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

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™

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

2024

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1021 - 1027 of 1027

Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Fire Severity Mediates Marten And Fisher Occurrence: Impacts Of The Dixie Fire On A Carnivore Community, Christopher James Collier Jan 2024

Fire Severity Mediates Marten And Fisher Occurrence: Impacts Of The Dixie Fire On A Carnivore Community, Christopher James Collier

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The consumption of an astounding one million acres resulted from California’s largest single fire to date, the 2021 Dixie Fire. The social and economic losses associated with the fire were immediately apparent, but the effects on wildlife remained unknown. While previous research has suggested mixed or low severity fire may be beneficial to certain wildlife species, the responses to megafires are poorly understood for many carnivores. To better understand these responses to severe fire, I used a random sampling design stratified by burn severity to survey in and around the Dixie Fire footprint using baited camera stations. This allowed me …

Go to article

Pond Characteristics That Influence Oviposition Site Selection By Two Pond-Breeding Amphibians, Northern Red-Legged Frog (Rana Aurora) And Northwestern Salamander (Ambystoma Gracile), Jessica Jones Jan 2024

Pond Characteristics That Influence Oviposition Site Selection By Two Pond-Breeding Amphibians, Northern Red-Legged Frog (Rana Aurora) And Northwestern Salamander (Ambystoma Gracile), Jessica Jones

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Pond-breeding amphibians connect aquatic and terrestrial habitats through their biphasic life cycle, and understanding pond characteristics that support oviposition sites for multiple species is important for amphibian conservation. Two common amphibians in the Pacific Northwest, Northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) and Northwestern salamander (Ambystoma gracile) often oviposit in the same pond; however, prior studies have focused on pond use by one species or the other, but not both together. I surveyed pond and oviposition site characteristics of 26 ponds in Humboldt County, CA, 10 of which were used only by R. aurora and 16 of which …

Go to article

Characterizing The Habitat Use Of Pacific Coast Feeding Group Gray Whales (Eschrichtius Robustus) And The Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Their Benthic And Planktonic Invertebrate Prey In Northern California, Robyn E. Norman Jan 2024

Characterizing The Habitat Use Of Pacific Coast Feeding Group Gray Whales (Eschrichtius Robustus) And The Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Their Benthic And Planktonic Invertebrate Prey In Northern California, Robyn E. Norman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

As opportunistic foragers, the Eastern North Pacific population (~20,000) of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) feed on diverse benthic and planktonic invertebrates in northern Alaska foraging grounds before they undertake one of the largest yearly migrations of any mammal to breed in Baja California, Mexico. While most of the population travels to the summer foraging grounds in Alaska, a sub-group of whales (~230) called the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) summer between British Columbia, Canada, and northern California. The diet of PCFG whales typically includes high-density and/or high-caloric prey items like mysids and diverse species of amphipods, yet a …

Go to article

Post-Fire Vegetation And Pyrodiversity Influence Breeding Abundances Of Lewis's Woodpeckers In The Eastern Cascades, Oregon, Brittany Welch Jan 2024

Post-Fire Vegetation And Pyrodiversity Influence Breeding Abundances Of Lewis's Woodpeckers In The Eastern Cascades, Oregon, Brittany Welch

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Lewis’s woodpeckers (Melanerpes lewis) are described as "burn specialists" due to their preference for breeding in recently burned pine forests in the western US. However, despite increasing fire activity, this species experienced a 48% range-wide decline between 1968 and 2019, which raises questions about their adaptability to altered fire regimes in the region. We partnered with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife to investigate how Lewis’s woodpeckers in the eastern Cascades, Oregon were influenced by post-fire habitat characteristics such as snag size, snag density, and burn severity across five wildfires that varied in fire age, size, and …

Go to article

The Effects Of Native Perennial Cover On Physiological Indicators Of Habitat Quality For Sparrows In California Coastal Prairie Rangelands, Madeleine A. Ybarra Jan 2024

The Effects Of Native Perennial Cover On Physiological Indicators Of Habitat Quality For Sparrows In California Coastal Prairie Rangelands, Madeleine A. Ybarra

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Prescribed grazing management can have myriad effects on wildlife, with low to moderate grazing being associated with an increased abundance of some grassland birds. Specifically, Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) abundance have been shown to be positively associated with both grazing and a higher percentage of native plant cover. However, measures of abundance provide an incomplete assessment of habitat quality for birds. Physiological and morphological measurements can help indicate environmental stress in individual birds, which reveals more information about habitat quality. We measured body condition and heterophil:lymphocyte ratios to gauge avian stress …

Go to article

Effects Of Habitat Selection And Individual Quality On The Reproductive Success Of Barn Owls (Tyto Furcata), Jaime E. Carlino Jan 2024

Effects Of Habitat Selection And Individual Quality On The Reproductive Success Of Barn Owls (Tyto Furcata), Jaime E. Carlino

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The hypothesis of adaptive breeding habitat selection proposes congruence between the evolved selection of habitats and fitness components such as reproductive success. However, mismatches between habitat selection and observed fitness outcomes are not unusual and can arise for multiple reasons. Variation in individual qualities of animals has also been found to affect reproduction and survival. I examined associations between barn owl nest box selection, reproductive output, and plumage characteristics previously shown to correspond to individual quality. I found that barn owls selected tall nest boxes made of wood, mounted high off the ground, and with increased proportions of grassland around …

Go to article

Scale And Habitat Effects On Measurement Of Streptomyces Biogeography And Biodiversity, Terilyn A. Stoflet Jan 2024

Scale And Habitat Effects On Measurement Of Streptomyces Biogeography And Biodiversity, Terilyn A. Stoflet

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Bacteria in the genus Streptomyces are detected in most soils around the world, as well as on and in seeds, plants, animals, insects and the wind. Currently, more than 700 valid species of Streptomyces have been identified worldwide. Streptomyces produce the majority of antibiotics, antivirals and antifungals, as well as important agricultural bioactive molecules due to their unique genetic capabilities. Their distinct genetic abilities allow them to produce an unlimited amount of biosynthetic gene clusters, or BGC’s. Although many compounds come from Streptomyces, scientists have not discovered the biogeographic patterns of this genus. The biogeography of Streptomyces is a …

Go to article

First Prev