Global ETD Search

1	The effects of urbanization on reptiles and amphibians in the Sandhills Region of North Carolina Sutherland, Ronald Worth January 2009 (has links) <p>Rapid urbanization threatens the survival of native wildlife species worldwide. In order to fully grasp the implications of the ongoing growth of urban areas on biodiversity, conservationists need to be able to quantify the response patterns of a wide range of different species to the expansion of urban and suburban land use. In this study, we set up two road-based transects across gradients of urbanization and habitat loss in the diverse longleaf pine forests of the Sandhills region of North Carolina, USA. With funding provided by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, we drove the transects repeatedly at night in the field seasons of 2006-2008, tallying all vertebrate animals encountered (live or dead). The first transect (driven in all three years; 75 km long) ran from the urban areas of Southern Pines and Pinehurst down to the remote and relatively pristine habitats associated with the state-owned Sandhills Gamelands. The second transect (driven in 2007 and partially in 2008; 69 km long) began at the terminus of the first transect in the Gamelands, and then stretched down to the urban zones of Hamlet and Rockingham. </p><p> A total of 4900 vertebrate animals representing 69 species were observed on or near the road routes after driving a total of 16,625 km. This total includes 592 nightjars (ground-nesting nocturnal birds; e.g. whip-poor-wills) that we heard while driving the transects. In addition, in 2007 we surveyed for the nightjars and for quail (a high-priority game species that also nests on the ground) using 75 point count locations evenly distributed along the northern road route. </p><p> Regression tree analysis (a robust, nonparametric technique with minimal assumptions) was used to model the animal observation rates for a given 1 km road segment or point count as a function of various habitat variables measured within corresponding buffer zones for each segment. We also modeled snake and bird encounter rates as a function of mesopredator mammal observations. </p><p> Our results reveal that amphibian, snake, and ground-nesting bird observation rates are negatively associated with increasing levels of traffic and impervious surface. Conversely, mesopredator mammals (and domestic cats in particular) responded slightly positively to increasing urbanization, and negatively to protected area coverage. Both ground-nesting birds and snakes showed signs of negative correlations with mesopredator encounter rates, although these trends were not always significant due to high variability in the mesopredator data. </p><p> In order to try and confirm the results of the regression tree analyses, we also used a multivariate ordination approach (non-metric multidimensional scaling) to visualize the integrated community structure of all of the major vertebrate groups we observed in the Sandhills. The ordinations revealed that while the snake, ground-nesting bird, and amphibian groups were similar to each other in terms of their avoidance of urban conditions, the cats and native mesopredator species actually seemed to define widely divergent axes of community variation. Cats in particular were separated from the other groups on 2 out of 3 axes of the species-space ordination. Still, as we noted above for the regression tree models, it is difficult to sort out with our correlative data set whether cats and other mesopredators truly played an independent role in structuring and/or depleting the other wildlife guilds along our route. More experimental approaches are recommended for trying to resolve whether overabundant predators or road mortality and inappropriate habitat are more to blame for the much reduced encounter rates we observed for the snakes, birds, and amphibians in urban areas. Future studies will also be needed to confirm the logical assumption that road encounter rates provide a reasonably accurate index of the relative abundance of the different animal groups along the survey routes.</p> / Dissertation Ecology Zoology Environmental Sciences amphibians mesopredators nightjars snakes traffic urbanization
2	Nocturnal Movements and Distributions of Bobcats, Coyotes and Raccoons during Quail Nesting Season Jhala, Shesh 03 October 2013 (has links) Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) are a valued game species that have seen massive population declines in the last few decades. This decline has been attributed to many factors including predation, the topic of this study. I examined the habitat selection, nocturnal movement and potential rate of encounter with quail nesting locations by coyotes (Canis latrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus), and raccoons (Procyon lotor) at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, a private 19 km2 ranch in the Rolling Plains ecoregion of west Texas. My study had 2 objectives: (1) to compare the habitat use of mesopredators in the Rolling Plains to the nesting habitat of bobwhites, and (2) to characterize the nocturnal paths of these mesopredators and measure their overlap with quail nesting locations. I placed GPS collars on 4 bobcats, 7 coyotes and 11 raccoons during the quail nesting seasons of 2009-2011. I used the chi-square test as well as a modified version of the Ivlev’s Electivity Index (1961) to calculate habitat selectivity. I also measured the proximity of the mesopredators and quail nesting locations to roads, water and quail feeders on the ranch. I used fractal analysis to calculate length and tortuosity of nocturnal paths and assessed potential risk to quail nests by determining the intersection rates of mesopredator paths with quail nesting locations. I found that a large difference existed in selectivity of habitat between bobwhite nesting locations and the bobcats and raccoons. Bobwhites selected for the upland grasslands and shrubs and against rocky ridges. Bobcats selected for riparian zones, while raccoons selected for both riparian zones and rocky ridges, neither of which were selected for by nesting quail. Bobcats and male raccoons additionally showed a propensity for road travel, which quail often nested close to. Coyotes selected strongly for grasslands, utilized their home ranges comprehensively and showed a preference for road usage, and thus had the greatest potential encounter rate with quail nest sites. However, coyotes also showed the most linear and direct movement pattern, potentially reducing their efficiency in finding quail nests. This study indicates that coyotes potentially present the largest threat to the nests of quail and female raccoons the least. Management decisions such as the levels of management needed for the 3 species of mesopredators are discussed. Mesopredators foraging path habitat selection home range northern bobwhite predation rolling plains ecoregion Texas
3	Trophic niche partitioning of small coral reef mesopredators (Family: Pseudochromidae) in the Red Sea: a multi-method approach based on visual analysis, DNA metabarcoding, and stable isotope analysis Palacios-Narváez, Stephania 06 1900 (has links) Understanding how diversity is partitioned along natural and anthropogenic gradients within ecosystems is important to predict the persistence of species and the ecological functions they provide. Dottybacks (Pseudochromidae) are a diverse group of mesopredators that feed on cryptic macroinvertebrates and newly recruited fishes. This diet behavior may modify the composition and abundance of cryptobenthic fauna within coral reef ecosystems. Understanding how mesopredators partition their diet and the functional role provided by available prey within reefs can assist in understanding the ecological role these predators contribute to coral reef trophodynamics and the effect of their population changes on the reef ecosystem. To assess the diet of three common Pseudochromis species and two distinct color morphs of P. flavivertex in the Red Sea, I used a combination of i) visual stomach content analysis, ii) stomach DNA metabarcoding (18S, COI), and iii) stable isotope analysis (δ15N, δ13C). I evaluated i) dietary niche breadth, ii) variation in diet composition, iii) degree of dietary specialization, and iv) trophic level. These techniques revealed partitioning in the dietary composition and resource use between P. flavivertex, P. fridmani, and P. olivaceus. Although the two technics used for stomach content analysis did not show differences in the dietary composition within color morphs of P. flavivertex, the isotopic signature showed marked differences in the isotopic niche and resource use between morphs. Resource partitioning appears to be driven by variation in resource availability in the fish habitat and by subtle differences in the ecology of these species. These findings provide evidence of species-specific differences in the trophic ecology of pseudochromids in the Red Sea and demonstrate their important role as predators of cryptic invertebrates and small fish, being key components in energy transfer in coral reef ecosystems by acting as a link between cryptofauna and higher trophic levels. This study highlights the importance of combining several approaches (short-term: visual analysis and DNA metabarcoding; and long-term: isotope analysis) when assessing the feeding habits of coral reef fish, as they provide different and complementary information necessary to delimit their niches and understand the role that small mesopredators play in coral reef ecosystems. Niche partitioning trophic ecology mesopredators Pseudochromis stomach content analysis metabarcoding stable isotopes.
4	The effect of individual variability and larger carnivores on the functional response of cheetahs Hilborn, Anne Winona 07 February 2018 (has links) Functional response is the framework thorough which we can quantify how predator hunting behaviors such as rate of successful attack and time spent handling prey interact with prey density to determine the rate at which prey are killed. Cheetahs are mesopredators and their behavior can be shaped by the need to avoid larger predators while hunting relatively large bodied and mobile prey. I used data from 34 years of observed cheetah hunts in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to investigate how reproductive condition, prey density, seasonality, and the proximity of larger predators affect cheetah kill rates, probability of successful attack, and time spent handling prey. Mothers with cubs had an asymptotic Type II functional response where kill rate increased but eventually leveled-off at high prey densities, while cheetahs without cubs had a dome shaped Type IV functional response where kill rates actually declined at high prey density. Probability of successful attack on prey was higher for mothers with cubs, and increased slightly with prey density. Mothers with cubs had different prey handling behavior than other cheetahs. Cheetah mothers spend longer at kills then other cheetahs despite the risk that the carcass can attract lions and hyenas that could steal the carcass and potentially kill her cubs. Mothers must make sure their cubs have sufficient time at the carcass to eat their fill, thus they minimize risk from larger predators by being vigilant. In contrast, cheetahs without cubs are unconcerned with cub predation and can eat quickly to minimize the risk of kleptoparasitism. My results show how the pressures of cub rearing and coexisting with larger carnivores differentially shape the hunting behavior of cheetahs, and suggest that intensity of mesopredator suppression may depend on individual variability. This is the first time the functional response for a large mesopredator, has been quantified and the first time a dome shaped response has been recorded in a mammal. My work shows the value in accounting for individual variability in functional response and how linking of carnivore hunting behavior to multiple species interactions advances our understanding of how classical ecological theory applies to wild ecosystems. / Ph. D. / One of the most basic interactions between species is when one kills and eats another. Determining how many prey a predator kills is challenging, especially because it is difficult to observe hunting behavior in nature. To assess killing rates, we need information on prey density, the rate predators attack prey, and how long they spent killing and eating it. In smaller bodied predators (a.k.a. mesopredators), those behaviors are often influenced by the presence of larger, dangerous predators. I used 34 years of data on wild cheetahs in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to examine whether their hunting behavior was influenced by having cubs, the proximity of lions and hyenas, and the season. I assessed how these factors affect the relationships between cheetah kill rates and gazelle density, the probability of a successful attack, and the time cheetahs spend handling their prey. I found that cheetah hunting behavior is largely shaped by whether or not they have cubs. Mothers’ kill rates are higher than cheetahs without cubs and stay high as gazelle densities increase. In contrast, the rate cheetahs without cubs kill declines at high gazelle density, the first time this relationship has been recorded in a wild mammal. Once prey are dead, mothers spend more time at the kill in order to ensure their cubs get enough time to eat. However, being at the kill is risky because lions and hyenas can arrive and kill her cubs. To minimize risks to cubs at the kill, mothers are more vigilant for predators than other cheetahs. Cheetahs without cubs spend less time at the kill, eating quickly without being vigilant. My results show how living in a landscape with multiple larger predators and mobile prey shapes the hunting behavior of all cheetahs, while providing detail on how having cubs can drive differences in those behaviors among individuals. The patterns of behavior seen in cheetahs may be indicative of how mesopredators alter hunting behavior to cope with pressures from larger predators. This is relevant as we craft conservation and management policies that take into account relationships among multiple carnivore species and their prey. Carnivores predator-prey interactions mesopredators functional response attack rate handling time mesopredator suppression individual variability
5	Effects of Urban Borders on Synanthropic Mesopredator Movement and Risk of Toxoplasma Gondii Infection in the Protected Lands of Key Largo, Florida USA Crandall, Kelly A 01 August 2024 (has links) (PDF) Protected lands are an important source of food, shelter, and reproductive opportunities for wildlife, especially in urbanizing landscapes. When urban development abuts the edges of protected lands, synanthropic species can alter their foraging behaviors and movement to utilize human-supplemented resources throughout the urban-wild interface. Therefore, urban edges on protected lands can have pronounced effects on animal movement and ecosystem function. There is also increased risk of disease transmission where high densities of wild animals exist, or where domestic animals and wild species are interacting. In particular, members of the family Felidae, including domestic cats (Felis catus), can transmit the pathogenic parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (henceforth T. gondii) through their feces. Capable of infecting any warm-blooded host species, infection with T. gondii has been proven to cause increased risk-taking behaviors, stillbirths and congenital birth defects, and mortality in humans and a variety of wildlife species. Northern raccoons (Procyon lotor) and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) are urban adaptive species who often benefit from human-supplemented food sources such as unsecured garbage, and outdoor pet food, and may be exposed to T. gondii more frequently if they are utilizing resources close to cats. To investigate how urban edges of protected lands affect the movement and infection risk for urban-adapted mesopredators, I captured and attached GPS collars to opossums and raccoons between April 2022 and October 2023 in northern Key Largo, FL, USA, a protected area with large contiguous patches of undisturbed land cover adjacent to two distinct urban areas with high outdoor cat densities and available human-supplemented food resources. Using GPS collar data, I estimated home ranges and third-order resource selection of 27 raccoons and 12 opossums from Key Largo, FL. The average home range of opossums were 20.51 ha (14.12 SE) which was significantly smaller than raccoons (137.01 ha, 10.74 SE, t37 = -2.70, p = 0.01). The proportion of urban development in an individual’s home range was the most influential factor associated with home range size, followed by species and sex. Individuals with greater proportions of residential neighborhoods and commercial areas in their home ranges were associated with smaller home ranges. Third-order resource selection functions identified both mesopredator species using residential and commercial land use areas significantly more than they were available on the landscape. To survey for T. gondii infections, I collected blood samples from all the captured raccoons and performed a direct modified agglutination test (MAT) to detect antibodies for T. gondii. To understand how human-supplemented foods could be affected exposure rates, I collected hair samples from all raccoons and analyzed the stable carbon isotope ratios, so that higher ratios of carbon were equated to greater intake of non-natural, human-supplemented food resources. 67.7% (21/31; 95% CI: 51.3–84.2%) of the raccoons tested positive for T. gondii antibodies, and the proportion of urban development in an individual’s home range was the best predictor for infection. A multinomial regression analysis indicated that raccoons with higher levels of antibodies were also likely to have a majority “non-wild” diet based on δ13C values from a stable carbon isotope analysis. These results suggest the primary route of parasite transmission is contact with domestic cats, which may be exacerbated by the exploitation of human-supplemented food in urban areas. The Florida Keys are currently facing mammal population declines tied to Burmese pythons (Python bivitattus) and outdoor cat predations, and management policies that decrease the circulation of T. gondii oocysts in the environment are important to bolstering the fitness of these island-dwelling populations. Decreased reproductive success or behavioral changes that increase risk of predation could spell catastrophic for these mesopredator populations that are following in the footsteps of their Everglades counterparts, and at risk of extirpation on Key Largo. I recorded a systemic reduction of home range sizes on the urban edges of the protected areas of Key Largo, which often corresponds with higher densities of animals, which may increase probability of disease transmission, especially when the urban borders support populations of feral domestic species. As urbanization increases and the distance between wild lands and human disturbance decreases, it is increasingly important to study the mechanisms of how urban development on the edges of protected areas affect the ecology of wildlife species. Animal Movment Invasive Predators Mesopredators Toxoplasma gondii Urban Effects Wildlife Disease
6	The Impacts of Three Common Mesopredators on the Reintroduced Population of Eastern Wild Turkeys in Texas Melville, Haemish 1972- 14 March 2013 (has links) Early in the 20th century wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in North America were on the brink of extinction. Conservation and reintroduction efforts ensured that this species recovered throughout most of its historic range. Efforts to reintroduce eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo sylvestris) to the Pineywoods of east Texas have achieved limited success. Previous research suggested that predation may have confounded this reintroduction. My aim was to quantify the influence of mesopredators on the wild turkey population in the Pineywoods. Raccoons (Procyon lotor), bobcats (Lynx rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) occur sympatrically in east Texas and are thought to prey on wild turkeys, their nests and poults. I fitted bobcats, coyotes and raccoons with both GPS and VHF collars and used location data and GIS applications to estimate home ranges, home range overlap and habitat selection for these mesopredators. I used scat analysis to determine diet of mesopredators and to establish whether they preyed on wild turkeys. I used capture mark recapture (CMR) techniques to investigate small mammal population dynamics at annual and seasonal bases. I used spotlight counts and track plates to assess seasonal relative abundance of eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridana). I used artificial nests to identify likely nest predators of wild turkey nests. I found that mesopredators in the Pineywoods had larger home ranges than elsewhere in the Southeast. Bobcat and coyote home ranges varied seasonally, being largest in fall. Raccoon home ranges did not vary seasonally. Bobcats and coyotes shared space more than did raccoons with bobcats or coyotes. There was differential habitat selection between species, but mature pine and young pine were important to the mesopredators and as nesting habitat for eastern wild turkeys. I found no evidence of wild turkey remains in scat samples. White tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), lagomorphs and small mammals occurred in the diets of all three mesopredators. Small mammal numbers varied seasonally, declining from spring to summer, in synchrony with mesopredator diet diversification, and wild turkey nesting and brood rearing. Lagomorph abundance did not vary seasonally. Bobcats were predominantly carnivorous while coyotes and raccoons were omnivorous, consuming seasonal fruit and insects. American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and raccoons were the primary artificial nest predators. Crows depredated most artificial nests, except in summer, when raccoons depredated the most nests. I concluded that the impact of mesopredators on wild turkeys was not as severe as suggested by previous research. I suggest a combination of video monitoring live wild turkey nests to identify nest predators, improvement of nesting habitat to reduce mesopredator / wild turkey nest encounters, and a program of conditioned taste aversion to reduce any nest predation by mesopredators and crows. Artificial Nests Prey Population Dynamics Prey Selection Habitat Selection Home Range Raccoon Coyote Bobcat Eastern Wild Turkeys Mesopredators
7	Anthropogenic impact on predator guilds and ecosystem processes : Apex predator extinctions, land use and climate change Pasanen Mortensen, Marianne January 2014 (has links) Humans affect ecosystems by changing species compositions, landscape and climate. This thesis aims to increase our understanding of anthropogenic effects on mesopredator abundance due to changes in apex predator status, landscape and climate. I show that in Eurasia the abundance of a mesopredator, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), is limited top-down by the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and bottom-up by winter severity. However, where lynx has been eradicated, fox abundance is instead related to bottom-factors such as cropland (paper I, II). Fox abundance was highest when croplands constituted 25% of the landscape (paper II). I also project red fox abundance in Sweden over the past 200 years and in future scenarios in relation to lynx density, land use and climate change. The projected fox abundance was highest in 1920, when lynx was eradicated and the proportion of cropland was 22%. In 2010, when lynx had recolonised, the projected fox abundance was lower than in 1920, but higher than in 1830. Future scenarios indicated that lynx abundance must increase in respond to climate change to keep fox at the same density as today. The results suggest a mesopredator release when lynx was eradicated, boosted by land use and climate change, and that changes in bottom-up factors can modify the relative strength of top-down factors (paper IV). From 1846-1922, lynx, wolverine (Gulo gulo) and grey wolf (Canis lupus) declined in Scandinavia due to persecution; however I show that the change in wolverine abundance was positively related to the changes in lynx and wolf abundance. This indicates that wolverine is subsidized by carrions from lynx and wolf kills rather than limited top-down by them (paper III). This thesis illustrates how mesopredator abundance is determined by a combination of top-down and bottom-up processes, and how anthropogenic impacts not only can change the structures of predator guilds, but also may modify top-down processes through changes in bottom-up factors. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Submitted. Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p><p> </p> Mesopredators apex predators top-down bottom-up interspecific killing red fox Eurasian lynx grey wolf wolverine productivity winter severity cropland Zoology Zoologi Ecology Ekologi
8	The Behavioral Ecology and Population Characteristics of Striped Skunks Inhabiting Piper Plover Nesting Beaches on the Island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts Johnson, Luanne, PhD 31 August 2016 (has links) No description available. Zoology Wildlife Conservation Wildlife Management striped skunk Mephitis mephitis maritime mammals mesopredators skunk resource use skunk habitat selection beach-nesting bird predators predictable anthropogenic food subsidies piping plover egg predators skunk densities seasonally urban habitat
9	Birds, bats and arthropods in tropical agroforestry landscapes: Functional diversity, multitrophic interactions and crop yield Maas, Bea 20 November 2013 (has links) No description available. 630 birds bats arthropods multitrophic interactions agroforestry tropical landscape forest margin landscape functional diversity crop yield exclosure experiments experimental exclusion arthropod suppression avian predation ecosystem services mist netting point counts artificial plasticine caterpillar dummy experiment biological control monitoring mapping Lemon-bellied White-eye Grosbeak Starling Zosterops chloris Scissiostrum dubium Theobroma cacao cacao agroforestry cacao diseases cacao harvest cacao pests flying vertebrates aerial insectivores volant vertebrates logging breeding colony flower herbivory mesopredator release predatory insects ants spiders aphids Lepidoptera Coleoptera Lepidopteran larvae sustainable agriculture sustainable agroforestry management implications management recommendations applied managament extensive land use management landscape management conservation biodiversity-friendly dbh distance to forest forest proximity habitat conversion herbivory Indonesia insectivorous bats insectivorous birds invertebrates Central Sulawesi Napu valley leaf gleaning leaf herbivory pests insects phytophagous insects plant productivity remnant forest trees shade tree managament South-east Asia Paleotropics tropical landscape tree height landscape gradient local shade management Cacao Pod Borer Cherelle Wilt fruit abortion Helopeltis sulawesi deforestation habitat fragmentation land use intensification forest margin species critical decline predation experiment species-specific functions Southeast Asia biodiversity conservation mesopredators food security human welfare human well-being poverty alleviation poverty reduction smallholder cacao smallholder plantation cacao farmers sustainable cacao management landscape perspective landscape scale large scale field experiment long term field experiment human wellbeing economic importance economic value valuation ecosystem services landscape matrix yield quality yield quantity fruit productivity species identity species diversity species richness ecosystem functioning pesticide use chemical compounds complex food web tritrophic interactions wildlife-friendly rural livelihoods endangered bird species endangered bat species endemic endemic birds endemic bats beneficial impact IUCN Lore Lindu National Park bioindicator indicator species forest margin agricultural habitat agroforestry systems population density predation activity species activity cacao flower cacao pod Orthoptera linear mixed effect models Tukey Post Hoc Test AICc model selection generalized least squares restricted maximum likelihood model simplification species richness estimator species accumulation linear mixed-effects models Likelihood Ratio Test Maximum Likelihood nocturnal insects diurnal arthropods nocturnal arthropods diurnal insects landscape context Land- und Forstwirtschaft (PPN621302791)

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