An Agent-Based Modeling Approach To Determine Winter Survival Rates Of American Robins And Eastern Bluebirds, Samuel Iselin, Shannon Segin, Alex Capaldi
Dec 2015
An Agent-Based Modeling Approach To Determine Winter Survival Rates Of American Robins And Eastern Bluebirds, Samuel Iselin, Shannon Segin, Alex Capaldi
Alex Capaldi
American Robins (Turdus migratorius) and Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) are two species of migratory thrushes that breed in Northwest Indiana but historically are uncommon during the winter season. These trends have changed recently, and both species are seen more abundantly during the winter. Recently invaded non-native fruiting plants continue to provide nutrients for the birds throughout the winter and may contribute to the increased avian populations during that time. To measure the effect these food sources contribute to thrush wintering habits, we created an agent-based computer model to simulate the birds' movement in Northwest Indiana along …
Genetic Approaches To The Conservation Of Migratory Bats: A Study Of The Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus Borealis), Maarten J. Vonhof, Amy L. Russell
Apr 2015
Genetic Approaches To The Conservation Of Migratory Bats: A Study Of The Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus Borealis), Maarten J. Vonhof, Amy L. Russell
Amy L. Russell
Documented fatalities of bats at wind turbines have raised serious concerns about the future impacts of increased wind power development on populations of migratory bat species. However, for most bat species we have no knowledge of the size of populations and their demographic trends, the degree of structuring into discrete subpopulations, and whether different subpopulations use spatially segregated migratory routes. Here, we utilize genetic data from eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), one of the species most highly affected by wind power development in North America, to (1) evaluate patterns of population structure across the landscape, (2) estimate effective population size …
Genetic Variation And Migration In The Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida Brasiliensis Mexicana), Amy L. Russell, R. A. Medellín, G. F. Mccracken
Dec 2004
Genetic Variation And Migration In The Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida Brasiliensis Mexicana), Amy L. Russell, R. A. Medellín, G. F. Mccracken
Amy L. Russell
Incomplete lineage sorting can genetically link populations long after they have diverged, and will exert a more powerful influence on larger populations. The effects of this stochastic process can easily be confounded with those of gene flow, potentially leading to inaccurate estimates of dispersal capabilities or erroneous designation of evolutionarily significant units (ESUs). We have used phylogenetic, population genetic, and coalescent methods to examine genetic structuring in large populations of a widely dispersing bat species and to test hypotheses concerning the influences of coalescent stochasticity vs. gene flow. The Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana, exhibits variation in both migra- …
