Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Factors Influencing Movements And Foraging Ecology Of American Alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis) In A Dynamic Subtropical Coastal Ecosystem, Adam Rosenblatt

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Top predators can have large effects on community and population dynamics but we still know relatively little about their roles in ecosystems and which biotic and abiotic factors potentially affect their behavioral patterns. Understanding the roles played by top predators is a pressing issue because many top predator populations around the world are declining rapidly yet we do not fully understand what the consequences of their potential extirpation could be for ecosystem structure and function. In addition, individual behavioral specialization is commonplace across many taxa, but studies of its prevalence, causes, and consequences in top predator populations are lacking. In …