Forest Sciences Commons^™

A Probabilistic Framework For Behavioral Identification From Animal-Borne Accelerometers, Jane Dentinger, Luca Börger, Mark D. Holton, Ruholla Jafari-Marandi, Durham A. Norman, Brian K. Smith, Seth F. Oppenheimer, Bronson K. Strickland, Rory P. Wilson, Garrett M. Street

College of Forest Resources Publications and Scholarship

Many studies of animal distributions use habitat and climactic variables to explain patterns of observed space use. However, without behavioral information, we can only speculate as to why and how these characteristics are important to species persistence.

Animal-borne accelerometer and magnetometer data loggers can be used to detect behaviors and when coupled with telemetry improve our understanding of animal space use and habitat requirements. However, these loggers collect tremendous quantities of data requiring automated machine learning techniques to identify patterns in the data. Supervised machine learning requires a set of training signals with known behaviors to train the model to …

Deriving Surface Fuels From Uas Imagery Forfire Models, Matthew R. Cunningham

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding how fuel, weather, and terrain interact to produce fire behavior continues to motivate fire science andhas resulted in development of new physics-based fire behavior models that place increased demands on input data such as fuels. Recent technological advancements in computing, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and sensors (RGB, multispectral, thermal, and hyperspectral cameras) can provide new opportunities for land managers and scientists to advance knowledge of fuels and fire behavior and their interactions on the landscape. In this study, imagery from high resolution multispectral cameras mounted on UAS were used to build orthomosaics and point clouds of surface fuelbeds in …

Exploring The Social Effects Of Increased Hiker Use At The Northern Terminus Of The Appalachian Trail, Leah Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increase of tourism and outdoor recreation popularity has produced a field of research revolved around the social and environmental impacts of visitors. Past research has shown that understanding visitor use and behavior is essential for influencing management strategies. This study focused on understanding the crowding perceptions and experiences of hikers who summit Maine’s tallest mountain, Mount Katahdin. Katahdin is designated as the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT) which has seen a notable increase in use from long distance hikers in the last 25 years. Increased long-distance AT hikers, and documented issues with hiker behavior in Baxter State …

Frequent Arousals From Winter Torpor In Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus Rafinesquii), Joseph S. Johnson, Michael J. Lacki, Steven C. Thomas, John F. Grider

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Extensive use of torpor is a common winter survival strategy among bats; however, data comparing various torpor behaviors among species are scarce. Winter torpor behaviors are likely to vary among species with different physiologies and species inhabiting different regional climates. Understanding these differences may be important in identifying differing susceptibilities of species to white-nose syndrome (WNS) in North America. We fitted 24 Rafinesque’s big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) with temperature-sensitive radio-transmitters, and monitored 128 PIT-tagged big-eared bats, during the winter months of 2010 to 2012. We tested the hypothesis that Rafinesque’s big-eared bats use torpor less often than values …

Despotism And Risk Of Infanticide Influence Grizzly Bear Den-Site Selection, Nathan S. Libal, Jerrold L. Belant, Bruce D. Leopold, Guiming Wang, Patricia A. Owen

College of Forest Resources Publications and Scholarship

Given documented social dominance and intraspecific predation in bear populations, the ideal despotic distribution model and sex hypothesis of sexual segregation predict adult female grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) will avoid areas occupied by adult males to reduce risk of infanticide. Under ideal despotic distribution, juveniles should similarly avoid adult males to reduce predation risk. Den-site selection and use is an important component of grizzly bear ecology and may be influenced by multiple factors, including risk from conspecifics. To test the role of predation risk and the sex hypothesis of sexual segregation, we compared adult female (n = 142), adult male …

Reducing Reliance On Supplemental Winter Feeding In Elk (Cervus Canadensis): An Applied Management Experiment At Deseret Land And Livestock Ranch, Utah, Dax L. Mangus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife managers have fed elk in North America for nearly 100 years. Giving winter feed to elk can compensate for a shortage of natural winter range and may boost elk populations while also helping prevent commingling with livestock and depredation of winter feed intended for livestock. In contrast to these benefits of supplemental feeding, there are economic and environmental costs associated with feeding, and elk herds that winter on feeding grounds have a higher risk of contracting and transmitting disease. Brucellosis is of primary concern now, and Chronic Wasting Disease may be in the future. Many see the discontinuation of …

Identifying And Understanding The Spatial Distribution Of Bobcat And Coyote Behavior, Ryan Radford Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A common observation in animal space use studies is that animals do not use space uniformly, but rather use some areas of their home ranges and territories with much higher intensity than others. Numerous methods have been developed to estimate these "core areas"; however, all of the current methods available are based on arbitrary rules. Additionally, most studies do not attempt to understand what behavioral processes lead to the observed patterns of non-uniform space use. This study has four main objectives: 1) to develop an objective and more precise method for estimating core areas, 2) to understand the processes leading …

The Influence Of Fennel Feeding On Development, Survival, And Reproduction In Podisus Nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Jose Bruno Malaquias, Francisco De Sousa Ramalho, Jefferson Virginio Silva Souza, Karjoene Cassimiro Vieira Rodrigues, Paulo Alves Wanderley

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) leaves as food on development, survival, and reproduction in Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas). Newly hatched P. nigrispinus nymphs were used in this study. The prey consisted of 3rd-instar Alabama argillacea (Huebner) larvae. Fennel and cotton leaves were not sufficient to enable the full development of the predator to its adult stage. It was verified that 35% of the nymphs that fed on cotton leaves and water, and 31% of the nymphs that fed on fennel leaves and water completed their 2nd instar in 5.68 days and …

Moose (Alces Alces L.) Browsing In Young Scots Pine Stands In Relation To The Characteristics Of Their Winter Habitats, Risto Heikkila, Sauli Harkonen

Aspen Bibliography

Moose (Alces alces L.) browsing was studied in young Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands mixed with deciduous trees in high-density winter ranges. The proportional use of twig biomass decreased as the availability increased. The total as well as proportional biomass consumption were higher on the moist than on the dry type of forest. The per tree consumption of pine was higher on the moist type, where the availability of pine was lower. Deciduous trees were more consumed on the moist type, where their availability was relatively high. The consumption of pine saplings increased as the availability of …

Acoustic Communication Of The Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus Buccinator), Maureen Patton-Gross, Millicent S. Ficken

Field Station Bulletins

Six cygnet calls, eight adult calls, and one nonvocal sound of Trumpeter Swans are categorized and described. Calls vary greatly in complexity. Many form graded series, while others are discrete. Most of the cygnet calls are involved with soliciting aid from a parent, while adult calls have a wider variety of functions.

Female Dominance Among Purple Finches (Carpodacus Purpureus) In Winter Flocks, James W. Popp

Field Station Bulletins

The dominance of females over males in winter flocks is rare. In this paper, I report on female dominance over males in winter flocks of Purple Finches (Carpodacus purpureus). Females won nearly all observed intersexual encounters and also differed from males in their use of agonistic displays. Female dominance has been reported for other species in the genus Carpodacus, but reasons for the occurrence of female dominance in this genus are unknown.

Recognition Of Brood-Mate Vocalizations By Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus) Chicks, Susan St. Clair Raye

Field Station Bulletins

Unrelated bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) chicks were hatched together and raised together. Each chick was tested in an arena with tape recorded separation, contentment and distress calls from a brood-mate and an unfamiliar chick of the same age. Chicks at one, six and 19 days of age gave significantly more separation calls in response to the separation calls of their brood-mates than they gave in response to the separation calls of the strange chicks. Since the chicks were not related, this ability to recognize brood-mate vocalizations is probably learned. Sibling recognition in quail might function in inbreeding avoidance.

The Dominance Hierarchy Of The Black-Capped Chickadee And It's Relation To Breeding Territory And Frequency Of Visitation To An Artificial Food Source, Craig Thompson

Field Station Bulletins

A peck-dominant type of dominance hierarchy was demonstrated in a group of twenty-one Black-capped Chickadees and was consistent with what is expected of this species of Paridae at the interflock level. No significant correlations were found between dominance and frequency of visitation to the study feeder, between dominance and distance from feeder to 1980 breeding territory, and between distance to territory and frequency of visitation.

Behavioral Studies Of Black-Capped Chickadees At The Uwm Field Station, Millicent S. Ficken

Field Station Bulletins

This report summarizes studies of the behavior of Black-capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) conducted at the UWM Field Station since 1970. Vocalizations and responses to predators are emphasized. Chickadees are very social and their calls are more complex than those of non-social avian species.

The Opportunity Spectrum -- Concept And Behavioral Information In Outdoor Recreation Resource Supply Inventories: Background And Application, Perry J. Brown, B. L. Driver, C. Mcconnell

Forest Management Faculty Publications

The paper describes an outdoor recreation resource (ORR) Supply Inventory and Classification (SIC) System that is being developed for multiple use natural resource planning. Four previously developed ORR SIC’s on which this system was built are described briefly. A general model for natural resource planning is presented to show how the proposed ORR SIC fits into a larger planning framework.

The proposed SIC System is described and its application for regional and unit planning is explained. Relationships between OR consumers' preferences for specific types of satisfying experiences and their preferences for specific attributes of the physical, social, and managerial settings …

Black-Capped Chickadee Behavior-Fledging To Dispersal, Mary Van Male

Field Station Bulletins

Most studies of the family life of young birds after they leave the nest have been descriptive and anecdotal with little quantitative behavioral data, despite the many interesting problems involved in interactions of the members of a family. The objectives of this study were to determine: 1) the behavior of parents and young Black-capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) at the time of leaving the nest, 2) how the parents and young behave towards each other during the period when the young are dependent on their parents, 3) the factors responsible for the final disruption of the family. Since aggression was anticipated …

Recreation Research—So What?, Perry J. Brown, Allen Dyer, Ross S. Whaley

Forest Management Faculty Publications

The authors contend that most recreation research cannot stand the question, "So what?” From that point the article proceeds to a prescription for a meaningful approach to recreation research, which links recreation research to planning within a systems context. Researchable questions are posed dealing with preferences and behavior, resource capabilities and environmental impacts, and the nature and dynamics of institutions for the original state, process, and desired state segments of a planning system.

Communication In Ground Squirrels, Robert Ryshke

Field Station Bulletins

Thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Citellus tridecemlineatus) are among the more abundant and conspicuous Midwestern mammals, yet surprisingly little is known of their behavior under natural conditions, except for the study of McCarley (1966) which concentrated on population dynamics. The object of my study was to describe the general behavior of the ground squirrel, with particular emphasis on postures and vocalizations used in communication. Communication occurs whenever the behavioral activities of one animal affect the activities of another. Communication among members of a group is an essential part of social life, reducing aggression in animal groups as well as synchronizing reproductive activities.