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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
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Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Complex Effects Of Ungulate Browsers On Tree Recruitment And Herbaceous Layers In New England Temperate Forests, Edward K. Faison
Complex Effects Of Ungulate Browsers On Tree Recruitment And Herbaceous Layers In New England Temperate Forests, Edward K. Faison
Doctoral Dissertations
Browsing by ungulates is a leading biotic disturbance in northern forest ecosystems and an important determinant of habitat, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. A large body of work has revealed that white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at high densities alter forest understories in strong and predictable ways; however, less is known about how lower densities of deer and the combined effects of multiple herbivores influence forest understory vegetation, particularly in stands following canopy disturbance. Using fenced exclosures, remote cameras and other field observations, I explored the foraging response and browsing effects of low densities of deer and moose (Alces …
Behavioral And Neural Mechanisms Of Impulsive Choice, Jesse Mcclure
Behavioral And Neural Mechanisms Of Impulsive Choice, Jesse Mcclure
Doctoral Dissertations
Impulsive choice is defined as the preference for a small immediate reward over a larger delayed reward. Individual variablity in impulsive choice correlates with many socially relevant behaviors. Although forms of impulsive choice have been studied in both behavioral ecology and psychology, the exchange of knowledge between these fields is just beginning. Drawing from both of these fields will improve our research methods allowing for a more detailed understanding of this complex behavior. Existing tasks to measure impulsive choice conflate the delay and quantity of the reward. To address this, I have drawn from foraging research to establish a method …
The Effectiveness And Applicability Of Amphibians As Indicator Species For Long-Term Monitoring Of Ecological Changes In New England Forests, Ahmed Siddig
Doctoral Dissertations
The objective of this study is to assess the potential of two amphibians species, Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus (Green)) and Eastern Red-spotted Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens viridescens Rafinesque), as indicator species of forest disturbances at Harvard Forest, located in Petersham, Massachusetts, United States. Specifically, I 1) assess the impacts of these focal species to decline of hemlock forests in Harvard Forest; 2) calibrate abundance indices of P. cinereus based on artificial and natural objects surveys with a population size estimator based on depletion sampling; and 3) assess the potential of these salamanders as indicator species by developing an …
The Effect Of Thermoregulation And Roads On The Movements And Habitat Selection Of Moose In Massachusetts, David W. Wattles
The Effect Of Thermoregulation And Roads On The Movements And Habitat Selection Of Moose In Massachusetts, David W. Wattles
Doctoral Dissertations
Massachusetts, U.S.A. is located along the southern boundary of the geographic range of moose (Alces alces) in North America. This is an atypical environment for moose, because of its extremely high levels of human development and high year-round temperatures, which are possibly at the limits of moose physiological tolerances. I investigated the role of these two factors on moose movements and habitat selection to determine how human development of the landscape and temperature influence moose occupation of this extreme environment. In addition, the response of moose to these factors provides insights into the influence of development and temperature …