African wild dog Lycaon pictus populations are declining and the species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. The Kruger National Park (KNP) is home to the only viable population of wild dogs in South Africa, but census results reveal consistently low numbers since the late 1990s. Wild dogs display wide-ranging behaviour and it is possible that the species might frequently use unprotected lands adjacent to the KNP. However, very little is known about wild dog movements beyond the boundaries of the KNP, and whether or not adjacent land owners are tolerant of the species. Significantly, threats along the boundaries may have negative consequences for the KNP population. This research investigated the dispersal habits of wild dogs beyond the western and southern boundaries of the KNP, and gathered information on human tolerance, and anthropogenic threats in an area of mixed land use. The land west of the KNP presented the best prospect for wild dog range expansion. The wild dog packs operating outside the KNP had smaller home ranges and less home range overlap than the packs operating within the KNP. In addition, my data suggested that the development of conservancies and the formation of ecotourism-based land use practices would be beneficial for wild dog conservation. Failed wild dog dispersals due to snaring and human persecution could threaten the genetic stability and persistence of the KNP population. Therefore, raising awareness and an understanding of the plight of wild dogs is important for improving land owner perception and tolerance outside of protected areas. The rapidly increasing human population continues to infringe on protected lands and fragment landscapes, thus cooperation from individual land owners is vital for the conservation of free-ranging large carnivores.

The study was conducted in the Greater Kruger National Park Complex (GKNP), which consists of the Kruger National Park (KNP) and adjacent private game reserves and focuses primarily on the following objectives: • To monitor and evaluate the standard of the existing disease surveillance programmes for the following diseases, Foot and Mouth, Anthrax, Tuberculosis, Brucellosis and Rabies, within the Kruger National Park and adjacent private game reserves by evaluating the level of competency and knowledge in field rangers, field guides and trails rangers with regard to these specific diseases. It can be stated that important differences exist between disease surveillance techniques used for domestic animals and those used for wildlife (Bengis, R.G., Kock, R.A., & Fischer, J., 2002). According to Morner, T., Obendorf, D.L., Artios, M., & Woodford, M.H., 2002, it is more difficult to monitor diseases in wildlife than in domestic animals because wild animals are not constrained by boundaries and can roam over large. distances. For significant diseases in wildlife, an active surveillance programme may be the preferred approach with the aim to collect a certain number of samples from a target population (live or dead animals) to determine the point prevalence of certain pathogens. Active veterinary participation is essential in protected area management, with emphasis on training of technicians, rangers and field biologists with regard to specific diseases and their clinical signs, surveillance and sampling techniques, data collection, and reporting. For the purpose of this study, data collection was conducted by means of a questionnaire drawn up according to the related critical points as described in the Dufour grid (Dufour, 1998). The results of this study clearly showed a need to address certain important aspects regarding a wildlife disease programme within the GKNP. A more efficient wildlife disease surveillance programme, which included more specific and “hands-on” trained staff, would definitely ensure a better early warning system which would detect new or emerging disease outbreaks. / M. Tech. (Nature Conservation))

The study examined the past and present spatial distribution of the Florida tree snail, L. fasciatus solidus, in the Long Pine Key area of the Everglades National Park. Remote sensing and mobile GIS were used to create a GIS database of the field research results. Collection and survey-based data were used to create a current spatial distribution map of L. fasciatus solidus throughout the Long Pine Key area. The data collected during the 2006 survey were compared to a 1931 survey of the same study area conducted by Dr. William Clench of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) of Harvard University. The data was used to determine the success of L. fasciatus solidus from 1931 to 2006, to evaluate a correlation between hammock size and the number of color forms, and to detect migration patterns of L. fasciatus solidus within the Long Pine Key area of Everglades National Park. Based on the average success rate for the seven color forms and the hammocks, the L. fasciatus solidus population in the Long Pine Key area exemplifies one of a stable community. Each color form used for the analysis had a success rate between 67% and 100%. These percentages can only be the worst case scenario based on the fact that many Liguus were not observed, and any others that would have been observed, would only increase the success rate. / by Jason R. Fadely. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (MTech (Nature Conservation))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / Lions are threatened across their natural range. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP), comprising the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP; South Africa) and Gemsbok National Park (GNP; Botswana), is a stronghold for the species. Population size and demography of lions in the KGNP has been addressed in four historic studies. Studies in mid-1970 and 1990 reported a female biased population whereas in 2010 the sex structure was skewed towards males (56%). The bias in sex ratios towards males was first observed in cubs and sub-adults in 2001 and later, in 2010, throughout the population. Furthermore, in the 2010 assessment of the lion population, a smaller proportion of cubs (< 2 yrs) were observed in comparisons to the preceding studies (10% vs. ≥ 23%). The skew in age and sex structures that were observed in the KGNP led to concerns over the long-term sustainability of the greater KTP lion population. The lion population carries further risks associated with the stochastic, arid environment, in which the KTP lion population persists. Human-lion conflict on the borders of the KTP and anthropogenic alterations of the environment further threaten lion demographic stability.

Glacier National Park, in northwestern Montana, is a unique and awe-inspiring national treasure that is often used by the media and public-at-large as a window into the effects of climate change. An updated inventory of glaciers and perennial snowfields (G&PS) in the Park, along with an assessment of their change over time, is essential to understanding the role that glaciers are playing in the environment of this Park. Nine inventories between 1966 and 2015 were compiled to assess area changes of G&PS. Over that 49-year period, total area changed by nearly -34 ± 11% between 1966 and 2015. Volume change, determined from changes in surface topography for nine glaciers, totaling 8.61 km² in area, was +0.142 ± 0.02 km³, a specific volume loss of -16.3 ± 2.5m. Extrapolating to all G&PS in the Park in 1966 yields a park-wide loss of -0.660 ± 0.099 km³. G&PS have been receding in the Park due to warming air temperatures rather than changes in precipitation, which has not changed significantly. Since 1900, air temperatures in Glacier National Park have warmed by +1.3 C°, compared to +0.9 C° globally. Spatially, G&PS at lower elevations and on steeper slopes lost relatively more area than other G&PS.

No description available.

Ten high mountain ponds in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington State, were studied from June through September 1992 to investigate the influences of fluctuating pond volumes on zooplankton communities. A temporary pond of short wet phase duration was inhabited by zooplankton taxa with short generation times and a crustacean taxa with the ability to encyst as drought-resistant resting bodies at immature stages of development. Relative to permanent ponds, rotifer densities typically were low in temporary ponds, although Brachionus urceolaris was abundant shortly before the ponds dried. High volume loss was associated with declining populations of crustaceans. Daphnia rosea was not present in the crustacean communities of temporary ponds after fall recharge. Deep-permanent ponds had slower copepod development and two additional large bodied crustacean taxa relative to shallow-permanent ponds. Because of their small sizes and sensitivity to environmental change, ponds such as these may provide an early signal of changes in aquatic systems from global warming. / Graduation date: 1994

Habitat selection by, ecological energetics of, and the effects of changes in white pine (Pinus strobus L.) forests on Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) were studied in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Birds were surveyed in several forest habitats and daily activities were observed during the breeding season in the autumn of 1998, a good year for white pine seed production. During the autumn of 1997 and summer of 1998, surveys of white pine stumps from trees harvested in the mid-late 1800s were conducted. Breeding birds foraged in stands with a minimum of 40% white pine, and appeared to prefer stands, both mixed deciduous-coniferous (40--70% white pine) and pine (>70% white pine) along roads. Possible reasons for this were: (1) seeds from trees along the road were more available to birds; (2) open-grown trees along the road had larger crowns with more seeds; and (3) the road provided grit and was adjacent to a favorite foraging area. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The dynamics and complexities of climate-soil-vegetation relations in the Kruger National Park are poorly known. Although primary production and composition of the grass layer are very important components of the Park's ecosystem, equally little is known about the determinants of these parameters. A better understanding of these processes and relations will be of value to the management of this Park, as well as providing a better insight into these complex dynamics. A study was consequently undertaken covering a 14-year period to identify the most important determinants of above-ground grass production and composition. At the core of the study is the soil water balance. The use of evapotranspiration data in a study of this nature is however not absolutely essential, provided a variety of rainfall parameters are used, though it has the important advantage of providing a much more detailed and more complete insight into the relations of the grass sward with its environment. Stepwise and tree regression procedures were used to identify the important factors. It is concluded that rainfall in its various forms is the primary determinant of grass production, standing crop, and composition, the latter either as perennials or Decreasers. Secondary determinants, in varying degrees of importance, are the thickness and base status of the A horizon, distance to permanent drinking water, and competition by woody plants. Herbivore utilization is insignificant or at most, plays a relatively minor role. Herbivores appear to exert a negative influence on Decreaser abundance only when soil moisture stress exceeds a threshold level. When this is exceeded, relatively low herbivore densities are apparently sufficient to reduce Decreaser abundance. The definitions of Decreasers and Increasers consequently require revision to take into account the overriding influence of environmental factors, particularly those of soil moisture stress. The calibration of the disc pasture meter was re-evaluated. The relation between mean disc height and standing crop is non-linear. Up to a mean disc pasture meter height of 260 mm, the correlation between this parameter and above-ground standing crop is very strong (r2 = 0.95; P<0.0005). Beyond this height, the correlation is very poor (r2 =0.09; P<0.0005), apparently being strongly influenced by the structure of the grass plant, with tall grasses, or grasses with highly lignified culms resulting in a weaker correlation. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

Within Big Bend National Park, the unconformable contact between the Buda Limestone and the overlying Boquillas Formation represents the Commanchean-Gulfian boundary. Previous studies of the geochronology of this interval have relied primarily on provincial ammonite faunas rather than foraminifera, and place the Buda and basal Boquillas in the Lower Cenomanian. Because of its indurated nature, a comprehensive foraminiferal biozonation has not been acquired for the Buda Limestone. Recent revisions to Cretaceous foraminiferal biozonations and taxonomies necessitates a new biostratigraphic study of the Buda - Boquillas interval. The overlapping ranges of F. washitensis, G. bentonensis, G. caseyi, P. appenninica, P. delrioensis, P. stephani, and R. montsalvensis place the Buda within the upper portion of the Early to Middle Cenomanian Th. globotruncanoides Zone. Microkarst found on the surface of the Buda Limestone has been interpreted as representing a subaerial exposure and sequence boundary. However, microkarst-like features can result from subaqueous or intrastratal processes. Carbon and oxygen stable isotope analysis of the lower and middle Buda has indicated a mean δ13C value of 1.73‰ VPDB, which is in line with other values reported from the Lower Cenomanian. The top 2.6m of Buda contains a 0.62‰ negative δ13C shift from 1.88‰ VPDB to 1.26‰ VDPB in a 40 cm interval, expected if subaerial exposure occurred. Higher variation in measured carbon isotope values beneath the contact also lend evidence for meteoric alteration. The standard deviation in δ13C values from the top 2.8 m of the Buda is 0.207, which is 2.16 times larger than the rest of the studied section at 0.096. The Buda contains a shallow pelagic-dominated fauna of heterohelicids (45-90%), globigerinellids (3-37%), and hedbergellids (4-22%). Intermediate-depth globigerinellids display an initial increase followed by a marked decrease in abundance upsection, interpreted as sea level transgression and regression, respectively. The lower contact of the Buda with the Del Rio Clay has been previously interpreted as a subaerial exposure, and a P:B break from ~0% planktonics in the upper Del Rio to ~80% in the Buda supports this claim. This study therefore interprets both the upper and lower contacts of the Buda as sequence boundaries. The overlying 1.2 m Boquillas is nearly devoid of benthics and represents a deeper assemblage including the double-keeled Dicarinella sp., as well as several Upper Cenomanian (D. algeriana Subzone) species. Based on foraminiferal data, the duration of the Buda - Boquillas unconformity is roughly equivalent to the missing Th. reicheli and Th. greenhornensis Biozones, or a sizable portion of the Middle Cenomanian. / Systematic paleontology -- Biostratigraphy of the Buda Limestone -- Biostratigraphy of the lowermost Boquillas Formation -- Stable isotope geochemistry. / Department of Geological Sciences