Wildlife species that rely on early successional habitat are showing long-term region-wide declines, including songbirds such as Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla), Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera), Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor), and Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). All six species are listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need on a majority of the New England state's Wildlife Action Plans and in 2011, the Golden-winged Warbler was placed under review for federal listing. In areas where vegetation structure is actively maintained in early successional stages, such as powerline rights-of-way (ROWs), there is an opportunity to provide habitat over long time frames. This study focused on habitat use by six early successional bird species in the Champlain Valley in Vermont along powerline ROWs. Thirty sites that included potential habitat were established. During the breeding season, trained citizen scientist volunteers spot-mapped species distribution patterns along transects. Focal habitat use by individuals was mapped during timed field observations (n=83). Vegetation species composition and structure was evaluated within 1m2 vegetation plots across each site (n=965). Logistic regression models of study species' abundance patterns and focal habitat use were compared using Akaike's information criterion (AIC). Surrounding landscape composition, vegetation species composition and vegetation structure had the greatest influence on species abundance and focal habitat use based on best-fit models. All species occurrence, except Blue-winged Warbler and Brown Thrasher, decreased with greater development and fragmentation in the surrounding landscape. While the covariates that influenced habitat use patterns by the species were similar, the effect size and direction of influence varied. These results suggest that a universal management approach for shrubland songbird habitat would not support a broad range of species. The findings from this study determined species-specific habitat preferences that can improve management practices to benefit these declining species.

The long-term success of wildlife conservation depends on maximizing the benefits of limited funds and data in pursuit of population and habitat objectives. The ultimate currency for wildlife management is progress toward long-term preservation of ample, wild, free wildlife populations and to this end, funds must be wisely spent and maximal use made from limited data. Through simulation-based analyses, I evaluated the efficacy of various models for estimating population abundance from harvest data. Because managers have different estimators to choose from and can also elect to collect additional data, I compared the statistical performance of different estimation strategies (estimator + dataset) relative to the financial cost of data collection. I also performed a value of information analysis to measure the impact that different strategies have on a representative harvest management decision. The latter analysis is not based on the cost of data, but rather on the management benefit derived from basing decisions on different datasets. Finally, I developed a hybrid modeling framework for mapping habitat quality or suitability. This framework makes efficient use of expert opinion and empirical validation data in a single, updatable statistical structure. I illustrate this method by applying it across an entire state.

Recruitment failure of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in the Great Lakes has been attributed in part to the consumption of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) by adult lake trout, leading to Thiamine Deficiency Complex (TDC) and early mortality in fry. The current understanding of thiamine deficiency in lake trout fry is based on information from culture and hatchery settings, which do not represent conditions fry experience in the wild and may influence the occurrence of TDC. In the wild, lake trout fry have access to zooplankton immediately following hatching; previous studies found that wild fry begin feeding before complete yolk-sac absorption. However, hatchery-raised fry are not provided with food until after yolk-sac absorption, long after the development of TDC. Zooplankton are a potential source of dietary thiamine for wild fry in the early life stages that has not previously been considered in the occurrence of thiamine deficiency. We postulated that wild-hatched fry could mitigate thiamine deficiency through early feeding on natural prey. Specifically, we hypothesized 1) feeding should increase thiamine concentrations relative to unfed fry and 2) feeding should increase survival relative to unfed fry. Feeding experiments were conducted on lake trout fry reared from eggs collected from Lake Champlain in 2014 and Cayuga Lake in 2015. A fully crossed experimental design was used to determine the effect of early feeding by lake trout fry in thiamine replete and thiamine deplete treatments before and after feeding. Overall, thiamine concentrations and survival did not significantly differ between fed and unfed fry. Thiamine concentrations increased from egg stage to hatching in both years, suggesting a potential source of thiamine, which had not previously been considered, was available to the lake trout eggs during development.

Since their discovery in Yellowstone Lake in 1994, Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) have been the object of an intensive gillnet suppression program due to their predation on native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri). Managers are also interested in targeting early life stages to augment suppression. A benthic sled was used to sample for Lake Trout eggs at 24 locations, hypothesized to be spawning sites, that encompassed a range of depths, slopes, and substrate composition to determine the location and characteristics of spawning sites in Yellowstone Lake. Lake Trout eggs were collected at seven sites, five of which had not been previously confirmed as spawning sites. Habitat characterization at these sites indicate Lake Trout spawning in Yellowstone Lake is limited to areas with rocky substrate, but is not constrained to areas with interstitial spaces or contour breaks as is seen within the species' native range. Lake Trout fry were captured around Carrington Island, an additional spawning site in Yellowstone Lake, in 2014 and 2015. These fry were significantly larger at each developmental stage, consumed more food beginning at earlier stages, and were captured much later into the summer than fry captured at a spawning site in Lake Champlain. The lack of potential egg and fry predators in Yellowstone Lake could be driving these differences in spawning site selection and fry behavior. This information will allow managers to identify additional spawning locations for suppression and evaluate the impact their efforts might have on the Lake Trout population in Yellowstone Lake.

The intent of this research was to create and evaluate a karst tourism management index (KTMI). This index is intended to be a new management tool designed to quantify environmental disturbances caused specifically by tourism activities in karst regions, particularly show caves and springs. In an effort to assess the effectiveness of the index as a management tool in karst terrains, after development, the index was applied to six case study sites. A review of the management policies at each study site was conducted with the use of standard policy critique methods and semistructured interviews with managers at the study sites. After interviews were completed, the newly created index was applied to the study areas with the aid of park land managers. Including land managers in the application process allowed for active land managers to provide more meaningful feedback on potential improvements to the KTMI to ensure the most universally applicable and thoroughly field-tested index tool was created. Upon application and continual refinement of the index to the six study sites, a new data-driven management tool to measure disturbances to karst terrains by tourism was developed. The KTMI consist of an Overall Score category that is broken down into the two main categories of Management and Tourism. The KTMI contains 168 indicators that all need to be scored individually to obtain results, with Management containing 100 of the indicators and Tourism containing the other 68 indicators.

Conventional Appalachian surface-mine reclamation techniques repress natural forest regeneration, and tree plantings are often necessary for reforestation. Reclaimed Appalachian surface mines harbor a suite of mammal herbivores that forage on recently planted seedlings. Anecdotal reports across Appalachia have implicated herbivory in the hindrance and failure of reforestation efforts, yet empirical evaluation of herbivory impacts on planted seedling vitality in this region remains relatively uninitiated. First growing-season survival, height growth, and mammal herbivory damage of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.), and white oak (Quercus alba L.) are presented in response to varying intensities of herbivore exclusion. Seedling survival was generally high, and height growth was positive for all species. The highest herbivory incidence of all tree species was observed in treatments offering no herbivore exclusion. While seedling protectors lowered herbivory incidence compared with no exclusion, full exclusion treatments resulted in the greatest reduction of herbivore damage. Although herbivory from rabbits, small mammals, and domestic animals was observed, cervids (deer and elk) were responsible for 95.8% of all damaged seedlings. This study indicates that cervids forage heavily on planted seedlings during the first growing-season, but exclusion and tree species selection is effective at reducing herbivory.

Salinity (S) and temperature (T) control every facet of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) life cycle, principally reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Previous studies conducted in in the Breton Sound (BR) and Barataria (BA) estuaries have reported differences in growth and mortality rates between the basins. In the present study, environmental conditions were synchronized to compare growth and mortality rates between basins at similar combinations of T and S. Results indicate that when T and S are the same (synchronized), seasonal oyster growth and mortality rates differ between BR and BA. Seasonal analyses revealed that as salinities increased in both estuaries, growth rates generally increased, while mortality rates generally decreased. These findings suggest that basin-wide adaptations to local environmental conditions may exist.

In a world confronting climate change and rapidly shifting land uses, effective methods for monitoring natural resources are critical to support scientifically-informed management decisions. By taking audio recordings of the environment, scientists can acquire presence-absence data to characterize populations of sound-producing wildlife over time and across vast spatial scales. Remote acoustic monitoring presents new challenges, however: monitoring programs are often constrained in the total time they can record, automated detection algorithms typically produce a prohibitive number of detection mistakes, and there is no streamlined framework for moving from raw acoustic data to models of wildlife occurrence dynamics. In partnership with a proof-of-concept field study in the U.S Bureau of Land Management’s Riverside East Solar Energy Zone in southern California, this dissertation introduces a new R software package, AMMonitor, alongside a novel body of work: 1) temporally-adaptive acoustic sampling to maximize the detection probabilities of target species despite recording constraints, 2) values-driven statistical learning tools for template-based automated detection of target species, and 3) methods supporting the construction of dynamic species occurrence models from automated acoustic detection data. Unifying these methods with streamlined data management, the AMMonitor software package supports the tracking of species occurrence, colonization, and extinction patterns through time, introducing the potential to perform adaptive management at landscape scales.

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to develop a model of energy expenditure in a population of white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii). Field work in southwestern Wyoming during 1985-87 showed that the breeding season commenced at snowmelt and ceased during late- July drought. Adult females reproduced relatively synchronously and produced a mean of three litters annually. Greatest fetal production occurred in the second litter period. Collections indicated a 1:1 sex ratio, few jackrabbits >2 years-old, and a density of 7 animals / km2 in the population. Postnatal growth was sigmoidal, culminating in heavier adult females than males. Using radio -telemetry, a circadian rhythm was detected in jackrabbit activity, with movement beginning after sunset and ending by sunrise. Observations showed that season, snow cover, weather, lunar phase, and predators influenced activity. Energetics studies established the pattern of seasonal acclimatization in the jackrabbit. Basal metabolic rate (BMR), pelage thickness, and body temperature increased but overall thermal conductance (C) and the lower critical temperature (LCT) declined from summer to winter. High winds and low air temperatures elevated metabolism interactively and their effects were most pronounced during summer. Metabolic rate dee lined with incident radiation at Ta< LCT during winter but not during summer. In newborn jackrabbits, body temperature dropped despite increased metabolism at Ta< 25°C. Cold tolerance and homeothermy developed with age. Based on these and published data, a FORTRAN model was written that simulated the energy expenditure of a population of jackrabbits. Metabolizable energy requirements for maintenance , thermoregulation, reproduction, growth, and activity were estimated. The model indicated that most energy (kJ·kg - l.day- 1) was required by adult females during lactation, adult males at the onset of breeding, and newborn juveniles. Energy expenditures for adult females, adult males, and juveniles were 191, 130, and 224 MJ·individual-1·km-2·yr-1, respectively. Total energy expenditure increased with wind and lower air temperature and decreased if juvenile huddling was simulated. The model indicated that the jackrabbit population is not limited by food. Estimated percent consumption of forage energy was 4%, assuming 50% of phytomass was edible, the population density = 100 jackrabbits/km2, metabolizable energy efficiency= 0.4, and the air was calm.

It is hypothesized that individuals make reproductive decisions based on current assessments of their physiological condition and environmental conditions. For female lesser scaup (Aythya affinis), breeding occurs after an energetically costly spring migration. Increasing fat reserves (i.e., ‘body condition’) prior to breeding allows a female to produce a larger clutch of eggs, but time spent gaining body condition is costly in terms of time allowed to raise ducklings before freezing conditions in the fall. In Chapter 2 I explored rate of pre-breeding body condition gain in female lesser scaup, and how that rate influenced clutch size. Spring phenology, measured by proxy as water temperature, and water depth strongly influenced the rate at which females increased body condition. Early springs with low water levels led to greater rates of body condition gain in female scaup. The higher the rate of body condition gain, the larger the clutch of eggs females produced. Body condition is also an important determinant of breeding in female ducks; females in poor body condition are more likely to forego breeding. I explored how body condition, wetland conditions, and prior experience influence a female’s decision to breed in Chapter 3. Body condition was a strong determinant of when a female bred, with females in good body condition breeding earlier than females in poorer body condition. Habitat conditions were also important, with drought reducing the proportion of breeding lesser scaup females. In Chapter 4 I examined survival costs of reproduction in female scaup. Nesting exposes females to increased predation risk (a concurrent survival cost), and reduced post-breeding body condition may reduce female survival the subsequent non-breeding season (a serial, or ‘downstream’, survival cost). Female survival during breeding and non-breeding seasons was most correlated with breeding season water level on the study site, but in opposite directions. Breeding season survival increased with increasing water levels, while non-breeding season survival declined. High water levels on the study site increased the availability of presumably high-security nesting habitat, and also increased female reproductive effort. The former increased breeding season survival, while the latter reduced non-breeding season survival.