Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Applying Ecological Theory To Amphibian Populations To Determine If Wood Frogs (Lithobates Sylvaticus) Are Ideal And Free When Selecting Breeding Habitat, Taylor M. Braunagel

Masters Theses

Amphibian populations are declining globally due to a litany of factors including pollution, disease, climate change, and most importantly, habitat destruction. As most amphibian life histories involve their populations being recruitment limited, focusing on the mechanism behind breeding habitat selection will reveal useful cues that managers may use to increase abundance and breeding success. Though there are many theoretical models that describe the distribution of animals in response to a resource, the ideal free distribution (IFD) theory has not yet been applied to amphibian settling decisions. Through this application of the IFD, I have found that a population of wood …

Visual Attention In Jumping Spiders, Margaret Bruce

Masters Theses

The different ways that animals extract and analyze visual information from their environment is of interest to sensory ecologists. Jumping spiders, well-known for visually guided mating and hunting behavior, are an interesting model for the study of visual attention because they quickly and efficiently integrate information from eight eyes with a small brain. Stimuli in front of the spider are examined by two functionally and morphologically distinct pairs of forward-facing eyes. The principal eyes discern fine details and have small retinas and thus a small visual field. However, their position at the back of moveable tubes within the cephalothorax expands …

Botswana’S Elephant-Back Safari Industry – Stress-Response In Working African Elephants And Analysis Of Their Post-Release Movements, Tanya Lama

Masters Theses

Understanding how African elephants (Loxodonta africana) respond to human interactions in ecotourism operations is critical to safeguarding animal and human welfare and sustaining wildlife ecotourism activities. We investigated the stress response of elephants to a variety of tourist activities over a 15-month period at Abu Camp in northern Botswana. We compared fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations across three elephant groups, including: eight elephants in an elephant-tourism operation (Abu herd), three elephants previously reintroduced back into the wild from the Abu herd, and wild elephants. There were no differences in FGM concentrations between the three groups of elephants. The highest observed …

Distribution And Population Dynamics Of Ungulates In The Mongolian Gobi, Buuveibaatar Bayarbaatar

Doctoral Dissertations

The Mongolian Gobi is one of the most spectacular and important regions in Central Asia, comprising the largest area of intact grassland in the world. In recent years, a growing human population, expanding exploitation of natural resources, and the development of infrastructure in the region place increasing pressure on these species and their habitats. This dissertation has focused on three species of ungulates such as Mongolian saiga (Saiga tatarica mongolica) in western Mongolia, and Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus), and goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) in Southern Gobi. The study on endangered saiga antelope in …

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 …

Experimental Tests Of Road Passage Systems For Reducing Road Mortalities Of Freshwater Turtles, Derek T. Yorks

Masters Theses

Roadways are a pervasive feature of northeastern landscapes and can be a significant source of mortality for turtles. Until recently, little has been known about the design requirements for successful under-road passages for turtles and other wildlife to move safely between bisected habitat patches. At outdoor laboratories, using a factorial experimental design, we examined movements in response to varying light levels, and barrier opacity for painted turtles (Chrysemys picta, n=833), Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii, n=49), and spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata, n=49). Additionally, we examined tunnel size, tunnel entrance design, and artificial lighting for painted …

The Effects Of Suburbanization On Nest Ectoparasites And Nest Defense Behavior In The Wood Thrush, Evan N. Dalton

Masters Theses

The Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) is declining throughout its range, yet is capable of persisting in both contiguous forests and small forest patches surrounded by human suburban development. Thus, it is an ideal species for gaining insight into the effects of suburbanization on migrant songbirds. I investigated two aspects of Wood Thrush nesting ecology: nest ectoparasites and nest defense behavior in order to determine if suburbanization influences either aspect. Nests from suburban forests had fewer haematophagous mites, though the abundance of haematophagous blowfly larvae did not differ between suburban and contiguous forests. There was no relationship between the …

Spatio-Temporal Factors Affecting Human-Black Bear Interactions In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Nathan Buckhout

Masters Theses

Wildlife managers use models to aid in predicting high risk areas for human and black bear (Ursus americanus) interactions (HBI). These tools help managers implement management strategies to minimize HBI. Over 3,000 incidents of HBI were compiled from management reports at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) during 1998-2011, a park with 9-10.2 million visitors per year and a black bear population of about 1,600 bears.

We used data from bear management reports along with annual visitor use, mast and bear abundance data to develop a series of generalized linear models to assess the spatial and temporal factors …

Interactions Between Pieris Oleracea And Pieris Rapae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) Butterflies, And The Biological Control Agents Cotesia Glomerata And Cotesia Rubecula (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)., Megan V. Herlihy

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Pieris oleracea, formerly Pieries napi, was once a widespread pierid butterfly in New England until the introduction of a biological control agent, Cotesia glomerata. It has been suggested that C. glomerata is responsible for the range reduction of P. oleracea. There are been several introductions of a second more specialized biological control agent, Cotesia rubecula, to the United States since the 1960’s. My first goal was to determine the current distribution and status of P. rapae parasitoids and the effectiveness of C. rubecula as a biological control agent since its release. The findings of a survey …

Population Dynamics, Chick Diet, And Foraging Behavior Of The Razorbill (Alca Torda) At Matinicus Rock, Maine, Katherine E. Kauffman

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

During the summers of 2007-2009, I studied the population growth and reproductive and foraging ecology of the Razorbill (Alca torda) at Matinicus Rock (MR), Maine. This medium-sized marine bird in the family Alcidae (auks) was extirpated from the Gulf of Maine in the late 19^th century by hunting, collecting, and colony disturbance. Following legislation protecting seabirds and their nesting habitats, the Razorbill has recolonized probable former nesting habitat in the Gulf of Maine during the past several decades. Six small colonies comprise the Maine population, which is listed as threatened and forms the southern extension of the …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Road Passage Structures For Freshwater Turtles In Massachusetts, David J. Paulson

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Roads are long linear features on the landscape that impact wildlife and their habitats. Among all forms of wildlife turtles are one of the most negatively affected by roads. Wildlife biologists and civil engineers have developed and implemented road design measures to mitigate the negative effects associated with roads. One common approach used to reduce road mortality and to facilitate movement of turtles is to construct a road mitigation system. There are currently 28 road mitigation systems for wildlife in Massachusetts, of which 14 were specifically built for turtles. We identified all known systems in Massachusetts and collected site and …

Evaluation Of Pre-Spawning Movements Of Anadromous Alewives In The Ipswich River Using Radiotelemetry, Holly J. Frank

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Conserving and restoring anadromous fish populations is an important research and management priority. For conservation to be effective, researchers must understand the behavior of the fish they seek to restore. Telemetry has allowed researchers to understand the upstream migrations of these fish in freshwater, how migration patterns vary, and if there is a relationship between behavior and environmental variables. In the northeastern United States, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), one of two species collectively referred to as river herring, has historically been an important component of coastal rivers. However, populations of these fish have experienced recent declines, and a commonly used method …