Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2000. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-125). Also available online.

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Education in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Masters of Environmental Education in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education at the University of Zululand, 2009. / Wetland utilisation by rural communities in South Africa poses a serious challenge for natural resource conservation. The growing rate of rural poverty, poor education and socio-cultural beliefs contribute towards the current plight of many wetlands. The challenge that faces wetland sustainability stems from the over utilisation of wetland resources for survival as well as cultural activities that are practiced. This study aimed at investigating the impact of various wetland activities performed on a daily basis by local communities of Mandlanzini in the quest for survival. The community groups were selected to study their way of life and their relation to their local environment in order to deepen the understanding of their activities and impact on the wetland. Household data collected, gave a clear picture of socio-economic status of the community. The results of the study showed that community members, on the lower end of salary scales, were the ones who relied heavily on raising income by using resources available from the wetland. Research data showed that, there is a high demand for staple food such as ‘amandumbe’, banana, and sweet potatoes by the community under study. The study also showed that indigenous knowledge can play an important role towards the restoration of wetlands. Furthermore, as many community members practiced subsistence agriculture, most of their livestock depend on wetland resources. All these constituted good reasons why communities should be involved in wetland management and conservation.

<p> My research was focused on greater sage-grouse (<i> Centrocercus urophasianus</i>; hereafter "sage-grouse") nest-site selection, nest success, and hen survival in relation to avian predators. The trade-off between using habitat and avoiding predators is a common decision for prey species including sage-grouse. In Chapter 2, I compared avian predator densities at sage-grouse nest and brood locations to random locations. Sage-grouse were located where densities of small, medium, and large avian predators were 65-68% less than random locations. </p><p> The effects of anthropogenic and landscape features on habitat use of sage-grouse hens have not been evaluated relative to avian predator densities. In Chapter 3, I compared anthropogenic and landscape features and avian predator densities among sage-grouse locations (nest, early-brood, late-brood) and random locations. I found sage-grouse hens chose locations with lower avian predator densities compared to random locations, and selected locations farther away from anthropogenic and landscape features. </p><p> Depredation of sage-grouse nests can be an influential factor limiting their productivity. Predator removal has been simultaneously proposed and criticized as a potential mitigation measure for low reproductive rates of sage-grouse. In Chapter 4, I hypothesized that sage-grouse nest success would be greater in areas where Wildlife Services lowered common raven (<i> Corvus corax</i>: hereafter "raven") density. I found that Wildlife Services decreased raven density by 61% during 2008&ndash;2011 but I did not detect a direct improvement to sage-grouse nest success. However, sage-grouse nest success was 22% when ravens were detected within 550 m of a sage-grouse nest and 41% when no raven was detected within 550 m. In Chapter 5, I assessed interactive effects of corvid densities relative to anthropogenic and landscape features on sage-grouse nest success. I found that sage-grouse nest success was positively correlated with rugged habitat. </p><p> Survival of breeding-age birds is the most important demographic parameter driving sage-grouse abundance. In Chapter 6, I evaluated the effect of raptor densities, proximity to anthropogenic and landscape features, and hen behavior on survival of sage-grouse hens. I found that sage-grouse hen survival was negatively correlated with golden eagle (<i>Aquila chrysaeto</i>s) density, proximity to anthropogenic and landscape features, and hen parental investment (nesting and brood-rearing).</p>

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2006. / "December, 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-129). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution." Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-77).

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 38 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-28).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 309-317). Also available via the Internet.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2007. / Härtill 3 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.