Animal Sciences Commons^™

A Multi-Species Study On Several Types Of Visitor Effects On The Behavior And Physiology Of Animals At The Oregon Zoo, Laurel Berylline Fink

Dissertations and Theses

The visitor effect on zoo animals is one of the expanding research topics in zoo animal research. As visitors are a mandatory feature of zoological institutions, understanding their effects on zoo animals is imperative for maximizing zoo animal welfare. Zoo animals are subject to many anthropogenic influences: visual, olfactory, and audible, for example. This dissertation investigates several of the effects of visitor presence and its relative influence on six mammalian species: cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), African painted dogs (Lycaon pictus), Asian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus & Elephas maximus borneensis), giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata & …

Connecting Environment And Phenotype: Deciphering Mechanisms Of Diapause Entry And Exit In The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Erin Monica Davis

Dissertations and Theses

Embryonic development is complex, dynamic, and dependent on environmental factors. Mechanisms of sensing and integrating environmental stimuli are diverse, and understanding these mechanisms in extant species can elucidate how complex phenotypes emerge from genomic information expressed in an environmental context. In Austrofundulus limnaeus, an annual killifish with alternative developmental trajectories, light and temperature are vital factors that determine if an embryo will enter a state of diapause. We hypothesize that embryos of A. limnaeus use the vitamin D₃ signaling pathway as a vehicle to incorporate these ecological signals into their developmental programing. Here we provide evidence of …

Biogeography, Morphology, And Systematics Of The Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus Nuttallii (Bachman, 1837), Mammalia: Lagomorpha: Leporidae, Johnnie H. French

Dissertations and Theses

Widespread species often present taxonomic conundrums: are they truly a single panmictic species, or, is the widespread species in fact a polytypic species complex constituted by independently evolving, morphologically or otherwise cryptic species? One such broadly distributed taxon is Sylvilagus nuttallii, with distribution across the western United States, ranging from South Dakota to California, and from Canada to Arizona. The three subspecies constituting S. nuttallii are, however, geographically isolated and it has been hypothesized that they likely constitute independent, species level taxa. However, that study examined only two of the three holotypes, rather than broader geographic and non-geographic variation. …

Before And After The Storm: Interactions Between Tree-Fall Canopy Gaps, Plant Phenology, And Frugivorous Lemurs In Masoala National Park, Madagascar, Monica Sue Mogilewsky

Dissertations and Theses

Madagascar is one of Earth's top biodiversity hotspots, with 80% of life on the island considered endemic. Among the endemic species are lemurs, a diverse group of non-human primates. Unfortunately, Madagascar's diversity, including lemurs, is threatened by habitat degradation and loss. Despite intense anthropogenic pressure over the past 50 years, scientists have not detected any lemur extinctions during this period. Some researchers have proposed that lemurs' adaptations to natural disturbances have provided these taxa resiliency against anthropogenic disturbances. Certainly, Madagascar experiences an extreme disturbance regime: the island experiences an average of over three cyclones a year. These cyclones create numerous, …

Bone Mineral Density Of The Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops Truncatus: A Proposed Model For Monitoring Osteological And Ecosystem Health, James Wright Burrus Powell

Dissertations and Theses

Bone mineral density (BMD) in the pectoral flipper of the common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was examined to address the need to define a comprehensive target site for clinical osteodensitometric assessment and to establish ranges of observed bone density values for this species. Radii were analyzed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the accepted standard in human medical studies. Multiple loci within the radius were identified and assessed for their correlation to BMD of the entire bone. Radii BMD were also examined for differences based on sex, age, total body length, handedness, geographical affinity, and nutritional status at time …

Delphinids On Display: The Capture, Care, And Exhibition Of Cetaceans At Marineland Of The Pacific, 1954-1967, Taylor Michael Bailey

Dissertations and Theses

When Marineland of the Pacific opened in 1954 on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in greater Los Angeles, it was the second oceanarium in the world and the first on the West Coast. An initial investment of $3 million by Oceanarium Inc., owners of the popular Marine Studios park located near St. Augustine, Florida, ensured that Marineland was built with the same state of the art facilities needed to produce an authentic representation of the ocean floor on land. Building on Marine Studios' success exhibiting bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Marineland's central draw was its performing cetaceans. During the park's …

Whence And Whither: Acoustic Variability And Biogeography Of Tarsiers In North Sulawesi, Olivia Clare Kulander

Dissertations and Theses

The morning duet calls of eastern tarsiers (Tarsius spp.) in North Sulawesi were recorded and analyzed to examine the effects of geography and geologic history on their call structure. Tarsius species exhibit interspecifically variable duet calls shown to correlate with species differentiation and distribution. They are distributed across Sulawesi, a biogeographically complex island in the Indonesian archipelago, where tectonic activity and multiple glaciations during the Pleistocene generated and modified barriers to their dispersal and gene flow.

Recordings were made at ten locations from November of 2012 through June of 2014. Two locations were categorized as mainland, while eight island …

Intestinal Microbiota Diversity Of Pre-Smolt Steelhead (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Across Six Oregon And Washington Hatcheries, Christina Carrell Yildirimer

Dissertations and Theses

The Pacific Northwest is known for its once-abundant wild salmonid populations that have been in decline for more than 50 years due to habitat destruction and commercial overexploitation. To compensate, federal and state agencies annually release hundreds of thousands of hatchery-reared fish into the wild. However, accumulating data indicate that hatchery fish have lower fitness in natural environments, and that hatchery rearing negatively influences return rates of anadromous salmonids. Recently, mounting evidence revealed that the richness and diversity of intestinal microbial species influence host health. We examined the gut microbiota of pre-migratory hatchery-reared steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to assess …

Predicting Parturition In A Long-Gestating Species: Behavioral And Hormonal Indicators In The Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus), Heather Kelly Velonis

Dissertations and Theses

Captive populations of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in North America are not self-sustaining, and increasing reproductive success within captive populations is a high priority. The ability to accurately predict parturition can have a direct impact on elephant welfare. Elephants in captivity often require significant preparation and management throughout the birthing process, and complications during labor and delivery can necessitate immediate intervention, including stillbirth, protracted labor, maternal aggression towards a newborn calf, and dystocia. Being able to predict when parturition will commence can ensure appropriate staff is available and adequate monitoring is performed. Routine endocrine sampling can be used …

Why Do Animals Do What They Do, When They Do It? Characterizing The Role Of The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis In Seasonal Life-History Transitions, Catherine Anne Dayger Forbes

Dissertations and Theses

Resource availability follows seasonal cycles in environmental conditions. To align physiology and behavior with prevailing environmental conditions, seasonal animals integrate cues from the environment with their internal state. One of the systems animals use to integrate those cues is the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its primary effector, glucocorticoid hormones. The HPA axis has wide-ranging effects on physiology and behavior and, in the context of a glucocorticoid stress response, is known to mediate tradeoffs between immediate survival and future fitness. The HPA axis also plays an important role in facilitating predictable life-history events. Variation in HPA axis activity has been reported …

Quantifying The Impacts Of A Novel Predator: The Distinctive Case Of The Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana Pretiosa) And The Invasive American Bullfrog (Rana (Aquarana) Catesbeiana), Kyle Scott Tidwell

Dissertations and Theses

The decline of the Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa), a Pacific Northwest endemic now federally listed as threatened, has been attributed to several aspects of ecosystem alteration, primarily habitat degradation and loss. The introduced American Bullfrog (Rana (Aquarana) catesbeiana) has been widely implicated in those declines, but the basis of that contention has been difficult to characterize. The bullfrog occurring at every site of recent Oregon Spotted Frog extirpation has focused concern about its impact.

Here, I present a suite of interconnected studies that examine the behavioral ecology of both species to better understand the potential …

Understanding The Importance Of Intermittently Fragmented Stream Habitat For Isolated Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus Clarki Lewisi) In The Colville National Forest, Washington, Forrest Michael Carpenter

Dissertations and Theses

Climate change and anthropogenic effects have vastly reduced Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, WCT) habitat throughout their range, including the Colville National Forest in northeastern Washington where this study was conducted. Many native salmonid populations have declined in abundance since the early 1900s due to a variety of climate- and human-driven forces. Westslope Cutthroat Trout are especially sensitive to habitat loss or degradation and to climate change. Together, climate change, habitat degradation, and non-native salmonid invasions are contributing to increasingly fragmented WCT populations. Ongoing and predicted future warming trends are expected to further fragment these populations and …

A Landscape Approach To Determining And Predicting Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus Kisutch) Movement Timing And Growth Patterns Prior To Ocean Entry, Amelia Lee Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) rely on unique habitats during the winter season, which may dictate how much individuals may grow and when migration from freshwater rearing habitat to the ocean occurs. Here I analyze movement timing and growth patterns for coho salmon through a field-based study and a literature review. For the field portion, I examined hatchery-stocked juvenile coho salmon across four stream basins in the Russian River watershed, California to determine the relative importance of climate, landscape, and fish size metrics in predicting movement and growth patterns over a winter rearing and spring smolt outmigration time period …

The Biology Of Eastern Kingbirds At Malheur National Wildlife Refuge: Survival, Reproduction, And Testosterone Secretion, Lucas J. Redmond

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation presents the results of a study that I undertook to better understand the breeding biology of Eastern Kingbirds (hereafter, kingbirds) at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon from 2003 to 2009. Kingbirds are long-distance migratory songbirds that breed across much of North America. This species is socially monogamous but, via frequent extra-pair copulations, is genetically polygamous. Kingbirds exhibit relatively high breeding site fidelity, often returning to the same tree to nest in subsequent years. Both members of a pair provide parental care, but there are often specific duties performed by both male and female kingbirds. For example, …

Developmental Mechanisms That Support Genome Stability And Embryonic Survival In Stress-Tolerant Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Josiah Tad Wagner

Dissertations and Theses

In order to complete their life cycles, vertebrates require oxygen and water. However, environments are not always forgiving when it comes to constantly providing these basic needs for vertebrate life. The annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus is possibly the most well described extremophile vertebrate and its embryos have been shown to tolerate extremes in oxygen, salinity, and water availability. This phenotype is likely a result of the annual killifish life history, which includes periods of temporary habitat desiccation and oxygen deprivation, and requires the production of stress-tolerant embryos that depress metabolism in a state of suspended animation, known as diapause. Over …

Age Determination Of Modern And Archaeological Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytcha) Using Vertebrae, Anthony Raymond Hofkamp

Dissertations and Theses

Incremental growth rings in X-rays of salmon vertebrae have been used since the 1980s to age Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) remains from archaeological sites in the Pacific Northwest. These age estimates, paired with generalized life history patterns, have been used to determine salmon species, season of capture and in turn season of site occupation. This approach relies on a variety of assumptions, the most fundamental of which is that rings represent true years. Archaeologists using vertebral age determination techniques have failed to adequately test this assumption and present their methodologies. This thesis assesses the validity of using incremental …

Applying Gps And Accelerometers To The Study Of African Savanna (Loxodonta Africana) And Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus) Welfare In Zoos, Matthew Robert Holdgate

Dissertations and Theses

African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are a focus of welfare research in zoos due to their high intelligence, complex social structure, and sheer size. Due to these challenges, some argue that zoos are inherently incapable of providing appropriate care for elephants, while others believe that zoos can fulfill the needs of these species with improved husbandry. There is a general consensus from both within and outside of zoos, however, that zoos must improve their elephant programs or cease exhibiting these animals altogether. Now more than ever, applied research on zoo elephant welfare is needed to …

The Role Of Mate Preference And Personality On Reproductive Performance In An Ex-Situ Conservation Breeding Program For The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda Melanoleuca), Meghan S. Martin

Dissertations and Theses

Successful captive-breeding and re-introduction programs must have the ability to breed a surplus of genetically suitable animals for release into the wild. Unfortunately, many individuals in captive breeding programs often do not reproduce even when they are apparently healthy and presented with genetically appropriate mates. Mate choice can affect multiple parameters of reproductive sperformance, including mating success, offspring production, survival, and fecundity. We investigated the role of mate preference and personality on the reproductive performance of male and female giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) as measured by intromission success and litter production. We conducted these studies on giant pandas at the …

Cascades Island Lamprey Passage Structure: Evaluating Passage And Migration Following Structure Modifications, Siena Marie Lopez-Johnston

Dissertations and Theses

Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus), an endemic species to the Columbia River Basin, U.S.A, has experienced staggering decreases in returns to spawning territories in recent decades. As lamprey are threatened severely by a lack of passage at mainstem dams, lamprey specific passage structures have been designed and constructed to address the problem. The Cascades Island Lamprey Passage Structure (LPS) at Bonneville Dam is the longest and steepest structure of its type, following the addition of an exit pipe which allows lampreys to travel from the tailrace of the dam to the forebay. The intent of this study was to …

Behavioral Observation And Paternal Investment Of Eastern Kingbirds At Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Christopher Michael Chutter

Dissertations and Theses

We have been studying the population of Eastern Kingbirds breeding in riparian habitats in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (eastern Oregon) since 2002. These efforts have created an ideal research environment wherein most adults in the population have been color banded and DNA sampled and, as part of other research projects, nearly all broods since 2003 have been paternity tested. I decided to use behavioral video recordings of parental nest behavior undertaken between 2003 and 2010 for two unrelated projects. First, I tested the effectiveness of video sampling nesting behavior (see below and chapter 2). Second, I tested whether male kingbirds …

Investigating A Role For The Ccaat/Enhancer-Binding Protein Δ In The Developing Zebrafish, Alisha Jennifer Beirl

Dissertations and Theses

The CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein delta (C/EBPδ) is a highly conserved transcription factor capable of regulating numerous cell fate processes, such as cell growth, differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. C/EBPδ is inducible during cellular stress responses, including inflammation and responses to growth factor deprivation or thermal stress. C/EBPδ is stress-inducible in a diversity of fishes, including the zebrafish Danio rerio; however, little is known about its role in fish development. Here I show that overexpression of C/EBPδ leads to severe developmental defects, including reduced body length, edema, liver malformation and retinal abnormalities. The proportion of individuals that display developmental abnormalities is significantly …

Gene Expression Life History Markers In A Hatchery And A Wild Population Of Young-Of-The-Year Oncorhynchus Mykiss, Ian D. F. Garrett

Dissertations and Theses

Life history within a single species can vary significantly. Many of these differences are associated with varying environmental conditions. Understanding what environmental conditions cue alternate life histories within a single species has been researched extensively. In salmonid fishes, more than almost any other group, varying environmental conditions give rise to individuals within species that take markedly different life history trajectories.

Oncorhynchus mykissis a species of salmonid native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. This species has two life history forms, anadromous and resident. The anadromous form spends a portion of its life in ocean while the resident life …

Modeling The Distribution Of Bobcats And Areas Of Reintroduction For Fisher In The Southern Washington Cascades, Shiloh Michael Halsey

Dissertations and Theses

The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a medium sized member of the mustelid family that once roamed the forests of Washington and whose historic range in the western United States once spread throughout the northern Rocky Mountains, the Cascade and Coast Ranges, and the Sierra Nevada (Carroll, Zielinski, and Noss 1999; Powell 1993, Spencer et al. 2011). Due to pressures from trapping and habitat fragmentation, the abundance of the species in the western United States has decreased dramatically and is thought to be limited to several small, isolated populations. In 2008, fishers were reintroduced to the Olympic Peninsula; however, bobcat (Lynx …

Ccaat/Enhancer-Binding Protein Delta (C/Ebp-Delta) Expression In Antarctic Fishes: Implications For Cell Cycle And Apoptosis, Isaac Martin Sleadd

Dissertations and Theses

Chapter 1: Antarctic fishes are extremely cold adapted. Despite their inability to upregulate heat shock proteins, recent studies have demonstrated a capacity for heat response in these animals. A cDNA microarray study looked at the Notothenioid fish Trematomus bernacchii and revealed heat sensitivities for hundreds of genes, two of which code for members of the CCAAT/Enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family of transcription factors. These molecular switches are best known for their roles in apoptosis, inflammation and cell cycle arrest. This dissertation further elucidates the role of C/EBP-delta in the Antarctic fishes T. bernacchii and Pagothenia borchgrevinki.

Chapter 2: C/EBP-delta is constitutively …

Ecomorphology And Mating Behavior Of Two Species Of Night-Stalking Tiger Beetles, Omus Audouini And O. Dejeanii, Robert Kent Richardson

Dissertations and Theses

Night-stalking tiger beetles (Cicindelinae: Omus) are among the least studied members of the highly diverse Carabid sub-family Cicindelinae, the tiger beetles. Despite populations of Omus being common in the forest floor habitats of the west coast of North America and their conspicuous predatory role within terrestrial arthropod communities, little is known about the biology and ecology of Omus.

Field studies showed that two species of Omus existed in the forested areas of Powell Butte Nature Park, Portland, Oregon, USA: Omus audouiniand O. dejeanii. The co-occurrence of sympatric, and likely syntopic, species allowed for a comparative approach in examining and analyzing …

The Effect Of Temperature On Phenotypes Of The Invasive European Green Crab: Physiologic Mechanisms That Facilitate Invasion Success, Amanda Kelley

Dissertations and Theses

Invasion physiology is an emerging field that endeavors to understand the influence of physiological traits on the establishment of non-native species in novel environments. The invasive European green crab,Carcinus maenas, is one of the world's most successful aquatic invaders, and is currently distributed across temperate marine ecosystems globally. The work presented here explored the thermal physiology of this species, and has highlighted several physiological traits that have likely influenced establishment success.

Intraspecific comparisons of crabs sampled from the northern and southern edges of their recipient, or invaded range on the west coast of North America have identified both organismal and …

Application Of Gis And Spatial Analysis Of Golden Eagle Fatalities Caused By Wind Turbines At The Altamont Pass Wind Resource, Andrew James Pinger

Dissertations and Theses

The Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (Altamont) near Livermore, California is the oldest and largest wind farm in the United States. It is known as a location of high avian mortality, especially for diurnal raptors such as the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Using the avian monitoring data collected at Altamont for over thirteen years (1998-2003, 2005- 2011), records were analyzed of 134 golden eagle deaths caused by wind turbine collisions. All wind turbines present during the same temporal range were characterized according to turbine variables, and geographic placement characteristics. Values of turbines that killed golden eagles were compared to values …

Evaluating The Effects Of Road Crossing Structures On Stream-Associated Amphibians In The Wilson River Watershed, Tillamook State Forest, Oregon, Sara Erin Twitchell

Dissertations and Theses

As replacement and removal of undersized culverts gains momentum as an effective technique for restoring natural stream flows and removing fish passage barriers, it is important to evaluate the benefits of these efforts on the in-stream and adjacent riparian habitat for other species of potential concern. This study compares stream-associated amphibian (SAA) occurrence in streams adjacent to different road crossing structures on unpaved forest roads in the Wilson River watershed located within the Tillamook State Forest, Oregon. Surveys were conducted at road crossing structures for three taxa of SAA; Pacific giant salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus), coastal tailed frog (Ascaphus truei), and …

An Experimental Investigation Of Nest Reuse And Nest Site Selection In An Open-Cup Nesting Passerine, Sarah A. Cancellieri

Dissertations and Theses

Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) breed from coast to coast in North America and build open-cup nests in trees. They have been extensively studied across most of their range and have only on occasion been documented to reuse a nest from a previous season. However, at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR), located in southeastern Oregon, ~10 % of female Eastern Kingbirds reuse old nests of mainly American Robins (Turdus migratorius). In an attempt to address why nest reuse is so common at MNWR, I used artificial nests to evaluate two hypotheses as to why nest reuse is common in this breeding …

Status Of Nutria (Myocastor Coypus) Populations In The Pacific Northwest And Development Of Associated Control And Management Strategies, With An Emphasis On Metropolitan Habitats, Trevor Robert Sheffels

Dissertations and Theses

The nutria (Myocastor coypus) is a semi-aquatic rodent native to South America that was introduced to the Pacific Northwest, USA, in the 1930s. Primary damage categories from this invasive species include burrowing and herbivory, resulting in habitat degradation. Nutria have become well-established in metropolitan habitats, and anecdotal information suggests the problem has increased in recent years. However, little regional research on the species has been conducted. The scope of this research, which emphasizes metropolitan habitats, includes three primary foci in relation to nutria populations in the Pacific Northwest: modeling habitat suitability, assessing activity and movement patterns, and identifying and managing …