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

Animal Sciences Commons

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

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Fear Of Predators Compromises Parental Care And Juvenile Survival In A Songbird, Philip Blair Dudeck Dec 2015

Fear Of Predators Compromises Parental Care And Juvenile Survival In A Songbird, Philip Blair Dudeck

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Predators kill, but the risk of being killed is also a powerful force affecting survival because scared prey eat less, thereby increasing the likelihood of starvation. Young of most animals are extremely vulnerable to predators and may alter their behaviour to limit detection. I investigated the previously unexplored effects that predation risk has on the behaviour of newly fledged offspring and their parents, and the impact this has on offspring survival. I manipulated predation risk using sound and found that parent song sparrows reduced their feedings, providing 60% less food overall. Critically, not only did this parental response estimate survival …


Fish Out Of Salt Water: Smoltification In Subyearling Chinook Salmon From The Laurentian Great Lakes, Steve Sharron Mar 2015

Fish Out Of Salt Water: Smoltification In Subyearling Chinook Salmon From The Laurentian Great Lakes, Steve Sharron

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The timing of smoltification in juvenile anadromous salmonids is important to ensure individuals match their preparedness with their migration timing and the optimal conditions in the environment. I performed the first study of smoltification in adfluvial juvenile Chinook salmon naturalized in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In a hatchery study, I found that juveniles from one of these populations have similar patterns of smoltification timing to individuals from anadromous populations. Their Na+/K+ ATPase activity, a common indicator or smolt status, peaked at 7.7 μmoles ADP/mg protein/hour on July 1 in freshwater. During the peak period, individual body size …