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Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are among the world's most destructive mammalian invasive species, and mitigating farther range expansion will require a thorough understanding of movement behavior, diel activity patterns, space use, and resource selection. Currently, limited empirical evidence is available on the ecology of wild pigs in Southwest Florida. Therefore, I examined how wild pigs behaviorally modified their movements and diel activity patterns in response to individual and environmental covariates. I investigated space use dynamics (e.g., home range size and seasonal variation) and evaluated how individual and environmental variation influenced home range size. Next, I determined how fine-scale movement patterns and resource selection of wild pigs are affected by temperature and time of day, and how those resources changed at broad and fine-scales, given their availability. I found that as temperature increased, the probability of foraging increased while the probability of traveling decreased. Foraging behavior occurred predominately between 8:00 and 17:00, and traveling behavior occurred predominately between 18:00 and 7:00, thereby indicating wild pigs were cathemeral. Home range size ranged from 2.6 to 35.8 km2 and averaged 13.0 km2 (n=16). Finally, home range size increased as the proportion of pasture increased and decreased as the proportion of wetlands increased, indicating that resources in agricultural areas were more diffuse than in natural habitats. At the broad (i.e., home range selection) and fine-scale (i.e., within home range) wild pigs selected for wetlands, forests, and pastures. Wild pig movement tended to be tortuous in forested and cropland habitats, but more directed in pasture habitats. Slower movements (i.e., smaller steps) and more directed (i.e., fewer turning) steps were observed during warmer temperatures, particularly avoiding croplands when temperatures were warmer. Wild pigs avoided wetland habitats during dusk and night hours and cropland habitats during dawn hours. Wild pigs selected for forested habitats during night and dawn hours, possibly in response to human activity. In addition, I found that wild pigs were less likely to step into a location with a daily temperature of 35.7°C than 16.1 C°. Wild pigs were less likely to choose warmer locations and more likely to select intermediate temperatures, thus avoiding locations with extremely low or high daily temperatures. Also, I found that wild pigs were more likely to select home ranges nearer to wetlands, forests, and pastures, while avoiding areas near cropland habitats. However, within their home ranges they were more likely to select habitats farther from croplands, forests, and wetlands. My findings reinforce the importance of wetlands, forests and pastures to wild pig selection of home ranges, where they likely utilize these landcover types for thermoregulation (e.g. forests and wetlands) and for foraging resources (e.g. pastures). Within their home ranges wild pigs may avoid forests and wetlands due to perceived predation risk being higher in those habitats, thus causing wild pigs to forgo higher quality resources to reduce risk. These results contribute information useful to wildlife managers to better predict which landcover types provide refuge (e.g., wetlands and forests) or potential movement corridors (e.g., pasture and cropland habitats) for wild pigs. In Southwest Florida, wild pigs have broad inter-individual variation in home range size, are strongly regulated by temperature, and are largely dependent on wetlands and forests to meet their energetic demands. / Doctor of Philosophy / Wild pigs are one of the world's most destructive invasive species. Although, hunters often oppose efforts to reduce wild pig populations, agricultural and natural resource managers support reduction efforts because they cause major economic and ecological damage. In addition, wild pigs carry a plethora of diseases and pose direct health risks to livestock, wildlife, and humans. Therefore, a better understanding of how environmental and landscape factors influence wild pig movements and space use is of broad interest to multiple stakeholder groups. I found that wild pigs mostly foraged during daytime and traveled at night, indicative of irregular activity patterns. Home range size averaged 13.0 km2 across 16 individuals and tended to increase as the proportion of pasture habitat increased and decreased as herbaceous wetlands increased. This indicated that resources were more abundant in natural habitats. Wild pigs preferred wetlands, forests, and pastures, and avoided croplands. However, they were more likely to forage in forests and croplands, and travel in pastures. Wild pigs avoided wetlands during dusk and night hours and croplands at dawn, while selecting forests during night and dawn hours. Wild pigs tended to move slower with less turning during warmer temperatures, particularly avoiding croplands when temperatures were hot. In general, wild pigs avoided locations with extremely low or high daily temperatures. I found wild pigs were more likely to select home ranges nearer to wetlands, forests, and pastures, while avoiding areas near cropland habitats. Wild pigs likely utilized these landcover types for thermoregulation (e.g. forests and wetlands) and for foraging resources (e.g. pastures), while avoiding open areas (e.g. croplands) due to a lack of shade. However, within their home ranges they were more likely to select habitats farther from croplands, forests, and wetlands, possibly because they perceived these areas to have higher predation risk. I highlight differences in space use among individuals and identify habitat types that are most likely to meet energetic demands. By understanding how environmental factors (e.g., habitat type and temperature) influence home range movement behaviors of wild pigs, land managers can focus on scale-dependent population control efforts. My results will aid land managers in better predicting which landcover types are providing refuge (e.g., wetlands and forests) or serving as potential movement corridors (e.g., pasture and cropland habitats).

American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are a small falcon with an expansive range across North America. However, kestrels have been reported to be declining since the 1960s, with the primary cause of decline unknown. With previous research focusing on the summer breeding season, researchers have called for additional investigation in understudied wintering and migratory periods. In Chapter 2, I quantified annual survivorship against five covariates of migrant kestrels wintering in north Texas to contribute to population level analyses across the kestrel's expansive range. Notably, I found that juvenile survival is similar to that of adults once on the wintering grounds, and that aspects of urbanization may increase survival in wintering kestrels. In Chapter 3, I outlined kestrel movement ecology by quantifying migration phenology, performance, and patterns. Additionally, I identified breeding and stopover sites and analyzed both winter and summer home ranges. In this analysis, I contributed three additional migration tracks to the five currently published. Further, I reported the first loop and indirect migration patterns to our knowledge. Overall, this research highlights understudied aspects of the kestrel full annual cycle in the winter and migratory periods, providing insight into possible causes for kestrel declines.

Analysis of animal movement has been integrated into a framework of four components: internal state, motion capacity, navigation capacity, and external factors (Nathan et al., 2008). We used this framework to enhance understanding of movement behavior in the 15 West Indian rock iguana (Cyclura) taxa and to inform conservation management. Our review found that adult female Cyclura large-scale movement is primarily driven by nesting and migrations. Nest site selection also influences hatchling dispersal, but few studies identify preferred habitats for nesting females. Anthropogenic impacts on nesting ecology are largely unexplored, especially in Cyclura carinata. We studied C. carinata nesting ecology in a threatened population, aiming to identify habitat preferences and assess human impact on nesting success. This research fills gaps by addressing both proximate causes of movement and ultimate outcomes of movement decisions, essential for developing effective conservation strategies. Understanding both aspects is crucial for mitigating threats to Cyclura populations.

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This study sought to identify critical areas for puma (Puma concolor) movement across the state of Arizona in the American Southwest and to identify those most likely to be impacted by current and future human land uses, particularly expanding urban development and associated increases in traffic volume. Human populations in this region are expanding rapidly, with the potential for urban centers and busy roads to increasingly act as barriers to demographic and genetic connectivity of large-bodied, wide-ranging carnivores such as pumas, whose long-distance movements are likely to bring them into contact with human land uses and whose low tolerance both for and from humans may put them at risk unless opportunities for safe passage through or around human-modified landscapes are present. Brownian bridge movement models based on global positioning system collar data collected during bouts of active movement and linear mixed models were used to model habitat quality for puma movement; then, a wall-to-wall application of circuit theory models was used to produce a continuous statewide estimate of connectivity for puma movement and to identify pinch points, or bottlenecks, that may be most at risk of impacts from current and future traffic volume and expanding development. Rugged, shrub- and scrub-dominated regions were highlighted as those offering high quality movement habitat for pumas, and pinch points with the greatest potential impacts from expanding development and traffic, although widely distributed, were particularly prominent to the north and east of the city of Phoenix and along interstate highways in the western portion of the state. These pinch points likely constitute important conservation opportunities, where barriers to movement may cause disproportionate loss of connectivity, but also where actions such as placement of wildlife crossing structures or conservation easements could enhance connectivity and prevent detrimental impacts before they occur.

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As ecosystems become increasingly fragmented, there has been a proliferation of research into fields such as resource use, movement ecology and habitat connectivity. To understand how species may adapt to threats associated with habitat fragmentation it is necessary to study these processes in dispersing individuals. However, this is seldom done. Dispersal is one of the most important life-history traits involved in species persistence and evolution, but the consequences of dispersal are determined primarily by those that survive to reproduce. Although dispersal is most effectively studied as a three-stage process (departure, transience and settlement), empirical studies rarely do so and an investigation into the entire process has probably never been carried out on any one species. Here I investigate the survival, resource use, movement ecology and connectivity of African lions (Panthera leo) in all three dispersal phases in addition to adulthood. I make use of a longterm dataset incorporating radio-telemetry and observational data from lions in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Dispersal is inherently risky and my results show that male lions that disperse while young suffer high mortality, young dispersal being brought about by high off-take of territorial males. Dispersing males may be aware of risks associated with territorial adults as they position themselves far from them and utilise habitats and resources differently. However, dispersers, compared to adult males and females, are far less averse of risky, anthropogenic landscapes, suggesting they are the demographic most prone to human-lion conflict. The ontogenetic movement behaviour of lions reflects a transition from directional movement during transience, suggestive of sequential search strategies, to random or periodic use of a fixed territory after settlement. In terms of habitat connectivity, I show that radically different conclusions emerge depending on which demographic is used to parameterise connectivity models. Understanding the shifting mechanisms that species adopt throughout ontogeny is critical to their conservation in an increasingly fragmented world.

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<p>This dissertation investigates the influence of spatially explicit animal behavior active subsidy distribution patterns. Active subsidies are animal-transported consumption and resources transfers from donor to recipient ecosystems. Active subsidies influence ecosystem structure, function and services in recipient ecosystems. Even though active subsidies affect ecosystem dynamics, most ecosystem models consider the influence of spatially-explicit animal behavior on active subsidy distributions, limiting the ability to predict corresponding spatial impacts across ecosystems. Spatial subsidy research documents the need for systematic models and analyses frameworks to provide generally insights into the relationship between animal space use behavior and active subsidy patterns, and advance knowledge of corresponding ecosystem impacts for a variety of taxa and ecological scenarios.</p> <p> </p> <p>To advance spatial subsidy research, this dissertation employs a combined individual-based and movement ecology approach in abstract modeling frameworks to systematically investigate the influence of 1) animal movement behavior given mortality (chapter 2), 2) animal sociality (chapter 3) and 3) landscape heterogeneity (chapter 4) on active subsidy distribution. This dissertation shows that animal movement behavior, sociality and landscape heterogeneity influence the extent and intensity of active distribution and impacts in recipient ecosystems. Insights from this dissertation demonstrate that accounting for these factors in the development of ecosystem models will consequentially enhance their utility for predicting active subsidy spatial patterns and impacts. This dissertation advances spatial subsidy research by providing a road map for developing a comprehensive, unifying framework of the relationship between animal behavior and active subsidy distributions.</p>