<p>Infusing models for animal movement with more behavioral realism has been a goal of movement ecologists for several years. As ecologists have begun to collect more and more data on animal distribution and abundance, a clear need has arisen for more sophisticated analysis. Such analysis could include more realistic movement behavior, more information on the organism-environment interaction, and more ways to separate observation error from process error. Because landscape ecologists and behavioral ecologists typically study these same themes at very different scales, it has been proposed that their union could be productive for all (Lima and Zollner, 1996). </p><p>By understanding how animals interact with their land- and seascapes, we can better understand how species partition up resources are large spatial scales. Accordingly I begin this dissertation with a large spatial scale analysis of distribution data for marine mammals from Nova Scotia through the Gulf of Mexico. I analyzed these data in three separate regions, and in the two data-rich regions, find compelling separation between the different communities. In the northernmost region, this separation is broadly along diet based partitions. This research provides a baseline for future study of marine mammal systems, and more importantly highlights several gaps in current data collections.</p><p>In the last 6 years several movement ecologists have begun to imbue sophisticated statistical analyses with increasing amounts of movement behavior. This has changed the way movement ecologists think about movement data and movement processes. In this dissertation I focus my research on continuing this trend. I reviewed the state of movement modeling and then proposed a new Bayesian movement model that builds on three questions of: behavior; organism-environment interaction; and process-based inference with noisy data.</p><p>Application of this model to two different datasets, migrating right whales in the NW Atlantic, and foraging monk seals in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, provides for the first time estimates of how moving animals make choices about the suitability of patches within their perceptual range. By estimating parameters governing this suitability I provide right whale managers a clear depiction of the gaps in their protection in this vulnerable and understudied migratory corridor. For monk seals I provide a behaviorally based view into how animals in different colonies and age and sex groups move throughout their range. This information is crucial for managers who translocate individuals to new habitat as it provides them a quantitative glimpse of how members of certain groups perceive their landscape.</p><p>This model provides critical information about the behaviorally based movement choices animals make. Results can be used to understand the ecology of these patterns, and can be used to help inform conservation actions. Finally this modeling framework provides a way to unite fields of movement ecology and graph theory.</p> / Dissertation

<p>Sea turtles have experienced dramatic population declines during the last century as a consequence of direct harvest, by-catch in fisheries, and habitat loss. Despite almost 50 years of partial international protection, several populations of sea turtles are still at imminent risk of extinction. Our knowledge of their complex life histories is still far from complete; these knowledge gaps hinder our ability to provide scientific advice regarding their conservation and management. It is the very complexity of their life histories, which allows them to exploit widely separated habitats during development, often over the course of decades, which makes them inherently difficult to study. I used satellite telemetry (n=60) to investigate the movements and habitat use patterns of juvenile loggerhead (<italic>Caretta caretta</italic>), green (<italic>Chelonia mydas</italic>), and Kemp's ridley (<italic>Lepidochelys kempii</italic>) sea turtles on their summer feeding grounds in North Carolina estuaries. These turtles migrate into and out of the estuarine waters each spring and autumn, encountering a gauntlet of fishing gear on each journey. The by-catch of sea turtles is an important conservation issue in North Carolina, and throughout the world's oceans. I evaluated conservation measures established to reduce the by-catch of sea turtles in Pamlico Sound's autumnal large-mesh gill net fishery for southern flounder (<italic>Paralichthys lethostigma</italic>), using a spatially explicit predator/prey model. My findings indicated that species-specific habitat preferences contributed to a turtles' risk of encountering fishing gear and that areas of high by-catch are predictable from patterns of overlap between sea turtle habitat use and flounder fishing effort. I then examined how the behavior of green turtles affected their vulnerability to incidental capture in estuarine commercial fisheries. Individual green turtles interact with multiple gears per season as a result of strong site fidelity to habitats also preferred by fishers. Telemetry also allowed me to examine individual variation in movements, habitat use, and site fidelity patterns of juvenile loggerhead turtles, both within the estuary and as the turtles migrated out into the North Atlantic. I used these observations to test the hypothesis of a discrete ontogenetic shift in habitat and diet in juvenile loggerheads. Approximately one-third of large juvenile loggerheads tagged in North Carolina estuaries return to oceanic habitat, sometimes for several years, where they are vulnerable to by-catch in pelagic fisheries. This led me to conclude that the long held notion of a discrete ontogenetic habitat shift between the oceanic and neritic habitat was incorrect for juvenile loggerheads (and possibly also for green turtles). Finally, I explored variation in migratory destinations in these animals through multivariate analyses of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in blood plasma and red blood cells, and through analysis of sex, genetic, haplotype, body size, and remigration records, and described the trophic niche of these turtles with Bayesian isotope mixing models. Variation in migratory destination (oceanic or neritic habitat) was best described by stable isotope ratios of nitrogen and remigration tendency. Turtles that returned to the open ocean had significantly lower nitrogen ratios than those animals that remained in the neritic zone and their diets retained a substantial contribution of epipelagic prey items. The diet composition of neritic turtles, on the other hand, consisted primarily of estuarine benthic invertebrates during the summertime and autumn foraging season but shifted toward pelagic jellyfish, fish, and <italic>Sargassum</italic> during the overwintering period. Oceanic turtles likely came from open ocean regions prior to entering the summer foraging grounds while neritic turtles likely overwintered at the edge of the Gulf Stream. The agreement between the dietary compositions and migration patterns between the two groups of turtles suggest that these feeding and habitat use strategies were persistent characteristics in the turtles I sampled. My work has improved our understanding of sea turtle habitats in North Carolina estuaries and identified their migratory destinations and overwintering habitats. I hope that this work lays the groundwork for future studies that will explore how variation in habitat use and feeding strategies are manifested in life history traits that affect fitness directly, such as survivorship, growth rates, stage durations, and fecundity.</p> / Dissertation

No description available.

In recent years, human decision-making has led to significant landscape impacts in the western United States. Specifically, migratory wildlife populations have increasingly been impacted by rural urban development and energy resource development. This research presents the application of agent-based modeling to explore how such impacts influence the characteristics of migratory animal movement, focusing on mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in Western Wyoming. This study utilizes complex adaptive systems and agent-based modeling frameworks to increase understanding of migratory patterns in a changing landscape and explores thresholds of interference to migration patterns due to increased habitat degradation and fragmentation. The agent-based model utilizes GPS-collar data to examine how individual processes lead to population-level patterns of movement and adaptation. The assessment incorporates elements from both human and natural systems to explore potential future scenarios for human development in the natural landscape and incorporates adaptive behaviors, as well as animal-movement ecology, in changing landscapes.

Uma análise da rede de movimentação de bovinos entre estabelecimentos do Estado de Mato Grosso foi realizada utilizando os dados das guias de trânsito animal (GTA) emitidas durante o ano de 2007. A utilização de parâmetros descritivos da rede de movimentação de bovinos permitiu a caracterização da intensidade de comercialização de bovinos entre os estabelecimentos. Os parâmetros calculados foram: grau (entrada e saída), betweenness, closeness, coeficiente de aglomeração e PageRank. Dados referentes ao status das propriedades (foco ou livre de brucelose) obtidos do banco de dados do levantamento para brucelose bovina do Programa Nacional de Controle e Erradicação da Brucelose e da Tuberculose Animal (PNCEBT) foram utilizados para comparar os parâmetros das propriedades positivas e negativas para brucelose. A comparação foi realizada pelo teste de Mann Whitney e foi encontrada diferença estatisticamente significante (P< 0,05) apenas para os parâmetros grau total e de saída ponderados por número de animais e ponderados por número de lotes movimentados. A análise descritiva da rede de movimentação de bovinos mostra que a distribuição de valores para todos os parâmetros, exceto o closeness, seguiu qualitativamente a Lei de potências. As informações obtidas são importantes para auxiliar em medidas de controle e prevenção de doenças em rebanhos bovinos, como a brucelose. / An analysis of the network of cattle movement between farm premises of the state of Mato Grosso was carried out using data from the records of animal transit (GTA) collected during 2007. The use of descriptive parameters of the network of movement allowed the characterization of the intensity of bovine trade between the farm premises. The parameters calculated were: degree (incoming and outgoing), betweenness, closeness, clustering coefficient and PageRank. The database concerning the status of the premises (positive or brucellosis free) obtained from the survey for bovine brucellosis of National Programme for Control and Eradication of Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Animal (PNCEBT) was used to compare the parameters of positive and negative premises for brucellosis. The comparison was done by using the Mann Whitney test and found a statistically significant difference (P <0.05) for the parameters total degree and outgoing degree weighted by number of animals and number of batches. The descriptive analysis of the network of bovine movements showed that the distribution of values for all parameters, except the closeness, qualitatively followed a power law. The information obtained is important to assist in control measures and prevention of diseases in cattle herds, such as brucellosis.

A glicose é considerada o combustível mais importante para a manutenção das atividades de diversos tecidos corporais. O fígado é um órgão chave na manutenção da homeostase da glicose e para que isto ocorra é necessária a presença de hormônios, tais como a insulina que pode desempenhar sua função agindo tanto em nível periférico como centralmente. Além disso, estudos demonstram que o sistema nervoso autônomo (SNA) desempenha uma função extremamente importante no controle da glicemia. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da insulina injetada no sistema nervoso central sobre a produção hepática de glicose (PHG), além de verificar o papel do SNA na modulação dessa variável em ratos livres de anestesia. Para isto, utilizamos um modelo animal de hiperatividade simpática, (SHR) e seu controle (Wistar). Antecedendo todos os experimentos, os animais foram mantidos em privação alimentar por um período de 12 h. A insulina e/ou insulina denaturada (controle-veículo) foi injetada no ventrículo lateral (VL) cerebral (100hU/ml) e a PHG, PAM e FC foram monitorados aos 2, 5, 10, 20 e 30 min. subsequentes. No grupo Wistar observamos uma queda máxima na PHG aos 10 min. após a microinjeção de insulina no VL (81,4 mg/dL) quando comparados ao seu valor basal antes da insulina (110mg/dL) e ao grupo controle (insulina denaturada) no mesmo decurso temporal (117,5 mg/dL). Em outro grupo experimental verificamos que o antagonismo periférico dos receptores muscarínicos (metil-atropina, 2mg/Kg, i.v.) foi capaz de bloquear a queda na PHG decorrente da ação central da insulina no mesmo decurso temporal (92mg/dL aos 10\' vs 88mg/dL no basal). Por outro lado, o antagonismo periférico dos receptores adrenérgicos (fentolamina, 3mg/Kg e propranolol, 0,5mg/Kg, i.v., respectivamente) não afetou a queda da PHG após administração da insulina no VL. No grupo SHR a insulina injetada no VL não promoveu alterações na PHG nos tempos avaliados. A PAM e FC não sofreram qualquer alteração após a injeção central de insulina em ambas as linhagens de animais. Para avaliar a função do SNA sobre a PHG basal independente da ação central da insulina de ambas as linhagens realizamos o antagonismo periférico dos receptores adrenérgicos e muscarínicos e a PHG foi monitorada aos 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 e 60 min. subsequentes. Os resultados mostraram que o bloqueio adrenérgico diminuiu a PHG com maior queda aos 40 min. tanto nos animais Wistar (79 mg/dL; -25%) quanto nos SHR (93 mg/dL; -22%) em relação ao basal (Wistar: 106 mg/dL e SHR: 118 mg/dL). O bloqueio periférico dos receptores muscarínicos não alterou a PHG em ambas as linhagens. O conjunto dos resultados obtidos nos leva a concluir que, durante uma situação de jejum prolongado, a alça parassimpática do SNA é a principal responsável pela rápida queda na PHG causada pela ação central da insulina em animais Wistar. Por outro lado, o sistema autonômo simpático desempenha maior influência tônica no controle da PHG basal do que a alça parassimpática, independente da ação central da insulina tanto em SHR quanto em Wistar. / Glucose is considered the most important fuel for the maintenance activities of the tissues. The liver is a key organ in maintaining glucose homeostasis and for this, requires the presence of hormones such as insulin that can perform its function by acting both peripherally and centrally. In addition, studies show that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays an extremely important role in glucose control. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of insulin injected into the central nervous system on hepatic glucose production (HGP), and verifies the role of ANS in the modulation of this variable in conscious rats. For this, we used an animal model of sympathetic hyperactivity (SHR) and its control (Wistar). Preceding all experiments, the animals were kept in starvation for a period of 12 h. Insulin and / or denatured insulin (control vehicle) was injected into the lateral ventricle (LV) of the brain (100hU/ml) and HGP, MAP and HR were monitored at 2, 5, 10, 20 and 30 min. In the Wistar group we observed a maximal drop in PHG 10 min after microinjection of insulin in the VL (81.4 mg / dL) compared to baseline before insulin (110mg/dl) and the control group (insulin denatured) in the same time course (117.5 mg / dL). In another experimental group we found that antagonism of peripheral muscarinic receptors (methyl-atropine 2mg/kg, iv) was able to block the fall in HGP resulting from the action of insulin at the same time course (92mg/dL to 10\' vs 88mg / dL at baseline). On the other hand, the antagonism of peripheral adrenergic receptors (Phentolamine and propranolol 3mg/kg, 0.5 mg / kg, iv, respectively) did not affect the fall of HGP after administration of insulin in the VL. In the SHR group insulin injected into the VL did not promote changes in HGP in the times studied. The MAP and HR did not change after the central injection of insulin in both strains of animals. To evaluate the role of ANS on the baseline HGP independent of central action of insulin in both strains we performed the peripheral antagonism of adrenergic and muscarinic receptors and HGP was monitored at 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min. The results showed that the adrenergic blockade reduced the HGP with a greater decrease at 40 min. both in Wistar (79 mg / dL, -25%) and in SHR (93 mg / dL, -22%) compared to baseline (Wistar: 106 mg / dL and SHR: 118 mg / dL). The blockade of peripheral muscarinic receptors did not alter the PHG in both strains. The set of results leads us to conclude that during starvation, the handle of the parasympathetic ANS is primarily responsible for the rapid drop in HGP caused by central action of insulin in Wistar. On the other hand, the autonomic sympathetic system plays a greater influence on the tonic baseline control of HGP than the parasympathetic system, independent of the central action of insulin in both SHR and Wistar.

There is a growing need to address the effects of roadway presence on wildlife. Not only do roads directly impact gene dispersal from a movement perspective, but they limit movement of the individual animal from a habitat perspective by presenting an artificial barrier between one area of viable habitat and another. For this reason it is becoming increasingly important to quantify contact between humans and wildlife and to develop better methods for mitigating these types of conflicts. Studying habitat connectivity and animal mobility in the context of roads can provide actionable information on how, where, and when these encounters might occur in order to minimize the effects transportation networks have on wildlife. This study uses two different approaches for studying wildlife-road interactions: (1) quantifying habitat fragmentation caused by roads and (2) directly quantifying wildlife interaction with roadways. This was achieved through the development and extension of methods found in the fields of landscape ecology and time geography. First, this study demonstrates the utility of one newly created road-based landscape metric through a detailed case study via the creation of an original ArcGIS toolbox. Second, this study develops a new time-geographic methodology to probabilistically measure and predict where wildlife interactions are most likely to occur on road networks. Additionally, it is important to ensure these methods not only quantify effects of roads from habitat and movement perspectives but can be used to mitigate these conflicts in real world conservation settings. Each of these approaches individually leverages techniques found in the field of spatial optimization to strategically locate wildlife crossing structures. This study developed two new methodologies to quantify where, when, and how wildlife interactions with roads are most likely to occur: the first using road-based landscape metrics and the second using a probabilistic voxel-based time-geographic approach. To address habitat connectivity issues, one road-based landscape metric was validated on a real world data set and further advanced by developing a GIS-based tool for real world applications. Utilizing landuse and roadway layers in combination with user specified parameters, the script tools developed here readily calculate this road-based landscape metric for a given study area. To address wildlife mobility issues, probabilistic space-time prisms were used to quantify interaction probabilities between wildlife and roads. These prisms were generated for a given set of tracking points and overlaid with an intersecting roads layer in GIS. Summing the probabilities at prism-roadway intersections revealed a pattern in the likelihood of animal-roadway interactions. Finally, each method was expanded to capture habitat fragmentation and animal movement in the presence of roads over large spatial scales using location analysis techniques. This research also develops and implements new methods that explicitly address wildlife-road interactions and aid in siting potential wildlife crossing structures. Since this study directly addresses effects of roadway presence on wildlife, the techniques developed here offer an alternative approach versus existing methods from a habitat and wildlife movement perspective. These methods can aid planners in the conservation of wildlife whose habitat has been impacted by road development by identifying and targeting areas of high impact.

Seabird species are increasingly threatened around the world due to a range of anthropogenic impacts affecting at-sea and breeding habitat. One such species is the Ancient Murrelet, an Alcid species nesting on the Pacific Coast of Canada. Ancient Murrelets are an important species in Canadian waters as approximately 50 % of the world’s breeding population nest in a small region of the British Columbia coast. Ancient Murrelets are listed as a species of Special Concern, due to threats in their breeding colonies; threats to their at-sea habitat, such as disturbance from shipping traffic, oil pollution, and fisheries bycatch, are currently poorly- documented due to the challenges associated with studying seabirds in their offshore environments. Conservation efforts to protect this species require information on movements and habitat use at sea. Therefore, there exists a critical need for research that provides new knowledge on where murrelets are travelling and the habitats in which they are foraging. The objective of this thesis research is to investigate movement behaviour and at-sea habitat of Ancient Murrelets during breeding season foraging trips. Movement modelling using hidden Markov models differentiated the tracks into behaviour states, and identified foraging locations at sea. Foraging locations were used in regression modelling to investigate the degree to which variability in Ancient Murrelet foraging locations could be explained by seafloor depth, slope and tidal current, and spatial measures such as distance from the breeding colony. From characteristics of movement paths, hidden Markov models identified three movement behaviour states, which were interpreted as transit, resting, and foraging behaviours. Logistic regression models suggested that depth, seafloor slope, tidal speed, and distance from the colony exhibited a negative influence on locations where birds chose to forage. Nevertheless, of the locations where foraging took place, foraging intensity was found to be higher in deeper areas suggesting Ancient Murrelets may be focusing efforts in areas of higher prey abundance. The combination of individual movement analysis and habitat analysis provides an important first step in gaining a greater understanding of Ancient Murrelet behaviour and foraging habitat at sea. These findings can inform marine management planning in this region and conservation of this vulnerable species. / Graduate / 2021-04-17

The Florida Everglades presents a model setting for studying animal-habitat relationships in a dynamic landscape that is heavily influenced by seasonal hydrology and water management. I used dynamic, high-resolution habitat classification maps and radio-telemetry to examine habitat preference of Largemouth Bass, Bowfin, and Florida Gar before and after a field-scale manipulation was established to address uncertainties with Everglades restoration and water management practices. Results indicate preference for the canal habitat by all three species, which represents only a small portion of the submerged landscape even in the driest conditions. Bowfin and Florida Gar were more likely to be relocated within marsh habitats than Largemouth Bass. Preference for the canal habitat increased after landscape alteration and was influenced by water management practices rather than hydrological or environmental factors. Partial canal backfilling may assist with accomplishing restoration goals while maintaining preferred habitat for economically and ecologically valuable predatory fishes.

There is more human-generated noise and light today than ever before, a trend tied to ongoing urbanization and with reverberating impacts on a wide range of organisms. While research on these impacts is mounting and particularly plentiful when it comes to birds, there is still much to explore within its effects on avian behavior, fitness, and evolution. In chapter 1, we investigated how fledgling movement is influenced by noise and light pollution. While adult birds have well-documented species-specific responses to these stimuli, fledglings are sorely understudied in this context. We experimentally manipulated light levels and took advantage of an existing landscape of artificial noise in the gas fields of northwestern New Mexico to radio track fledglings through gradients of noise and light from four species: Western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana), mountain bluebirds (Sialia currucoides), ash-throated flycatchers (Myiarchus cinerascens), and gray flycatchers (Empidonax wrightii). Step-selection functions assessing resource selection and generalized additive models assessing step length, step velocity, and distance from nest showed no influence of noise and light pollution on fledgling movement, but did show that ash-throated flycatchers moved further each day and further from the nest than gray flycatchers. Our results also revealed the novel pattern of fledglings moving away from the nest through day 10 of the radio tracking period, but moving back towards it after day 20. While we did not find positive results for our primary question, these observations of fledgling movement are valuable given how little we know about this vulnerable life stage. In chapter 2, we investigated whether dim light vision and its corresponding bony structures within the eye could be under selection with the proliferation of artificial light, given that variation in avian responses to light pollution was recently linked to the quality of a bird's dim light vision. We used museum specimens of six urban adapted species collected across 100+ years and light pollution proxies in the form of collection year and urban density to test two alternative hypotheses. Under the protection hypothesis, selection should drive evolution of poorer dim light vision with higher light pollution exposure, decreasing fitness cost borne via the hormone and circadian rhythm dysregulation associated with retinal-received light pollution. Under the temporal niche shift hypothesis, prolonged foraging opportunities made accessible to birds that can better detect light in artificially lit conditions should drive evolution of improved dim light vision with light pollution exposure. We found that dim light vision improved with collection year for great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) while the opposite was true for red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis); surprisingly, house sparrows (Passer domesticus) and American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) showed support for both hypotheses within single species, exhibiting different directionality in dim light vision patterns for different light pollution proxies. Our results suggest that light pollution may represent a contemporary selective agent for avian vision, but that the directionality may depend on ecological context. More broadly, our findings suggest that quantifying animal perceptual abilities may be important for understanding inter-specific responses to an increasingly bright world.