Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Long-Term Monitoring And Response Of Papaipema Sciata Bird (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) To Prescribed Fire In Michigan (Usa), Gregory J. Norwood, Logan M. Rowe, Brett A. Degregorio, David L. Cuthrell, Aaron D. Meredith, Steven M. Gray

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The Culver’s root borer moth (Papaipema sciata) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a rare Noctuid that requires Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) to complete its lifecycle within remnant native grasslands and open woodlands in the midwest and northeast United States. We report on 26 years of monitoring this species’ colonization of Culver’s root stems at Algonac State Park (ASP) in Michigan, where prairies have been maintained by prescribed fire since 1990. P. sciata is considered fire sensitive because eggs spend the dormant season in the combustible prairie litter and duff near host plants. The objectives were to determine the …

Preserving The Past: Exploring The Last Frontier's Ecosystem Shifts And Biodiversity Of The Tallgrass Prairies, Gisell Maldonado, Amelia Villaseñor

Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Theses

In North America, grasslands are a cornerstone of the environment. Historically, the tallgrass prairie was expansive and reached from Manitoba in Canada to Texas. Today this unique ecosystem is highly fragmented and reduced, but it remains an important ecosystem for biodiversity and cattle management. While there are many complex ecological interactions in the prairie, recent research shows that large herbivores are vital in maintaining grasslands through grazing and other behaviors that reduce woody encroachment and support nutrient cycling. Here, we examine cow and bison dietary behaviors and connect these to the ecosystem services provided by these large herbivores. In the …

Vultures, Bryan M. Kluever, Lee A. Humberg, Scott C. Barras

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Fact sheet about vultures including information about human--wildlife conflicts, the vulture roost, affects on livestock, structures, human health and safety, identification of damage, management methods, legal considerations, and economics. Also included is an overview of the species.

Systematics Of Disk-Winged Bats (Thyroptera), Courtney L. Klumpp

Capstone Showcase

This thesis investigates the evolutionary relationships among disk-winged bats in the genus Thyroptera, a small group of Neotropical bats known for the adhesive suction disks on their wings and feet that allow them to roost inside tightly rolled leaves. The distinctive morphology and behavior of these bats have not been extensively documented, and their phylogenetic relationships remain only partially resolved. The goal of this research is to better understand how these species are related to one another and to determine whether the five recognized species of Thyroptera form a single monophyletic group. To address this question, morphological and genetic …

Indirect Effects Of Coral Bleaching On Tursiops Truncatus Diet And Foraging Behavior In Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Annabel Fiero

Scripps Senior Theses

Indirect effects, where another species or factor mediates the effects of a given species, are critical to ecosystem structure and resilience. Shifts in fish community structure, as a result of rapidly declining coral reefs in the Caribbean due to warming-induced bleaching, pose a threat to apex predators like Tursiops truncatus (bottlenose dolphins). Branching corals create habitat niches for numerous fish species. These fish rely on coral for food and habitat, and in turn provide food for upper trophic levels. Prior research has highlighted how coral bleaching will disrupt Acroporid reef building corals and fish community structure, but the effects of …

Nutritional Niche Separation Amongst Sympatric Threatened Lemurs: The Role Of Micronutrients In Food Selection And Implications For Physiological Health, Maire K. O'Malley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Madagascar’s biodiversity is heavily affected by anthropogenic change and consequently, conservation management plans need to reflect current research to protect biodiversity. Primate nutritional ecology offers valuable insights into ecology, evolution, health, habitat requirements, social behavior, and conservation management strategies. Macronutrients (fat, carbohydrates, and protein) provide consumers with energy whereas micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential to metabolic processes but are frequently overlooked. This study provides a novel examination of dietary niche separation by comparing mineral consumption between three sympatric species differing in feeding strategies: 1) Grey Bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus), a bamboo specialist, 2) Diadema sifaka (Propithecus diadema), a folivore, …

The Ecology Of Arthropod Rain In A Tropical Forest., Andrew Robert Seiler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tropical forests are structured by complex vertical linkages and nutrient exchanges between canopy and understory habitats. These linkages include the downward flux of organisms, the movement of canopy fauna, and the recycling of nutrients through litter and organic matter deposition. This dissertation investigates arthropod rain and its role in connecting the canopy and forest floor processes in a lowland tropical forest in Panama. Chapter 2 quantifies “arthropod rain”, the fall of canopy arthropods into the understory. Using pan and pole traps, I measured the composition, abundance, and biomass of arthropods falling from the canopy and assessed environmental drivers of the …

Notes On Reproduction, Seasonality, And Roost Sites For Silver-Haired Bats (Lasionycteris Noctivagans) In Western Nebraska, Joseph W. Paysen, Dawson V. Kosmicki, Keith Geluso

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Silver-haired Bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are a migratory species found throughout the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Throughout their range, Silver-haired Bats roost in various tree species, generally within decaying features like cavities and exfoliated bark. Herein we report on additional reproductive and seasonal data as well as the first data on trees used as roost sites by Silver-haired Bats in Nebraska. We captured individuals along a small tributary of the North Platte River at Ash Hollow State Historical Park, Garden County, Nebraska, and tracked bats to their roosts. At this location, we documented lactation on 17 …

Offal Wildlife Watching: Connecting Hunters, Wildlife Researchers, And The Public Through Participatory Science, Ellen M. Candler, Grace Milanowski, Amy Rager, Joseph K. Bump

Journal of Extension

Offal Wildlife Watching is a participatory science project that engages deer hunters in wildlife research. The goal of the project is to better understand the ecology of scavenger species that visit deer gut piles across Minnesota. We asked hunters to deploy remote cameras at white-tailed deer gut piles that resulted from their freshly killed deer. Thus far 117 hunters have contributed images and recorded at least 49 different scavenger species. This project is a natural fit in Extension programs and can easily be adapted to other hunted species, biomes, and locations.

‘Who’S Your Daddy?’: Ddradseq Parentage In Broodstock-Offspring Pairs Of Diadema Antillarum In A Population Restoration Initiative, Bianca R. Rosendahl

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

In the early 1980s Diadema antillarum, or the long-spined urchin, was hit by a catastrophic mass mortality event across the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, inclusive of the Florida Keys. The cause of this die-off event was likely triggered by a pathogen or environmental stressor that decimated native populations by up to 98%. The species has not yet fully recovered and is struggling with recruitment success which is why it may benefit from an ex-situ recovery program. In this study, I used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify genetic variation and analyze parentage in a captive population of …

Does Depth Affect Zebra Mussel Length In Scalp Lake?, Zanden Mellen

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Since its first sighting in 1996, zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha have been confirmed in hundreds of Minnesota lakes. Not only were they found in lakes, but they are also found in rivers too. With lack of effective treatments to impede their spread, zebra mussels continue to colonize new areas causing ecological as well as economic harm. The objective of this study was to see if there was a relationship between a zebra mussel length and the depth, they are found using shell length (mm) and depth (cm). The comparison of zebra mussel length and depth was done by performing a …

Age Class Is Not Related To Size Or Composition Of Home Ranges Among Suburban White-Tailed Deer During Parturition, Nathan D. Pyburn

Journal of Earth and Life Science

How white-tailed deer use the landscape in an urban environment can help us understand the effects of urbanization on deer populations. White-tailed deer form observable matriarchal hierarchies in studied populations. This study examines the matriarchal structure, home range size, and home range composition of 25 collared white-tailed deer within the city limits of Bemidji, MN. The results found no significant difference between age class and home range size or composition. However, movement metrics from yearling and mature age classes were more similar than the juvenile age class females. I propose this is because social acceptance between mature females was higher …

Distribution And Ecology Of The Cedar Keys Mole Skink (Plestiodon Egregius Insularis), Kevin M. Enge, Louis A. Somma, Paul E. Moler, Travis M. Thomas, Matthew T. Fedler, John M. Matter, Dennis C. Haney

Papers in Herpetology

We conducted surveys for the Cedar Keys Mole Skink, Plestiodon egregius insularis (Mount), during 1989– 1999 and 2015–2024, examined museum vouchers, and compiled personal observations from others to determine the status and distribution of this subspecies, which has the smallest geographic distribution of the five subspecies and is being considered for federal listing. We observed Cedar Keys Mole Skinks on Airstrip Island, Atsena Otie, Cedar Point, Deer Island, North Key, Scale Key, Seahorse Key, Snake Key, and possibly Dog Island. We have anecdotal reports of Mole Skinks on Way Key, which contains the most potential habitat and is the main …

Wildlife Distribution Mapping And Analysis In Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, Using Site And Satellite Imagery Data, Pinho Joaquim Munhequeira Mr

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

One of Mozambique's most important conservation sites, Gorongosa National Park has seen critical ecological changes over the past several decades resulting from climate variability, habitat loss, and political instability. This research integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing to examine the relationship between vegetation dynamics and wildlife population, and distribution. The main goals of this study are to evaluate the spatial distribution of particular wildlife species: buffalo (Syncerus caffer), elephant (Loxodonta africana), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), and zebra (Equus quagga), and determine the impact of vegetation density and land cover on their …

Psychological And Social Well-Being Of Bony Fishes In Zoos And Aquariums, Ronald G. Oldfield, Patrick Bonano

Animal Sentience

Research on the behaviour of animals in zoos has been conducted for decades, and observations have provided information that has improved the psychological and social well-being of animals. However, research on fishes in zoos and aquariums seems to be lacking. Here, we assess the current state of research on fishes in zoos and aquariums by surveying the peer-reviewed literature. Our assessment differs from previous surveys in that we examine the taxonomic classes Chondrichthyes (sharks and rays) and Osteichthyes (bony fishes) separately. Our survey finds that bony fishes have been drastically underrepresented in zoo journals, more drastically than chondrichthyans, revealing an …

The Behavioral Specialization Of African Ant-Following Birds On Dorylus Driver Ants, Patricia F. Rodrigues

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ant-following birds, that forage on arthropods flushed by swarm raiding army ants, are an iconic phenomenon in tropical forests around the globe. Despite capturing the attention of naturalists for over a century, research on ant-following birds has largely focused on Neotropical species. Decades of research on Neotropical ant-following birds has revealed fascinating aspects of their specialization, including complex cognitive and behavioral adaptations that allow birds to locate and track nomadic army ants. Despite this breadth of research on Neotropical species, virtually nothing is known of the behavioral ecology of African ant-following birds, and it remains unknown whether they exhibit adaptations …

Wildlife Conservation: The Importance Of Individual Personality Traits And Sentience, Karen A. Owens, Gosia Bryja, Marc Bekoff

Animal Sentience

Individual differences in personality types within the same species have been studied much less than differences between species and populations. Personality differences are related to risk-taking and exploration, which in turn correlate with individuals' daily responses, decisions, and fitness. Bold and shy personality types can have different advantages and disadvantages under different social or environmental pressures. Analyzing personality differences has helped clarify how elk habituate to a well-populated area and how management strategies can be adapted to them. For wolves newly repatriated to Colorado, individual personality factors are likely to prove important for adapting to their new homes as well …

Vibratory Noise Impacts The Sensory Ecology Of A Funnel-Weaving Spider, Brandi June Pessman

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Animals experience their world through diverse sensory systems, leveraging information from prey, predators, and potential mates to inform behavioral decisions. Environmental noise disrupts information via spectral or amplitude masking, degradation, or distortion, potentially leading to costly errors in responses. Critically, urbanization has accelerated the proliferation of novel noise sources, triggering significant shifts in communication, foraging, and predator-prey dynamics among urban wildlife. While vertebrate studies have illuminated urban animals’ flexibility to anthropogenic acoustic noise, a comprehensive understanding requires broader investigations across diverse animal taxa and sensory modalities. To address these gaps, my dissertation explored the impacts of anthropogenic substrate-borne (vibratory) noise …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Reilly Miller

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Habitat loss due to deforestation is a primary threat to global biodiversity. Clearing tropical rainforests for agriculture leads to forest fragmentation. Forest fragments contain fewer large trees and provide lower food availability for primates compared to continuous forests. Mantled howler monkeys inhabit the increasingly fragmented rainforests of Central and South America and may need to alter their activity and spatial cohesion to mitigate competition and preserve energy in fragments where there is lower quality food. We compared howler monkey activity and spatial cohesion across a small forest fragment (La Suerte Biological Research Station, LSBRS) and a large, continuous forest (La …

Wildlife Conservation And Adaptation To Humans, Valeria Mazza Phd, Claudio Carere

Animal Sentience

For many animal species, the ability to adapt to coexistence with the human species and to the environmental changes that humans cause is a biological imperative. This adaptive capacity varies not only between species, but within species. Studying individual differences in animals’ behavioral, cognitive and physiological adaptability is important for integrating ethology and conservation. Findings about animal cognitive capacities, including learning, need to be applied in conservation—but humans need to be educated about ethology, coexistence and conservation too.

Movement Behavior And Metapopulation Connectivity Of Stream Salamanders In Response To Disturbance Events, Kathryn M. Greene

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Metapopulations are shaped by the dispersal between populations in a landscape. Disturbance events can disrupt this connectivity resulting in local population extinction. For my dissertation, I used a combination of empirical and theoretical techniques to examine dispersal in response to disturbance and assessed it’s population-level consequences. My research used capture-mark-recapture sampling techniques to evaluate stream salamander movement in response to (1) a supraseasonal drought and (2) mountaintop-removal-mining (MTR) and valley-filling (VF) and (3) agent-based simulation modeling to evaluate population extinction risk in response to varying dispersal and mortality rates.

First, I evaluated the effects of a supraseasonal drought, a severe …

Better Understanding The Barred Owl, Adam Lee Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis research presents an analysis of barred owl nest site selection in an understudied region of their expanded range. The barred owl has dramatically expanded its range westwards over the last 150 years, prompting multiple conflicting reinterpretations of their species account. Hypotheses of range expansion are reviewed to provide context for this study’s research. This study gathers empirical data on nest site selection in the mixed conifer forests of Montana’s Seeley-Swan and Mission Valleys. Eight barred owl nests were located following extensive territory surveys. Field measurements of tree height and diameter using USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Book Review: Habitantes De La Obscuridad (Fauna Ibero-Balear De Las Cuevas) – Inhabitants Of The Darkness (Ibero-Baleric Fauna Of Caves), Oana Teodora Moldovan

International Journal of Speleology

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Southern California Marine Protected Areas Promote Bolder Fish Populations, Lucian Himes, Florybeth F. La Valle

Summer Undergraduate Research in Biology Program

Marine protected areas (MPAs) aim to protect habitats and ecosystems to promote the diversity and health of marine populations. To evaluate the health of fish populations within and outside of MPAs in Southern California, we used flight initiation distance (FID). FID is the distance at which an individual will flee from a perceived predator and is a direct measure of boldness. Lower FIDs are indicative of bolder populations. Lower FID values indicate that fish will have the opportunity to dedicate less energy to fleeing from predators which could then be used for increased foraging. Data was collected from eight locations …

Go Big Or Go Home: Divergence In Morphology And Behavior Between Island And Islet Populations Of The San Cristóbal Lava Lizard (Microlophus Bivittatus), Emilio J. Mancero

Masters Theses

Rapid divergence in body size is a well-documented phenomenon among island species, associated with macroevolutionary processes of diversification and adaptive radiation. The effect of insularity in determining larger body size as an optimal phenotype is primarily attributed to lower predation and greater intraspecific competition on islands. Our study examined interpopulation variation in morphology, social behavior and predator avoidance in Galápagos lava lizards endemic to San Cristóbal island (Microlophus bivittatus), and the nearby islet Isla Lobos. Islet populations have fewer competitors than those on the island, where native and introduced predators are abundant. We simulated interactions with predators and …

Behavioral Response To Conspecific Sounds In Loricariid Catfishes (Pterygoplichtys Pardalis And Otocinclus Vittatus), Hephzibah Obafunmiso

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Sound production is a means of communication among many fish species. In fishes, sound is produced through various mechanisms, but in the family Loricariidae, known as armored suckermouth catfishes, sound is produced primarily through pectoral fin spine stridulation. Previous experiments have described the sounds produced and shown the mechanism of sound production in two species of loricariid catfishes, Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps and Otocinclus affinis, but the functional significance of loricariid sounds is still unknown. To address this question, I examined the behavioral responses of Pterygoplichthys pardalis and Otocinclus vittatus to conspecific calls. Individual fish (N=10 for P. pardalis) or groups …

The Effects Of Urban Landscape, Soundscape, And Light Pollution On Avian Diversity And Nesting In South San Antonio, Texas, Alfredo Llamas

Masters Theses (Archived)

As critical habitat continues to dwindle due to the expansion of urbanization, alternative habitat in urban ecosystems becomes a necessary natural resource for the survival of birds. In the last decade, local San Antonio environmental authorities have focused their efforts on restoring the San Antonio Mission Reach. Ecological revitalization of the San Antonio Mission Reach could increase avian, and flora biodiversity with ongoing restoration, yet how birds use restored habitat has not been assessed. Additionally, south of the Reach, two more peri-urban sites have great potential to be high quality habitat for birds but have not been surveyed for nesting …

Habitat Characteristics And Winter Use Of Woodpecker-Excavated Tree Cavities, Adrianna Yoder

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Avifauna are in decline in North America, including red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). Red-headed woodpeckers are negatively impacted by urbanization, which has decreased their ideal habitats of oak-savannas and through the management of urban trees there has been a reduction in the amount of tree decay, a necessary feature of suitable trees that woodpeckers can make cavities in. Cavities are created and used as nests in the breeding season (spring/summer) and as roost-sites in the non-breeding season (fall/winter). In the Chicagoland region, during the fall some red-headed woodpeckers migrate while others do not and remain overwinter, making them facultative …

Coyote Occupancy And Movement In Hanover County, Virginia, Richard S. Groover

Virginia Journal of Science

Although the coyote (Canis latrans) is native to North America, we have limited understanding of its presence in Virginia. Coyote range expansion is linked to anthropogenic factors, including habitat fragmentation and the extirpation of apex predators. Information on coyote adaptations to Virginia habitats is scarce, and eastern coyotes may have unique adaptations for colonizing an area. Anecdotal evidence suggests that coyotes are abundant in Hanover County (north of Richmond, VA), but this has not been confirmed. This study was conducted over an 18-month period with multiple survey sites throughout Hanover County, each equipped with game camera stations and …