011), and extreme hot and cold temperatures (Davidson et al., 2022). Hot temperatures and increased humidity percentages in the southeast United States caused researchers to investigate the hair coats of Angus cattle in the commercial production setting. An improvement in fiber digestibility and calf birth and weaning weights has been observed in Angus dams that shed 50% of the winter hair coat by May (Gray et al., 2011; Burnett et al., 2021). Our objective of this experiment was …

Go to article

The Response Of An Avian Community To Intercropping And Forest Management Practices In A Private Working Pine Forest, Rebecca Doyne Bracken May 2023

The Response Of An Avian Community To Intercropping And Forest Management Practices In A Private Working Pine Forest, Rebecca Doyne Bracken

Theses and Dissertations

Within managed pine forest systems, a plethora of bird species exist throughout the lifecycle of a stand akin to what may be experienced through post-disturbance regeneration in a natural forest system. I sought to address how breeding avian communities shift across time in response to stand aging and forest management, evaluate species-specific responses to stand conditions, investigate the responses of at-risk avian species to forest management, and determine avian non-breeding, over-wintering presence in a managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forest. I conducted breeding bird point count and vegetation surveys within five stands of privately owned and managed pine forest in …

Go to article

Habitat Effects On Scorpion Densities And Microhabitat Use By Centruroides Vittatus And Vaejovis Waueri In South Texas, Jonathan Beltran Apr 2023

Habitat Effects On Scorpion Densities And Microhabitat Use By Centruroides Vittatus And Vaejovis Waueri In South Texas, Jonathan Beltran

Theses and Dissertations

Co-existence between Centruroides vittatus and Vaejovis waueri is influenced by environmental factors that shape their habitats. Differences in surface activity frequency between the two species suggest differential microhabitat use. The observed frequency of scorpions using microhabitats in the Martinez Ranch and La Union Ranch were not significantly different from the expected frequencies. Frequency of scorpions observed using microhabitats in La Union South was significantly different from the expected frequency (P<0.001). Microhabitat use of catclaw was lower than expected and higher than expected for other vegetation. Conditional comparisons of microhabitats were significantly different among habitats (P<0.001), size classes were significantly different among microhabitats (P<0.001), and size classes were significantly different among habitats (P<0.01). Microhabitat use by scorpions on the ground was higher among all habitats. Scorpion use of ground and grass were different among size classes. Size class I-II scorpions had a higher frequency than size class III. Scorpion density for C. vittatus was significantly different among habitats (P<0.0001) and scorpion density for V. waueri was significantly different among habitats (P<0.0001). Centruroides vittatus was significantly higher in the Martinez Ranch and in La Union South. Vaejovis waueri was significantly higher in La iv Union South. Associations between plant densities and scorpion size classes were tested. Plant densities had a significant association with C. vittatus size classes I and II in the Martinez Ranch. Association between plants had a significant correlation with C. vittatus size classes I and IV in La Union Ranch. Association between plants had a significant correlation with V. waueri’s total density. These associations may suggest plant densities may have a synergistic effect on scorpion densities. Soil type composition for the different habitats was hypothesized to influence scorpion densities. Maps for each site were created to show soil type compositions. Soil type findings suggest that La Union South had the soil types with the lowest soil strength. Vaejovis waueri was shown to have a higher density in La Union South where soils are sandier. Results indicate that co-existence between C. vittatus and V. waueri is possible because competition is low through minimal overlap in microhabitat use and intraguild predation avoidance.

Go to article

Salinization Impacts On Heterotrophic Respiration, Ecosystem Respiration, And Plant Productivity In Tidal Freshwater Marshes, Kelsie J. Moses Jan 2023

Salinization Impacts On Heterotrophic Respiration, Ecosystem Respiration, And Plant Productivity In Tidal Freshwater Marshes, Kelsie J. Moses

Theses and Dissertations

Tidal freshwater marshes have preserved substantial stocks of soil carbon, which represents carbon dioxide that is no longer in the atmosphere. There is conflicting evidence in the literature about how disturbances such as sea level rise and associated wetland salinization impact the accumulation and long-term stability of this stored carbon. The goal of this experiment was to quantify how salinization impacts total ecosystem respiration and its component parts, autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration. This was a microcosm experiment using a C4 plant (Spartina cynosuroides) grown in soil derived from C3 plant matter and exposed to different salinities (0 to …

Go to article

Stage-Structured Predator-Prey Interactions In A Warming World: A Case Study In Riverine Rock Pools, Andrew T. Davidson Jan 2023

Stage-Structured Predator-Prey Interactions In A Warming World: A Case Study In Riverine Rock Pools, Andrew T. Davidson

Theses and Dissertations

Warming can impact predator-prey interactions through a variety of mechanisms. For example, warming can both alter the rate at which predators consume prey and the rate prey develop through vulnerable life stages. Thus, the overall effect of warming on consumer-resource interactions will depend upon the strength and asymmetry of warming effects on predator and prey performance. Here, we describe the consequences of these asymmetrical responses to temperature by first developing a simple stage-structured modeling framework, then applying that framework to predation of American rock pool mosquito larvae, Aedes atropalpus, by several common predators in riverine rock pools. We then …

Go to article

Quantifying Insect Emergence In Tidal Freshwaters And The Importance Of Aquatic Prey In Wetland-Dependent Songbird Diet, Samantha L. Rogers Jan 2023

Quantifying Insect Emergence In Tidal Freshwaters And The Importance Of Aquatic Prey In Wetland-Dependent Songbird Diet, Samantha L. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Insectivorous birds and their arthropod prey are experiencing widespread population declines, driven largely by anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. For wetland-dependent insectivores that consume a mixture of terrestrial and aquatic insects, understanding the availability, consumption, and nutritional qualities of aquatic diet subsidies is important for conservation. I use prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea) as a model species throughout this work, because their breeding season aligns with aquatic insect emergence and they include aquatic insects when provisioning nestlings. In the first chapter, I estimate aquatic insect emergence from tidal freshwaters, which are understudied compared to nontidal systems. Using continuous field …

Go to article

Climate, Physiology, And Distributions: The Role Of Thermal Physiology In Biological Invasions, Sean D. Powers Jan 2023

Climate, Physiology, And Distributions: The Role Of Thermal Physiology In Biological Invasions, Sean D. Powers

Theses and Dissertations

Climate is a primary factor influencing species range dynamics, particularly for ectotherms whose body temperature is closely tied to the surrounding conditions. While range shifts of ectotherms are attributed to climate warming, the mechanism driving these shifts are not well understood. Studies in macrophysiology demonstrate that the interaction of climate with thermal physiology plays a key role in determining large-scale spatial and temporal patterns for many temperature-sensitive physiological traits. This work has revealed a clear relationship between thermal tolerance breadth and range size. However, more recent analyses of this relationship demonstrate that thermal tolerance breadth only provides a partial explanation …

Go to article

Patterns, Mechanisms, And Characterization Of Carbon Cycling Stability Following Partial Forest Disturbance, Kayla C. Mathes Jan 2023

Patterns, Mechanisms, And Characterization Of Carbon Cycling Stability Following Partial Forest Disturbance, Kayla C. Mathes

Theses and Dissertations

Among the most essential questions in the era of climate change is how the forest carbon (C) cycle will respond to an increase in the extent of biotic disturbances from insects and pathogens. While research has focused on stand-replacing disturbance regimes, less is known about C cycling stability following partial disturbances that produce gradients of disturbance severity. Belowground C cycling responses to disturbance are especially poorly understood, even though temperate forest soils contain up to 50% of total ecosystem C and soil respiration (Rs) accounts for more than half of temperate forest C loss. Interpreting trends and mechanisms …

Go to article

Plant Trait Effects On Tidal Wetland Methane Emission, Adam M. Dunn Jan 2023

Plant Trait Effects On Tidal Wetland Methane Emission, Adam M. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

High rates of carbon (C) sequestration exhibited by coastal wetlands is an important natural climate solution to global environmental change. At the same time, however, wetlands are the largest natural source of methane (CH4) to Earth’s atmosphere, a potent greenhouse gas that influences the global climate. Wetland CH4 emissions display high degrees of uncertainty in accounting for spatial and temporal variations in emissions due to the complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors that influence methane production and transport, in addition to simultaneous influences from climate-driven effects on wetlands such as rapid sea level rise and increased …

Go to article

Methods For Drone Trajectory Analysis Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Jillian D. Bliss Dec 2022

Methods For Drone Trajectory Analysis Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Jillian D. Bliss

Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in the use of UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) for marine mammal research, there is a need for the development of methods of analysis to transform UAS high resolution video into quantitative data. This study sought to develop a preliminary method of analysis that would quantify and present a way to visualize the dynamics and relative spatial distribution and changes in distribution of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the waters of Turneffe Atoll, Belize. This approach employs a previously developed video tracking program ‘Keypoint Tracking’ that enables manual tracking of individual dolphins and the creation of …

Go to article

Assessing The Legacy Of Erosion And Flood Control Management Efforts On The Fish Assemblages And Physical Conditions Of Yazoo Basin Bluff Hill Streams, Nicky M. Faucheux Dec 2022

Assessing The Legacy Of Erosion And Flood Control Management Efforts On The Fish Assemblages And Physical Conditions Of Yazoo Basin Bluff Hill Streams, Nicky M. Faucheux

Theses and Dissertations

The hills of Yazoo Basin have a long history of land use modification and subsequent erosion and flood control issues. In response, federal actions were taken to address these issues beginning after the Mississippi River flood of 1927. Four major flood control reservoirs were built in 1932-1957, and instream low-drop grade control structures (GCS) were installed beginning in the 1980s. The objective of my dissertation was to ascertain the long-term effects of these efforts on stream fish assemblages and channel morphology. To assess whether the reservoirs affected upstream fish assemblages as barriers to recolonization by fluvial fishes or as source …

Go to article

Animal Husbandry In The 21st Century: Application Of Ecological Theory And Precision Technology To Inform Understanding Of Modern Grazing Systems, Ira Lloyd Parsons Dec 2022

Animal Husbandry In The 21st Century: Application Of Ecological Theory And Precision Technology To Inform Understanding Of Modern Grazing Systems, Ira Lloyd Parsons

Theses and Dissertations

Ruminant animals comprise the greatest proportion of herbivores around the world, provide essential ecosystem services and human consumable protein by consuming grass and human inedible dietary fiber. Herbivory pressure alters plant communities and species diversity, effectively making grazing animals ecosystem engineers in dynamic ecosystems. Development of advanced computer processing power coupled with biometric and ecosystem sensors may be employed in the internet of things framework to create an integrated information system designed to inform understanding of grazing system function and animal energy balance. Towards this end, I utilized Bos indicus / Bos taurus crossbred steers (n = 20) across two …

Go to article

Towards Structured Planning And Learning At The State Fisheries Agency Scale, Caleb A. Aldridge Dec 2022

Towards Structured Planning And Learning At The State Fisheries Agency Scale, Caleb A. Aldridge

Theses and Dissertations

Inland recreational fisheries has grown philosophically and scientifically to consider economic and sociopolitical aspects (non-biological) in addition to the biological. However, integrating biological and non-biological aspects of inland fisheries has been challenging. Thus, an opportunity exists to develop approaches and tools which operationalize planning and decision-making processes which include biological and non-biological aspects of a fishery. This dissertation expands the idea that a core set of goals and objectives is shared among and within inland fisheries agencies; that many routine operations of inland fisheries managers can be regimented or standardized; and the novel concept that current information and operations can …

Go to article

Vegetation And Nutritional Changes Over 20 Years Of White-Tailed Deer Exclusion, Gabrielle Nicole Ripa Dec 2022

Vegetation And Nutritional Changes Over 20 Years Of White-Tailed Deer Exclusion, Gabrielle Nicole Ripa

Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of the impacts of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter deer) as dominant herbivores throughout the Southeastern United States of America is lacking. To address this, three paired experimental units of exclosures and controls were constructed in 2000 on three Wildlife Management Areas across Mississippi within the ecoregions of the Upper Coastal Plain, Lower Coastal Plain, and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Vegetation was sampled in the summers of 2000, 2005, and 2021 including vegetation structure, canopy coverage, basal area, and species composition. Additionally, in 2005 and 2021, biomass was sampled to determine potential impacts on nutritional carrying capacity. Among the …

Go to article

Microbial Ecology Of Urban Sewers, Emily Lou Lamartina Dec 2022

Microbial Ecology Of Urban Sewers, Emily Lou Lamartina

Theses and Dissertations

Municipal sewage provides a glimpse into the health and activities of a human society. For more than a century, sewage exploration has helped expose the sources of disease outbreaks and track disease progression over time. Recent advancements in wastewater surveillance born from the COVID-19 pandemic have potential to enhance mitigation efforts against the decades-long global health crisis of microbial antibiotic resistance. However, critical knowledge gaps exist in wastewater surveillance, stemming from a lack of understanding in sewer microbial ecology. Ecology reveals trends in how communities respond and adapt to change, which has far-reaching implications for identifying effective strategies for disease …

Go to article

Evaluating Non-Invasive Environmental Methods For Detecting Tropical African Pangolin Species To Inform Conservation Actions, Ichu Godwill Ichu Aug 2022

Evaluating Non-Invasive Environmental Methods For Detecting Tropical African Pangolin Species To Inform Conservation Actions, Ichu Godwill Ichu

Theses and Dissertations

Tropical African pangolin species are threatened throughout their range due to habitat loss and illegal take. Limited knowledge on distribution has rendered conservation efforts challenging. Methods commonly used for other wildlife species need to be tested for each pangolin species as each has variable ecologies requiring specific detection and monitoring techniques. This thesis evaluates the efficacy of two non-invasive environmental methods for detecting tropical African pangolin species, and consists of two complementary studies; a proof of concept study using soil sourced eDNA from a white-bellied pangolin enclosure in the Columbus Zoo, Ohio, to detect the species, and a field study …

Go to article

Effects Of Mass Death On Community Structure And Ecosystem Function, Abby Kimpton Jones Aug 2022

Effects Of Mass Death On Community Structure And Ecosystem Function, Abby Kimpton Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Death and decomposition are natural processes that are generally well-understood. However, large events of death, such as mass mortality events (MMEs) are increasing in frequency and their impacts on the ecosystem are largely unknown. These events may have both bottom-up effects from increased nutrient input as well as top-down effects from loss of an ecological functional group by the affected population. Different functional MMEs may result in different top-down effects, creating cascading effects. In Chapter 1, I test the hypothesis that scavenger and herbivore simulated MMEs generate novel bottom-up and top-down effects. Results indicate that MMEs have a significant effect …

Go to article

Examination Of Amphibian Community And Environmental Relationships In South Texas Using Environmental Dna (Edna), Sean Michael Collins Aug 2022

Examination Of Amphibian Community And Environmental Relationships In South Texas Using Environmental Dna (Edna), Sean Michael Collins

Theses and Dissertations

Developing more efficient tools to assess amphibian biodiversity and understanding what environmental variables drive amphibian biodiversity are top priorities, as amphibians are facing extinction events across the globe. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are a promising new tool to asses amphibian biodiversity. Throughout the study eDNA metabarcoding along with a targeted eDNA assay and traditional survey methods were used to provide foundational information on amphibian community assemblages throughout South Texas. Water quality, habitat characteristics and soil composition data were collected and used to examine environmental relationships. eDNA metabarcoding detected significantly more amphibian taxonomic units compared to traditional survey …

Go to article

The Role Of Nest Location On The Reproductive Success Of Piping Plovers Breeding At Rockaway Beach, New York, Clara I.D. Arndtsen Jul 2022

The Role Of Nest Location On The Reproductive Success Of Piping Plovers Breeding At Rockaway Beach, New York, Clara I.D. Arndtsen

Theses and Dissertations

The study’s goal was to learn what aspects of the piping plover experience affect reproductive outcomes at Rockaway Beach Endangered Species Nesting Area. Nest location was found to help predict reproductive success. Nests further from American oystercatcher nests were likely to fledge more chicks. Reproductive success was low in 2021.

Go to article

Assessing Priority Bird Response To Open Pine Management In Eastern Mississippi, Holly Marie Todaro May 2022

Assessing Priority Bird Response To Open Pine Management In Eastern Mississippi, Holly Marie Todaro

Theses and Dissertations

Fire suppression, combined with lack of forest thinning and short-rotation, monodominant management, has drastically altered the landscape in the southeastern U.S., leading to the loss of open pine ecosystems and associated avian species. Management of open pine ecosystems is a common practice; yet, there remains uncertainty regarding how vegetation structure impacts priority species. Using empirical data, I assessed changes in species abundance and associated vegetation characteristics before and after management. I also sought to identify vegetation characteristics that influence home range establishment and microhabitat selection of Bachman’s Sparrows. Priority species were negatively associated with hardwood midstory and abundance per site …

Go to article

The Effects Of Short-Term Sea Level Rise On Vegetation Communities In Coastal Mississippi, Brianna Michelle Andrews May 2022

The Effects Of Short-Term Sea Level Rise On Vegetation Communities In Coastal Mississippi, Brianna Michelle Andrews

Theses and Dissertations

Salt marshes are important habitats that provide many ecosystem services, but they are susceptible to the impacts of sea level rise (SLR), often resulting in emergent vegetation loss. In areas with enough sediment input, marshes can keep pace with SLR by gaining elevation or through upland migration. However, salt marshes in areas with limited sediment input, such as the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, often cannot keep pace with sea level rise. Additionally, the rate of SLR is increasing making it more difficult for marshes to keep pace. To assess the short-term response of marsh vegetation to sea level …

Go to article

Evaluating The Role Of Area, Isolation, And Human Behavior On Meso-Mammals In A Small Statistical Demographic Area, Brittney Palode May 2022

Evaluating The Role Of Area, Isolation, And Human Behavior On Meso-Mammals In A Small Statistical Demographic Area, Brittney Palode

Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization offers unique challenges for wildlife. The urban landscape is fragmented and changes available resources for wildlife. Human-dominated landscapes can provide food, shelter, or cover through human-subsidized resources. However, to thrive in human-dominated landscapes, wildlife must adapt or disperse, otherwise they will die. In this study, I investigated how the urban landscape and human behavior influence urban wildlife occurrence. I established 35 camera sites during April 2020. I surveyed residential property dwellers around each camera site to determine what behavior they performed that could increase species occurrence. Gray fox and coyote site use decreased with increased isolation while no species …

Go to article

Nesting Ecology Of Wood Ducks And Other Cavity-Nesting Ducks In Mississippi, Justin Taylor Gibson May 2022

Nesting Ecology Of Wood Ducks And Other Cavity-Nesting Ducks In Mississippi, Justin Taylor Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

Man-made nest boxes are surrogate nest sites widely used by waterfowl managers in North America to propagate free-ranging Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) and other cavity-nesting waterfowl. I monitored 129 and 174 nest boxes in 2020 and 2021, respectively, at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge and York Woods, Mississippi. I evaluated site-specific biotic and abiotic factors that were potentially influential on nest survival of Wood Ducks and general nesting ecology and apparent nest success of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) and Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). Daily survival rate of Wood Ducks was negatively influenced by increasing encroaching vegetation at Noxubee NWR and …

Go to article

Assessing The Utility Of The Pmm And Mmc Indices Among Extant Hominoid Genera, Julie A. Strain May 2022

Assessing The Utility Of The Pmm And Mmc Indices Among Extant Hominoid Genera, Julie A. Strain

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis set out to incorporate extant hominoid genera into an analysis of PMM and MMC to assess utility in phylogeny and predicting known taxonomic groups. Based on previous claims, we expect PMM/pmm and MMC/mmc to perform better than M1/m1 shape and size, our baseline for success, but they do not.

Go to article

Spline Modeling And Localized Mutual Information Monitoring Of Pairwise Associations In Animal Movement, Andrew Benjamin Whetten May 2022

Spline Modeling And Localized Mutual Information Monitoring Of Pairwise Associations In Animal Movement, Andrew Benjamin Whetten

Theses and Dissertations

to a new era of remote sensing and geospatial analysis. In environmental science and conservation ecology, biotelemetric data recorded is often high-dimensional, spatially and/or temporally, and functional in nature, meaning that there is an underlying continuity to the biological process of interest. GPS-tracking of animal movement is commonly characterized by irregular time-recording of animal position, and the movement relationships between animals are prone to sudden change. In this dissertation, I propose a spline modeling approach for exploring interactions and time-dependent correlation between the movement of apex predators exhibiting territorial and territory-sharing behavior. A measure of localized mutual information (LMI) is …

Go to article

Next Last