Life Sciences Commons^™

Spatial Distribution Modelling Of Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria Citrea) On Breeding Grounds, Elli Bosch, Caitlin M. Vigneau, Rolang Piocuda, Catherine Viverette, Jessica Reese

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Ecological niche modeling is used to predict a species’ distribution in a geographic area based on abiotic and biotic variables. Understanding a species’ range is important for conservation and restoration efforts. As anthropogenic forces may alter or deplete habitat, it is important to know the ecological requirements of a species to understand how and what habitat to protect. With the increasing threat of climate change and rising temperature and precipitation, the suitable habitat and the distribution for many species is expected to shift. Migratory species are particularly at risk of these changes as they require suitable habitat not only on …

Offspring Sex Ratio In Double Brooding Prothonotary Warblers, Radleigh Herschel, Anthony G. Kouri, Rebecca Vareed, Stephanie Warshawsky, Matthew Desaix

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Prothonotary warblers are bright, golden birds who, with their loud calls, make themselves known in wetland habitats in the spring after returning from their winter homes in the Neotropics to breed. This migratory species is important to study because of their need for these habitats and are declining in population due to the degradation of wetland environments across the western hemisphere.

VCU started a project in 1987 to study prothonotary warblers including population genetics, breeding biology, and migration ecology. Since then, with the help of Richmond Audubon Society, the project has erected over 600 nesting boxes along the James River …

Projecting Habitat Of The Nonbreeding Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria Citrea) Under Various Climate Scenarios, Hannah Byrne, Lindsey Flanary, Ernesto Gagarin, Jessica A. Reese, Catherine B. Viverette

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Understanding a species’ range, and how it may change over time, allows researchers to develop more robust species management plans and to identify vital habitat for conservation planning. For migratory bird species, different habitats are utilized during different times of year. While a neotropical migratory species’ breeding grounds may be adequate, its wintering ground or various stopover areas may be under threat. In what is known as a carry over effect, the degradation of wintering grounds can lead to poor quality individuals in the breeding range (Rockwell et al., 2012), thus reduced fitness.

The tropics are predicted to experience changes …