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Monitoring

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Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

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 …


Validation Of A Nutria (Myocastor Coypus) Environmental Dna Assay Highlights Considerations For Sampling Methodology, Anna M. Mangan, John A. Kronenberger, Ian H. Plummer Jan 2023

Validation Of A Nutria (Myocastor Coypus) Environmental Dna Assay Highlights Considerations For Sampling Methodology, Anna M. Mangan, John A. Kronenberger, Ian H. Plummer

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Nutria (Myocastor coypus) is a semiaquatic rodent species that is invasive across multiple regions within the United States. Here, we evaluated a qPCR assay previously described for use in Japan for application across invasive populations in the United States. We also compared two environmental DNA sampling methodologies for this assay: field filtration of large volumes of water passed through filters versus direct sampling of small volumes of water. We validated assay specificity, generality, and sensitivity, compared assay performance between two independent laboratories, and successfully tested the assay in situ on a known wild population. The filtration method required …


The Importance Of Winter Dinoflagellate Blooms In Chesapeake Bay— A Missing Link In Bay Productivity, Nicole C. Millette, Sophie Clayton, Margaret R. Mulholland, Leah Gibala-Smith, Michael Lane Jan 2023

The Importance Of Winter Dinoflagellate Blooms In Chesapeake Bay— A Missing Link In Bay Productivity, Nicole C. Millette, Sophie Clayton, Margaret R. Mulholland, Leah Gibala-Smith, Michael Lane

OES Faculty Publications

It is widely assumed that phytoplankton abundance and productivity decline during temperate winters because of low irradiance and temperatures. However, winter phytoplankton blooms commonly occur in temperate estuaries, but they are often undocumented because of reduced water quality monitoring in winter. The small body of in situ work that has been done on winter blooms suggests they can be of enormous consequence to ecosystems. However, because monitoring is often reduced or stopped altogether during winter, it is unclear how widespread these blooms are or how long they can last. We analyzed an over 30-year record of monthly phytoplankton monitoring samples …


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 …


Results From Kentucky’S 10-Year Bobwhite Recovery Plan, Cody M. Rhoden, John J. Morgan, Ben A. Robinson, Gary Sprandel Sep 2022

Results From Kentucky’S 10-Year Bobwhite Recovery Plan, Cody M. Rhoden, John J. Morgan, Ben A. Robinson, Gary Sprandel

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) has experienced a precipitous population decline through almost all its historical range over the last 6 decades. We initiated a 10-year restoration plan in Kentucky, USA in 2008 and reported on it through 3 published “Road to Recovery” reports along with 30 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts, 2 technical documents, 7 theses or dissertations, and 11 popular literature pieces. Seven Quail Focus Areas were selected across the state based on site personnel, geographic position (east to west), and land ownership (e.g., private, public, state, federal) for monitoring and habitat management. The focus …


Landowner Cooperative Key To Success In The Bee Ridge Quail Focus Area, John A. Pinkowski, Beth A. Emmerich, William T. White Sep 2022

Landowner Cooperative Key To Success In The Bee Ridge Quail Focus Area, John A. Pinkowski, Beth A. Emmerich, William T. White

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) began establishing Quail Focus Areas (QFAs) on private lands in 2004. The goal of QFAs is to increase and expand quail habitat management efforts around a core area. Because most (93%) of the landscape of Missouri, USA is in private ownership, habitat improvement programs on private lands have greater potential to impact quail populations than on public lands alone. A motivated group of landowners led the charge to begin habitat improvement efforts in the Bee Ridge QFA. This group was instrumental in starting earlier monitoring efforts to determine whether habitat improvements were leading to …


Habitat Works: How Partnerships And Habitat Improvement Have Restored Quail Populations In The 2c Quail Focus Area, E. Lee Metcalf, Beth A. Emmerich, William T. White Sep 2022

Habitat Works: How Partnerships And Habitat Improvement Have Restored Quail Populations In The 2c Quail Focus Area, E. Lee Metcalf, Beth A. Emmerich, William T. White

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) began establishing Quail Focus Areas (QFAs) on private lands in 2004. The goal of QFAs was to bring groups of landowners together to manage bobwhite habitat on a larger scale in a targeted landscape. Through a variety of state, federal, and other partnership programs, habitat improvement efforts have resulted in large increases in northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) numbers in the 2C QFA. In spring 2013, MDC staff and Quail Forever biologists began monitoring bobwhite and songbirds in a portion of the 2C QFA in Carroll County, Missouri, USA and in …


Can Plant Or Lichen Natural Abundance N-15 Ratios Indicate The Influence Of Oil Sands N Emissions On Bogs?, R. Kelman Wieder, Melanie A. Vile, Dale H. Vitt, Kimberli D. Scott, Bin Xu, James C. Quinn, Cara M. Albright Apr 2022

Can Plant Or Lichen Natural Abundance N-15 Ratios Indicate The Influence Of Oil Sands N Emissions On Bogs?, R. Kelman Wieder, Melanie A. Vile, Dale H. Vitt, Kimberli D. Scott, Bin Xu, James C. Quinn, Cara M. Albright

Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Study region: The 140,329 km(2 )Athabasca Oil Sands Administrative Area (OSAA), which contains 8982 km(2) of bogs. Since the late 1970s, N emissions from oil sands development in the OSAA have steadily increased, reaching over 80,000 metric tonnes yr(-1) in 2017.& nbsp;Study focus: If oil sands N emissions have distinct stable isotopic signatures, it may be possible to quantify the extent to which these emissions have affected N cycling in surrounding aquatic, wetland, and terrestrial ecosystems. To assess the potential for 15N as a tracer of oil sands N emissions, we measured natural abundance 15N ratios and tissue N concentrations …


Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative Trains Students To See Through Turbulent Systems, Kristina Cammen, Gabriella Marafino, Sarah Burton, Jillian Dow, Emma Dullaert, Madalyn Jorge, Kate Macolini, Louise Mcgarry, Christopher Tremblay, Jessica Jansujwicz, Tora Johnson, Lauren Ross, Gayle B. Zydlewski Mar 2021

Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative Trains Students To See Through Turbulent Systems, Kristina Cammen, Gabriella Marafino, Sarah Burton, Jillian Dow, Emma Dullaert, Madalyn Jorge, Kate Macolini, Louise Mcgarry, Christopher Tremblay, Jessica Jansujwicz, Tora Johnson, Lauren Ross, Gayle B. Zydlewski

Civil Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Despite the availability of interdisciplinary academic training programs, the practice of environmental science is often hampered by a lack of convergence across diverse disciplines. This gap is particularly salient in settings characterized by complex environmental issues, such as multiple-use coastal ecosystems. In response, we developed and implemented a training, research, and communication framework to provide undergraduates with an authentic operative experience working at the interface of interdisciplinary science and public decision-making within a case study of marine renewable energy. In our program, students gained hands-on experience with the scientific process and learned how to make information relevant, useful, and accessible …


Monitoring For Wolves, Jeff Hansen, Cat Urbigkit Mar 2021

Monitoring For Wolves, Jeff Hansen, Cat Urbigkit

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) and Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) once again roam across landscapes where they have been absent for decades (Figure 1). With wolf range expansion comes increased opportunities for conflicts when wolves harass or prey on domestic livestock or other animals. Wolves have relatively high reproductive and dispersal rates but detecting individual animals in low-density populations is difficult without a concerted monitoring effort. In fact, wolf presence in an area often is not known until there is a confirmed livestock depredation. Ranchers and wildlife damage management experts need not wait for livestock depredations to occur before wolves …


Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Acoustic Analysis For Noninvasive Marine Mammal Response: An Exploratory Field Study, David Thirtyacre, Gennifer Brookshire, Sarah Callan, Brittany Arvizu, Patrick Sherman Jan 2021

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Acoustic Analysis For Noninvasive Marine Mammal Response: An Exploratory Field Study, David Thirtyacre, Gennifer Brookshire, Sarah Callan, Brittany Arvizu, Patrick Sherman

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

As in countless other fields of human endeavor, small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) have the potential to benefit pinniped (Pinnipedia; e.g., Phocidae [seals], Otariidae [sea lions], and Odobenidae [walruses]) response efforts. The employment of sUAS could give responders a close-up look at animals in distress in order to determine their condition as well as develop a response strategy. However, unlike other subjects that are regularly inspected by sUAS (e.g., croplands and civil infrastructure) pinnipeds may respond to the distinctive sound generated by small, multirotor sUAS. This reaction may include retreating into the water en masse, which could put …


What Lies Beneath: Predicting Seagrass Below-Ground Biomass From Above-Ground Biomass, Environmental Conditions And Seagrass Community Composition, C. J. Collier, L. M. Langlois, Kathryn M. Mcmahon, J. Udy, M. Rasheed, E. Lawrence, A. B. Carter, M. W. Fraser, L. J. Mckenzie Jan 2021

What Lies Beneath: Predicting Seagrass Below-Ground Biomass From Above-Ground Biomass, Environmental Conditions And Seagrass Community Composition, C. J. Collier, L. M. Langlois, Kathryn M. Mcmahon, J. Udy, M. Rasheed, E. Lawrence, A. B. Carter, M. W. Fraser, L. J. Mckenzie

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Seagrass condition, resilience and ecosystem services are affected by the below-ground tissues (BGr) but these are rarely monitored. In this study we compiled historical data across northern Australia to investigate biomass allocation strategies in 13 tropical seagrass species. There was sufficient data to undertake statistical analysis for five species: Cymodocea serrulata, Halophila ovalis, Halodule uninervis, Thalassia hemprichii, and Zostera muelleri. The response of below-ground biomass (BGr) to above-ground biomass (AGr) and other environmental and seagrass community composition predictor variables were assessed using Generalized Linear Models. Environmental data included: region, season, sediment type, water depth, proximity to land-based sources …


Feral Swine, Michael P. Glow, Nathan P. Snow, Kurt C. Vercauteren Aug 2020

Feral Swine, Michael P. Glow, Nathan P. Snow, Kurt C. Vercauteren

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Feral swine (Sus scrofa; Figure 1), also known as feral hogs, feral pigs, wild pigs, wild boar, or other similar derivations, are a non-native species considered to be one of the most destructive invasive terrestrial vertebrates in North America. While feral swine populations remained relatively small and confined in the continental United States following initial introductions by European explorers during the 15th century, substantial range expansion has occurred across every geographical region of the United States (Figure 2). This expansion has primarily been attributed to human-mediated movements, predominately for the purpose of establishing populations for recreational hunting, and facilitated by …


A Guide To Integrate Plant Cover Data From Two Different Methods, David M. Burdick, Chris R. Peter Feb 2020

A Guide To Integrate Plant Cover Data From Two Different Methods, David M. Burdick, Chris R. Peter

Jackson Estuarine Laboratory

There is a lack of consensus on how to monitor (measure) plant cover in tidal marshes. Multiple methods exist to estimate plant cover, which can confound interpretation when making comparisons across methods. Here, we provide a novel and more accurate approach, building off of traditional data transformations designed to integrate the two most common methods: Point Intercept and Ocular Cover.


Designing Data Collection For Decision-Making: Shaping The Coastal First Nations Regional Monitoring System To Meet The Needs Of The Nations, Erica Olson, Brendan Connors, Lara Hoshizaki, Jana Kotaska, Darcy Pickard, Marc Nelitz, Amy Groesbeck, Jordan Benner, Katherine Kellock, Anton Pitts Apr 2018

Designing Data Collection For Decision-Making: Shaping The Coastal First Nations Regional Monitoring System To Meet The Needs Of The Nations, Erica Olson, Brendan Connors, Lara Hoshizaki, Jana Kotaska, Darcy Pickard, Marc Nelitz, Amy Groesbeck, Jordan Benner, Katherine Kellock, Anton Pitts

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Coastal First Nations (CFN) Regional Monitoring System (RMS) was redeveloped to support decisions related to threats to ecological and cultural values, resulting from changes to existing and impending resource use on the North and Central Coast of British Columbia. As First Nations reassert their governance authority, participate in shared decision-making with other governments, undertake land and marine use planning, and manage their territories and resources, the need for coordinated regional monitoring efforts are increasingly important. We used a systematic and inclusive strategy to determine a suitable monitoring approach to meet the needs of a diverse group of Nations across …


Kelp Forest Dynamics: Links To Climate And Long Term Trends, Helen Berry, Cathy Pfister, Tom Mumford Apr 2018

Kelp Forest Dynamics: Links To Climate And Long Term Trends, Helen Berry, Cathy Pfister, Tom Mumford

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Kelp forests are foundation species in the Salish Sea, and their dynamics are key to the fate of many other species. Research in other regions has shown that kelp abundance is driven in part by climate and can be impacted by human activities (for example, pollution and altered competition among species). While downward trends in kelp abundance have been of concern globally, trends are often locally distinct. We combined long term monitoring datasets and historical records to explore whether bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) and giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) dynamics in the Salish Sea region: 1) correlate with climate conditions, and …


Long-Term Monitoring In Central Puget Sound: Are Local Climate Anomalies Impacting Phytoplankton Populations?, Gabriela Hannach, Lyndsey M. Swanson, Kimberle Stark Apr 2018

Long-Term Monitoring In Central Puget Sound: Are Local Climate Anomalies Impacting Phytoplankton Populations?, Gabriela Hannach, Lyndsey M. Swanson, Kimberle Stark

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Puget Sound is a large and productive estuarine system at the southern end of the Salish Sea. King County’s comprehensive, long-term marine monitoring program tracks water quality in Puget Sound’s Central Basin through year-round collection of data for a suite of physical, chemical and biological parameters. Phytoplankton monitoring began with traditional microscopy methods in 2008, and expanded to include a particle imaging system in 2014. These data are critical to assess how changes from climate, physical conditions and other stressors linked to anthropogenic activity from the region’s growing population may impact the Sound’s biodiversity and trophic structure. Currently, twice-monthly surface …


Monitoring And Enforcement Of Laws And Policies In Canada: The Bad, The Ugly And How We Can Get To Good, Christianne Wilhelmson Apr 2018

Monitoring And Enforcement Of Laws And Policies In Canada: The Bad, The Ugly And How We Can Get To Good, Christianne Wilhelmson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The creation of strong environmental laws in BC and Canada has improved over the years, however the implementation of these laws is often undermined and their effectiveness to protect ecosystems and communities suffers. The reasons are many but often it’s a question of underfunding of the monitoring and enforcement mechanisms that are necessary to ensure compliance. Other reasons, in particular for regulations that apply to marine and freshwater systems, is the lack of clarity around jurisdictional responsibility and accountability. The confusion around roles, exacerbated by poor communication, results in poor monitoring and response, and laws that are paper dragons only. …


The Wria 9 Marine Shoreline Monitoring And Compliance Project Phase 2, Kollin Higgins Apr 2018

The Wria 9 Marine Shoreline Monitoring And Compliance Project Phase 2, Kollin Higgins

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

This phase builds off of the pilot project undertaken in 2012-2013. The pilot project found many shoreline changes within the WRIA were not permitted, especially on Vashon and Maury Islands. Since the pilot project was completed, King County has undertaken an effort to bring the unpermitted issues found on Vashon and Maury Islands into compliance. The pilot project and King County’s follow on compliance efforts have created community awareness on the islands about the problem and issues around shoreline modifications. This phase will undertake a similar set of boat based surveys of the 92 miles of marine shoreline of Watershed …


Tackling Nebulous Ideas: Building A Shared Monitoring Plan For Tracking Outcomes Of Integrated Floodplain Management In The Puyallup River Watershed, Ilon Logan, Isabel Ragland Apr 2018

Tackling Nebulous Ideas: Building A Shared Monitoring Plan For Tracking Outcomes Of Integrated Floodplain Management In The Puyallup River Watershed, Ilon Logan, Isabel Ragland

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Floodplains for the Future is a multi-organizational collaboration that seeks to improve habitat for salmon, protect communities and critical infrastructure from flooding while preserving agricultural lands in the Puyallup River Watershed. FFTF partners invest in their long-term vision when they dedicate staff time, fund studies and projects, and implement capital improvement plans in the in the Puyallup, White, and Carbon River floodplains. FFTF Partners understand that the key to successful collaborative floodplain management is ensuring that individual stakeholder goals are being integrated at both the project and watershed scales. Partners need to be able to observe progress toward goals. With …


Regional And Temporal Variability In Puget Sound Zooplankton: Bottom-Up Links To Juvenile Salmon, Julie Keister, Julia Bos, Bethellee Herrmann, Mya Keyers, Christopher Krembs, John Mickett, J. A. (Jan A.) Newton, Wendi Reuf, Amanda Winans Apr 2018

Regional And Temporal Variability In Puget Sound Zooplankton: Bottom-Up Links To Juvenile Salmon, Julie Keister, Julia Bos, Bethellee Herrmann, Mya Keyers, Christopher Krembs, John Mickett, J. A. (Jan A.) Newton, Wendi Reuf, Amanda Winans

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

We use data from the Puget Sound Zooplankton Monitoring Program to explore patterns of spatial and interannual variability in zooplankton communities in response to environmental change during 2014-2017. This program is a collaborative effort involving 10 tribal, county, state, federal, academic, and nonprofit entities initiated via the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project with the goal of understanding the key role of zooplankton in food webs and ecosystems. Large interannual differences in the environment over this period strong effects on zooplankton community structure and abundance. 2014 began as a fairly normal year in Puget Sound until the Pacific Warm Anomaly event …


The Citizen Scientific Method: Tapping A Human Natural Resource In Ecosystem Restoration, Bianca S. Perla, Greg Rabourn Apr 2018

The Citizen Scientific Method: Tapping A Human Natural Resource In Ecosystem Restoration, Bianca S. Perla, Greg Rabourn

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Citizen science forms a nexus point between research and education, between social outreach and project implementation, and between local knowledge (traditional ecological knowledge) and scientific knowledge. For this reason, citizen science can be a valuable tool to integrate the many different players in ecosystem restoration projects and help projects succeed. Citizen science can increase civic engagement in ecosystem restoration, fill in data gaps, and help make adaptive ecosystem management a real community process. However, significant challenges often impede the ability of citizen science projects to reach their full potential. Here, we discuss trends and insights gained through examining three citizen …


The Fisher Slough Case Study: Seven-Year Monitoring Summary: Measuring Outcomes For Fish, Farms And Flooding, Jenny Lynn Baker Apr 2018

The Fisher Slough Case Study: Seven-Year Monitoring Summary: Measuring Outcomes For Fish, Farms And Flooding, Jenny Lynn Baker

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Half of Puget Sound’s wild Chinook salmon come from the Skagit River. Although the number dropped dramatically as 80 percent of salmon habitat in the river delta was lost over the last two centuries, the Skagit remains a critical stronghold for Puget Sound Chinook. The Skagit Chinook Recovery Plan calls for 2,700 acres of estuary restoration. But with farms in Skagit County generating more than $500 million each year, there are concerns that habitat restoration would mean loss of agricultural land, and the economy and culture it supports. The Fisher Slough project was intended to overcome long-standing conflicts between farm …


Spatial Distribution Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Biomass In Puget Sound: Establishing A Baseline, Dany Burgess, Angela Eagleston, Margaret Dutch, Valerie Partridge, Sandra Weakland Apr 2018

Spatial Distribution Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Biomass In Puget Sound: Establishing A Baseline, Dany Burgess, Angela Eagleston, Margaret Dutch, Valerie Partridge, Sandra Weakland

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Since 1989, Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Program has collected data to assess the condition of Puget Sound’s sediment-dwelling invertebrate communities (benthos). These long-term data reveal declines in benthos abundance and taxa richness in parts of Puget Sound that do not appear to be correlated with concentrations of chemical contaminants in the sediment. In 2016, a biomass and size classification component was added to the suite of benthic community indices analyzed, as part of a large-scale program redesign intended to shed more light on alternate causes of declining benthos, such as climate change and nutrient enrichment. Benthic invertebrate biomass not only …


Patterns And Variability In Ocean Acidification Conditions In Puget Sound And The Strait Of Juan De Fuca, J. A. (Jan A.) Newton, Simone Alin, Beth Curry, Adrienne J. Sutton, John Mickett, Richard A. Feely, Marine Lebrec, Dana Greeley, Wendi Ruef, Andrea Fassbender, Terrie Klinger Apr 2018

Patterns And Variability In Ocean Acidification Conditions In Puget Sound And The Strait Of Juan De Fuca, J. A. (Jan A.) Newton, Simone Alin, Beth Curry, Adrienne J. Sutton, John Mickett, Richard A. Feely, Marine Lebrec, Dana Greeley, Wendi Ruef, Andrea Fassbender, Terrie Klinger

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Washington Ocean Acidification Center is working with NOAA and other partners to increase understanding of ocean acidification dynamics and spatial variability in the Salish Sea, and how these correlate with planktonic responses. These data are critical for assessing water quality, areas with higher or lower OA stress, and to understand effects on the food web. Two main strategies are employed; seasonal ship cruises provide spatial coverage and the ability to collect plankton, while mooring buoys provide information on mechanisms and the range of variation due to the high-resolution and constant coverage they provide. Results show a strong degree of …


A Practical And Informative Sandpiper Monitoring Procedure For The Salish Sea, Ronald Ydenberg, Dov B. Lank, Richard Johnston, David Hope, Rachel Canham Apr 2018

A Practical And Informative Sandpiper Monitoring Procedure For The Salish Sea, Ronald Ydenberg, Dov B. Lank, Richard Johnston, David Hope, Rachel Canham

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea contains important sites for shorebirds, including migrants and winter residents. There is a need for practical, informative and easily-applied monitoring procedures and goals. Counts at stopover sites are on their own uninformative, because they are strongly affected by factors unseen by local observers. A fall in the usage of a site might signal a global population decline, but could also be due to a reduction of that site’s quality, to an increase in site quality elsewhere such that some birds redistribute, or to changes in migratory behavior. A good framework for assessing the health of shorebird populations …


Divergent Trends In Migration Timing Of Shorebirds Along The Pacific Flyway, David Hope, Joseph Buchanan, Mary Anne Bishop, George Matz, Moira Lemon, Mark Drever Apr 2018

Divergent Trends In Migration Timing Of Shorebirds Along The Pacific Flyway, David Hope, Joseph Buchanan, Mary Anne Bishop, George Matz, Moira Lemon, Mark Drever

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Long distant migrants timing their arrival on the breeding grounds must make the tradeoff of optimal timing for breeding vs. optimal timing for survival. For many shorebird species, the flyway northward spans thousands of kilometers, and both conditions encountered en route and the priorities of individuals can affect the timing of migration. We used data from spring migration surveys of Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) and Pacific Dunlins (Calidris alpina pacifica) along the Pacific Flyway of North America to determine if the timing of their northward movements changed from 1985 to 2016. We examined 5 sites of varying size along the …


Evaluation Salish Sea Marine Bird Indicators With Insights From Recent Research By Professional And Citizen Scientists, Scott F. Pearson, Martin G. (Martin George) Raphael Apr 2018

Evaluation Salish Sea Marine Bird Indicators With Insights From Recent Research By Professional And Citizen Scientists, Scott F. Pearson, Martin G. (Martin George) Raphael

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Marine birds are often viewed as good ecological indicators because they are relatively well studied and time-series data are often available, our understanding of their population biology is often extremely high, some species are tightly linked to their prey resources and, as upper trophic predators, they offer an integrative view of the dynamics at lower levels of the food web. In 2014, at-sea abundance and trends of the rhinoceros auklet, pigeon guillemot, marbled murrelet and scoters were collectively selected by the Puget Sound Partnership as indicators of the health of the Puget Sound marine food web. Long-term trends for these …


Persistence Of Stream Restoration With Large Wood, Redwood National And State Parks, California, Diedra L. Rodriguez Jan 2018

Persistence Of Stream Restoration With Large Wood, Redwood National And State Parks, California, Diedra L. Rodriguez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The conservation and recovery of anadromous salmonids (Oncorhynchus sp.) depend on stream restoration and protection of freshwater habitats. In-stream large wood dictates channel morphology, increases retention of terrestrial inputs such as organic matter, nutrients and sediment, and enhances the quality of fish habitat. Historic land use/land cover changes have resulted in aquatic systems devoid of large wood. Restoration by placement of large wood jams is intended to restore physical and biological processes. An important question for scientists and restoration managers, in addition to the initial effectiveness of restoration, is the persistence and fate of large wood installations. In this …


Habitat Associations With Small Mammal Communities At Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Stephanie Anne Ellison Aug 2017

Habitat Associations With Small Mammal Communities At Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Stephanie Anne Ellison

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to aid the National Park Service at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield with the reported habitat monitoring and management goals through vegetation and wildlife surveys within the park. I provided a description of two major habitat types that are of ecological concern, which included non-native ruderal grasslands and upland deciduous woodlands and forests. I evaluated small mammal communities to determine factors that may affect the detection of individual species and examined habitat associations with occupancy, as small mammals are good indicators of habitat quality. My study highlights the need to manage invasive species such as …