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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Rusty Blackbird Use Of Commercial Spruce-Fir Forests Of Northern New England, Luke M. Douglas
Rusty Blackbird Use Of Commercial Spruce-Fir Forests Of Northern New England, Luke M. Douglas
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) has experienced a steep population decline since the 1970s, with qualitative accounts suggesting that the species’ numbers have been falling prior to the 1950s. The reason for this decline is still not fully understood, though recent work suggests that habitat destruction and disturbance in the breeding and wintering ranges are likely causes. The species is a habitat specialist that relies on spruce-fir stands located near wetlands for breeding in the boreal and Acadian forests of North America. Historically, the natural disturbance regime in the Acadian region included biotic agents such as beaver and …
Searching For Gold: Using A Novel Land Cover Classification To Identify Multiscale Drivers Of Site Occupancy By A Flagship Species For Early-Successional Habitat Conservation, Baron Lin
Theses and Dissertations
Understanding habitat selection at multiple scales is an important step in guiding conservation programs and reversing species declines. This, however, is difficult for species that occupy early-successional habitats (ESH) due to a lack of accurate representation of shrub cover in publicly available land cover data. The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera; GWWA) is a threatened species of conservation concern and a flagship for ESH conservation. We used a novel, LIDAR-derived land cover classification that accurately identifies shrubs at a fine resolution (1m) to investigate how habitat composition and configuration influence GWWA site occupancy. We aggregated this same land cover …
The Effect Of Shade Tree Species On Bird Communities In Central Kenyan Coffee Farms, Deven Kammerichs-Berke
The Effect Of Shade Tree Species On Bird Communities In Central Kenyan Coffee Farms, Deven Kammerichs-Berke
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Shade coffee has been recognized as a well-studied example of a land-sharing management strategy that both creates habitat for tropical birds while also maintaining agricultural yield. Despite the general consensus that shade coffee is more “bird-friendly” than a sun coffee monoculture, little work has been done to investigate the effects of specific shade tree species on bird diversity and their capacity to help deliver ecosystem services. Previous studies in temperate regions have demonstrated that due to shared evolutionary histories, native plant species are better at promoting native arthropod numbers, which in turn support a greater number of birds. This study …
A Preliminary Study Of The Influence Of Breeding Area Density On Sandhill Crane Habitat Selection In South-Central Wisconsin, Sara A. Prussing, Hillary L. Thompson
A Preliminary Study Of The Influence Of Breeding Area Density On Sandhill Crane Habitat Selection In South-Central Wisconsin, Sara A. Prussing, Hillary L. Thompson
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
We hypothesized that territorial sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) in densely populated breeding areas occupy smaller home ranges that are richer in optimal habitat than those in less densely populated breeding areas. We analyzed satellite telemetry data collected from 2012 to 2016 for 3 and 2 sandhill cranes from dense and less dense breeding areas, respectively. Tracked sandhill cranes in a dense breeding area tended to have smaller home ranges (0.37-14.25 km2) with higher concentrations of wetlands (27%) and row crops (40%) than tracked sandhill cranes in the less dense breeding area (8.80-48.81 km2, 14% …
Hunting Habitat Use And Selection Patterns Of Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) In The Urban-Agricultural Setting Of A Prominent Wine Grape Growing Region Of California, Xeronimo A. Castaneda
Hunting Habitat Use And Selection Patterns Of Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) In The Urban-Agricultural Setting Of A Prominent Wine Grape Growing Region Of California, Xeronimo A. Castaneda
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Large scale conversion of uncultivated land to agriculture threatens wildlife and can diminish ecosystem services provided by nature. Understanding how wildlife provision ecosystem services may incentivize wildlife conservation in agricultural landscapes. Attracting barn owls (Tyto alba) to nest on farms for pest management has been documented worldwide, but has not been thoroughly evaluated in vineyard agroecosystems. Napa Valley, California is a renowned winegrape growing region, and viticulturists encourage barn owl occupancy to help minimize plant damage from pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae) and voles (Microtus spp.). This study aimed to establish a basis for revealing the …
Lewis’S Woodpecker Nest Success And Habitat Selection In Cottonwood Floodplain Versus Burned Conifer Forests, William M. Blake
Lewis’S Woodpecker Nest Success And Habitat Selection In Cottonwood Floodplain Versus Burned Conifer Forests, William M. Blake
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Breeding habitat selection influences reproductive outcomes. Habitat selection may be adaptive and benefit populations, but it can also be maladaptive with negative consequences for populations. Understanding habitat selection and its influence on reproductive success, especially in species of concern, is critical for effective management. Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) is a Species of Concern that has experienced national population declines. We studied its abundance and reproductive success in two commonly selected breeding forest types (i.e., cottonwood floodplain and mixed-conifer burned), and nest-site characteristics (nest availability, food availability, and vegetation attributes) that have the potential to yield strong differences in …
High Nest Density Of Sandhill Cranes In Central Wisconsin, Jeb A. Barzen, Liying Su, Anne E. Lacy, Andrew P. Gossens, Dorn M. Moore
High Nest Density Of Sandhill Cranes In Central Wisconsin, Jeb A. Barzen, Liying Su, Anne E. Lacy, Andrew P. Gossens, Dorn M. Moore
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
We conducted aerial surveys to determine nest locations of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) in central Wisconsin, 2001-2003. Helicopter flights covered 8.90 km2 of wetlands in each year, and we found 41 nests in 2001, 50 nests in 2002, and 48 nests in 2003 from 11 wetlands. Our best estimate of nest density (n = 14) included wetlands containing 5 or more nests and averaged 5.25 ± 0.36 (1 SE) nests/km2 of wetland. Maximum nest density of larger wetlands in any 1 year was 7.80 nests/km2. As some nests had likely failed by …
Cows And Plows: Science-Based Conservation For Grassland Songbirds In Agricultural Landscapes, Marisa K. Lipsey
Cows And Plows: Science-Based Conservation For Grassland Songbirds In Agricultural Landscapes, Marisa K. Lipsey
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Temperate grasslands are among earth’s most imperiled ecosystems. In North America, steep declines of endemic songbird populations indicate that grassland loss and degradation may be approaching critical levels. Grasslands are agricultural landscapes largely (~85%) under private ownership with little formal protection status. Remaining bird populations depend on grazing lands that have not been converted to cropland. We combine regional data from a hotspot for grassland bird diversity (northeast Montana, USA; 26,500-km2) with continental data spanning the northern Great Plains (1,000,000-km2) to evaluate how land use and management influence bird distribution and abundance. Regionally, habitat used by seven grassland specialists spanned …
Stopover Decisions Of Migratory Shorebirds: An Assessment Of Habitat Use, Food Availability, Behavior And Phenology, Ryan Stutzman
Stopover Decisions Of Migratory Shorebirds: An Assessment Of Habitat Use, Food Availability, Behavior And Phenology, Ryan Stutzman
School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Habitat loss and alteration from land use change, species invasion, and more recently, climate change has reduced biodiversity and ecosystem function worldwide. Habitat decisions have important implications to individual fitness as well as population dynamics and community structure. Resource limitation, predation, competition, and unfavorable abiotic conditions all have the potential to influence survival and future reproductive potential. Understanding how changes to ecosystem structure and function impact species and populations of conservation concern is essential for conservation delivery to be effective. Similar to many migratory species, shorebird populations are declining worldwide and declines may be related to the loss of important …
Ring-Necked Pheasant Hens Select Managed Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands For Nesting And Brood-Rearing, Ty W. Matthews, J. Scott Taylor, Larkin A. Powell
Ring-Necked Pheasant Hens Select Managed Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands For Nesting And Brood-Rearing, Ty W. Matthews, J. Scott Taylor, Larkin A. Powell
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has provided critical wildlife habitat for many species since 1985. However, the quality of this habitat for early successional species, such as ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), may decrease with field age. Late successional grasslands may lack valuable vegetative and structural diversity needed by pheasants, especially during nesting and brood-rearing stages. Since 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture has required new CRP contracts to include plans for mid-contract management, which could include discing and interseeding. The benefits of such practices have not been assessed, and continuation of current policy could be affected by the lack …
Mechanisms Of Habitat Selection Of Reintroduced Whooping Cranes On Their Breeding Range, Kelly J. Maguire, Stanley A. Temple
Mechanisms Of Habitat Selection Of Reintroduced Whooping Cranes On Their Breeding Range, Kelly J. Maguire, Stanley A. Temple
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
We examined several mechanisms that influenced the habitat selection of reintroduced whooping cranes (Grus americana) on their breeding range in the midwestern United States. Visual observations on 56 whooping cranes from 2001 to 2006 provided accurate locations, habitat descriptions, and bird associations. Location information on each bird was mapped to create home range and to describe the habitat. We found evidence that habitat selection in these cranes resulted from multiple mechanisms, including habitat imprinting, philopatry, site tenacity, intra-specific interactions, and environmental stochasticity. The initial home ranges of all cranes contained habitat similar to that in which they were …
Habitat Selection Of Eastern Migratory Whooping Cranes On Their Wintering Grounds, Lara E. A. Fondow, Stanley A. Temple
Habitat Selection Of Eastern Migratory Whooping Cranes On Their Wintering Grounds, Lara E. A. Fondow, Stanley A. Temple
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
As a monitoring technician for the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, I (LEAF) noted that birds in years following release selected wintering habitats that differed greatly from those into which they were initially released. An analysis of the habitat preferences of these birds was needed in order to determine any possible implications to the reintroduction efforts. During the winters of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, I recorded the locations, habitat use, social associations, and behaviors of all migratory whooping cranes (Grus americana) at known locations in Florida. I used compositional analysis to determine whether habitat use was random at the following …
Familiarity With Breeding Habitat Improves Daily Survival In Colonial Cliff Swallows, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown, Kathleen R. Brazeal
Familiarity With Breeding Habitat Improves Daily Survival In Colonial Cliff Swallows, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown, Kathleen R. Brazeal
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
One probable cost of dispersing to a new breeding habitat is unfamiliarity with local conditions such as the whereabouts of food or the habits of local predators, and consequently immigrants may have lower probabilities of survival than more experienced residents. Within a breeding season, estimated daily survival probabilities of cliff swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, at colonies in southwestern Nebraska, USA, were highest for birds that had always nested at the same site, followed by those for birds that had nested there in some (but not all) past years. Daily survival probabilities were lowest for birds that were naive immigrants to …
Winter Habitat Selection By A Reintroduced Population Of Migratory Whooping Cranes: Emerging Patterns And Implications For The Future, Lara E. A. Fondow
Winter Habitat Selection By A Reintroduced Population Of Migratory Whooping Cranes: Emerging Patterns And Implications For The Future, Lara E. A. Fondow
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
In an effort to model the reintroduced eastern migratory population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) after the remaining wild whooping crane population, biologists selected the salt marshes of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Florida as the winter release site for ultra-light led juvenile cranes due to its similarities to Aransas NWR, Texas. Releases began in the fall of 2001, and the 3 subsequent winter seasons have afforded the opportunity to observe whether habitat selection by these whooping cranes would be influenced by the pre-selection of salt marsh. Intensive monitoring efforts each winter have revealed a dominant early-winter pattern. …
Sandhill Crane Nest Habitat Selection And Factors Affecting Nest Success In Northwestern Minnesota, Stephen J. Maxson, John R. Fieberg, Michael R. Riggs
Sandhill Crane Nest Habitat Selection And Factors Affecting Nest Success In Northwestern Minnesota, Stephen J. Maxson, John R. Fieberg, Michael R. Riggs
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
We studied 62 greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida) nests in northwestern Minnesota during 1989-1991 to document nest habitat use and selection, nest success, and factors associated with nest success. We recorded 15 habitat variables at each nest and at a randomly selected site in the same wetland. Nests were in basins 0.01-601 ha (Median = 2.2 ha) and at water depths 0-35.7 cm (Median = 9.7 cm). Cattail (Typha sp.) was the dominant vegetation at 58.0% of nests while 21.0% were at sites dominated by phragmites (Phragmites australis). Conditional logistic regression models indicated …