Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-04-17T18:05:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 mateusfajardodefreitassalviatodetoni.pdf: 1310680 bytes, checksum: 07d34f3c206819ff6b208c6ab33be11a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-04-18T13:50:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 mateusfajardodefreitassalviatodetoni.pdf: 1310680 bytes, checksum: 07d34f3c206819ff6b208c6ab33be11a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-18T13:50:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mateusfajardodefreitassalviatodetoni.pdf: 1310680 bytes, checksum: 07d34f3c206819ff6b208c6ab33be11a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Os ninhos de insetos sociais funcionam como a interface entre as colônias e o ambiente, e estudar como os fatores ambientais se relacionam com o comportamento de nidificação é essencial para compreender o sucesso desses animais em colonizar e sobreviver na área urbana. Dessa forma, este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a relação entre a orientação dos ninhos da vespa social Polybia platycephala em áreas urbanas e a incidência de luz ambiental sobre os mesmos, além de descrever sua dinâmica de temperatura em relação ao microambiente em que estão localizados. Para a orientação e a incidência de luz, 11 ninhos foram selecionados em 2016 na cidade de Juiz de Fora, MG, sendo 11 na estação chuvosa e 11 na seca (n= 22). A orientação dos ninhos foi constatada e a incidência de luz de cada ninho foi verificada ao longo do dia (06:00h – 18:00h). Adicionalmente, seis ninhos tiveram sua orientação experimentalmente invertida e a luminosidade foi acompanhada antes e depois da inversão de forma a verificar o efeito da orientação natural sobre a exposição dos ninhos à luz. Para a dinâmica de temperatura utilizaram-se os mesmos 22 ninhos, e a temperatura dos ninhos e do ambiente foram medidas paralelamente à luminosidade. Para verificar o efeito da atividade das vespas sobre a temperatura da colônia, um ninho abandonado e uma colônia ativa foram acompanhados por 24 horas. Os resultados permitiram-nos concluir que P. platycephala apresenta uma orientação de ninhos fortemente enviesada para leste, aumentando a exposição à luz ambiental no período da manhã; são, no entanto, capazes de modificar esse comportamento para adaptar-se ao seu microambiente para otimizar essa exposição. A temperatura dos ninhos é muito relacionada à ambiente, flutuando paralelamente a esta, o que indica uma grande dependência das colônias do mesmo para sua sobrevivência. De forma geral, constatou-se que P. platycephala possui uma íntima relação com o seu microambiente, o que pode ajudar a explicar seu sucesso em colonizar áreas urbanas, mas também a torna sensível a alterações ambientais e climáticas nas mesmas. / Nests of social insects function as the interface between colonies and the environment, and studying how environmental factors relate to the nesting behavior is essential in order to understand these organisms’ success in settling and surviving in the urban area. On this sense, our work aimed to study the relation between the social wasp Polybia platycephala nest orientation and the incidence of environmental light, aside from describing its temperature dynamics regarding the microenvironment where it is set. In order to study nest orientation and light incidence, 22 nests were chosen in 2016 in the city of Juiz de Fora, MG, being 11 in the rainy season and 11 in the dry (n= 22). Nest orientation was verified and light incidence on each nest was assessed through the day (06:00h - 18:00h). Additionally, six nests had their orientation experimentally inverted and luminosity was assessed before and after the inversion in order to verify the effect of nest orientation on exposure to light. In order to study temperature dynamics, the same 22 nests were used, and the nest and ambient temperatures were assessed in parallel with the luminosity. In order to verify the effect of the wasp activity on colony temperatures, an abandoned nest and an active colony were observed for 24 hours. The results allowed us to conclude that P. platycephala shows nest orientation strongly biased towards east, increasing exposure to light during the morning; colonies are, however, able to perform modifications on this behavior in order to adapt themselves to their microenvironment and optimize this exposure. Nest temperatures are intensely related to the ambient, fluctuating in parallel with it, which indicates a great dependence of the colonies on the environment to assure their survival. Overall, we found that P. platycephala has an intimate relation with its microenvironment, which may help explain its success in settling urban areas, but also makes it sensible to environmental and climatic changes in them.

The beaches of Broward County, Florida are a prevalent nesting site for loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles, however extensive beach erosion is threatening critical nesting habitat. Beach renourishment, the process of transporting offshore or upland sediment onshore, is a widely used method of replenishing lost sand. However, renourishment can negatively affect sea turtle nesting habitat by increasing beach compaction; the resistance to applied pressure in pounds per square inch (psi). Increased sand compaction impedes the digging of the female which affects nesting success. The influence of beach compaction on sea turtle nesting patterns has never been previously examined over the course of a nesting season on Hillsboro and Deerfield Beach. Therefore, this study was designed to examine beach compaction data for Hillsboro, a mostly natural beach, and Deerfield, a completely renourished beach, during the 2010 nesting season and analyze the compaction data against 2010 nest and false crawl (FC, non-nesting emergence) data. Compaction readings were collected during every other week March-October using a soil compaction meter at every other street address along three beach positions, the dune base, mid-beach, and average high tide line (HTL); and at three depths, 15 cm, 30 cm, and 45 cm. Values were not statistically different throughout the season for each beach, so seasonal mean compaction values were used for each beach position and depth. Hillsboro compaction values were rarely over 500 psi (35 kg/cm2), even at 45 cm depth. Deerfield compaction values exceeded the 600 psi (42kg/cm2) measurement limit of the meter in approximately 60% of the compaction values at 30 cm or 45 cm depth. Sand compaction data was analyzed for any trends between beaches as well as within each beach. Historical data shows higher loggerhead nesting success, the number of nests/total number of crawls (including FC) x 100, on Hillsboro Beach than on Deerfield Beach. The average beach compaction values were compared to nesting success and to nest and FC density within each station area. There was a significant inverse relationship (p<0.05) between beach compaction and nesting success at each of the beach positions and depths, when both Hillsboro and Deerfield Beaches were analyzed together, except at the Mid 30 cm and Dune 45 cm depth. The strongest relationship for the combined beaches was at the HTL 15 cm depth (R2=0.3821, p<0.001). When Hillsboro was analyzed alone, beach compaction and nesting success was only significantly inversely related (R2=0.0875, p<0.02) at the HTL 15 cm depth. This demonstrates that while increased beach compaction may partially influence nesting success, there are likely other beach characteristics that contribute to nest site selection of loggerheads in Northern Broward County. The inverse relationship between Hillsboro mean beach compaction and nest density (nests per meter) was significant only at the HTL 15cm depth (p<0.002) and the inverse relationship between mean beach compaction and false crawl density (FC per meter) in Hillsboro was only significant at the Dune 15 cm (p<0.019) and the Dune 30 cm (p<0.038) depths. Although, increased beach compaction was expected to relate to higher FC density, FC density showed a significant inverse relationship to mean beach compaction at all Deerfield Beach positions and depths in and this suggests off-shore factors may be affecting nest site selection.

Abstract Social information use is a widespread phenomenon across the animal kingdom and it affects various important aspects of animal behaviour. Animals observe and copy the behaviour of conspecifics and other species on the same trophic level in their own decision-making, e.g., in habitat or mate choice. Copying is adaptive only when it is selective. Thus, it would be important to understand when and which individuals should copy others, and which individuals they choose to copy and what are the consequences of social information use. In this thesis, I experimentally study these questions in wild animals living in natural conditions. By simulating arbitrary preference of great tits (Parus major), I demonstrated that the portrayed fitness does not affect the nest site choices of conspecifics, but the tit pairs with an old male prefer the nest site choices of good and poor conspecifics. Social information use among tits appears to be age- and sex-dependent. Pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), however, selectively copy or reject a novel nest site feature preference (symbol attached to the nest box) of great tits experimentally manipulated to exhibit high or low fitness (clutch size), respectively. By offering pied flycatchers choice in nest boxes with alternative contents, I showed that nest take-overs of flycatchers are not a form of social information use, but seem to result from the reduced building effort required. Furthermore, by conducting a decoy and playback experiment, I showed that great tits covered eggs more efficiently in the presence of pied flycatchers. One function of egg covering behaviour seems to be a counter-adaptation to reduce information parasitism by pied flycatchers. My results demonstrate that the social transmission of behaviours across species can be highly selective in response to observed fitness, plausibly making the phenomenon adaptive. In contrast with the current theory of species coexistence, overlap between realized niches of species could dynamically increase or decrease, depending on the observed success of surrounding individuals. The social information revealed by success and behaviour of animals is a resource that can be used or concealed. It is a new kind of evolutionary and ecological factor which may affect the formation of ecosystems and species coevolution. / Tiivistelmä Sosiaalinen informaationkäyttö on yleinen ilmiö eläinkunnassa, ja sitä tavataan aina hyönteisistä valaisiin. Yksilöt tarkkailevat ja kopioivat sekä lajitovereiden että toisen ekologialtaan samankaltaisen lajin yksilöiden käyttäytymistä erilaisissa tilanteissa, kuten pesäpaikan tai parittelukumppanin valinnassa. Sosiaalinen informaationkäyttö on adaptiivista ainoastaan ollessaan valikoivaa. Siksi on tärkeää selvittää kenen, koska ja ketä kannattaa kopioida, ja mitä ekologisia ja evolutiivisia seurauksia siitä koituu informaation lähteelle ja käyttäjälle. Väitöskirjassani tutkin kokeellisesti informaation hankkijan (kirjosieppo Ficedula hypoleuca) valikoivaa kopioimista ja siitä mahdollisesti johtuvaa informaation lähteen (talitiainen Parus major) vasta-adaptaatiota luonnonoloissa. Symbolikokeilla selvitin, että talitiaisten lajinsisäinen kopiointi on iästä ja sukupuolesta riippuvaa, mutta informaationlähteen havaittu kelpoisuus ei vaikuta kopioinnin todennäköisyyteen. Kirjosiepot puolestaan kopioivat valikoivasti keinotekoisesti luotuja tiaisten mieltymyksiä pesäpönttöön kiinnitettyjä symboleja kohtaan, riippuen tiaisten havaitusta manipuloidusta kelpoisuudesta (munamäärästä pesässä). Siepot kopioivat tiaisia, joiden pesässä on paljon munia (13 munaa), ja rejektoivat tiaisia (valitsevat vaihtoehtoisen symbolin), joilla munia on vähän (5 munaa). Tarjoamalla kirjosiepoille vaihtoehtoisia pesäpönttöjä osoitin, että sieppojen luontainen mieltymys vallata ja rakentaa pesänsä toisten pesien päälle ei ole sosiaalisen informaationkäytön muoto, vaan se näyttää olevan pesänrakennuksen kustannusten minimointia. Playback-kokeilla osoitin, että talitiaisten munienpeittelykäyttäytymisellä on useita funktioita. Se on vasta-adaptaatio kirjosiepon informaatioloisintaa vastaan ja toimii mahdollisesti suojana kylmää vastaan. Väitöskirjani tulokset osoittavat, että eläinten käyttäytymisen paljastama sosiaalinen informaatio on resurssi, jota voidaan hyödyntää tai salata. Se on myös uudenlainen ekologinen ja evolutiivinen tekijä, joka vaikuttaa eliöyhteisöjen muodostumiseen ja lajien koevoluutioon. Lajienvälinen valikoiva sosiaalinen informaationkäyttö -hypoteesi haastaa nykyisen koevoluutioteorian. Se ennustaa, että informaatiota hyödyntävän lajin ja informaationlähteen ominaisuudet voivat joko samankaltaistua tai erilaistua, informaationlähteen havaittavasta menestyksestä riippuen.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-01-15T13:48:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 carlosmagnodossantos.pdf: 1171016 bytes, checksum: 843d57bbd25fe33ba51f921168d70aaa (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-01-25T17:40:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 carlosmagnodossantos.pdf: 1171016 bytes, checksum: 843d57bbd25fe33ba51f921168d70aaa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-25T17:40:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 carlosmagnodossantos.pdf: 1171016 bytes, checksum: 843d57bbd25fe33ba51f921168d70aaa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-28 / (Avaliação da atividade de escavação de ninhos em Acromyrmex subterraneus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): estímulos e divisão de trabalho). Formigas cortadeiras dos gêneros Atta e Acromyrmex são conhecidas por sua organização social e capacidade de construir ninhos de arquitetura complexa. A construção do ninho é importante ecologicamente, pois altera as propriedades químicas e físicas do solo, contribuindo para o crescimento da vegetação. Além disso, o processo de escavação permite compreender os padrões comportamentais fundamentais na organização social em formigas cortadeiras, constituindo base relevante de estudos ecológicos vinculados à dinâmica comportamental das atividades coletivas organizadas nos insetos eussociais. Sabe-se que para algumas espécies de formigas cortadeiras, fungo simbionte e prole atuam como estímulo para a escavação, exercendo influência sobre a complexidade das estruturas emergentes (túneis e câmaras). Este estudo investigou quais são os estímulos para o comportamento de escavação em Acromyrmex subterraneus durante a construção do ninho, tendo como hipótese que a presença do fungo jardim e/ou prole constituem estímulos para a escavação de túneis e câmaras. Além disso, investigou a divisão de tarefas a fim de verificar se o nível de atividade das operárias para a tarefa de escavação se altera em função da presença do fungo e da prole. O experimento consistiu no registro da frequência de escavação de operárias individualmente marcadas colocadas em cilindros plásticos preenchidos com solo, em que foram aplicados quatro tratamentos: FB - 30 operárias médias, 5g de jardim de fungo e 30 itens de prole (larvas ou pupas), FG - 30 operárias médias e 5g de jardim de fungo, LP - 30 operárias médias e 30 itens de prole e WK - 30 operárias médias, sem jardim de fungo e prole. Após 24 horas foram registrados os parâmetros morfométricos do ninho (comprimento e largura de túneis e câmaras em cm) e o volume de solo escavado, assim como a atividade de escavação individual de cada operária. Em contraste com o esperado, não houve variação da estrutura morfológica, frequência de escavação ou volume de solo escavado em função dos tratamentos. No entanto, verificaram-se diferenças no nível de atividade das operárias gerando uma distribuição desigual de tarefas com metade das operárias permanecendo inativa em detrimento de outras que realizaram a tarefa de escavação de forma intensa e repetitiva. / (Evaluation of nest’s digging activity in Acromyrmex subterraneus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): stimuli and division of labor). Leaf cutting ants from Atta and Acromyrmex genera are known by their social organization and ability to build nests with a complex architecture. Nest building has a great importance in the field because it alters the chemical and physical properties of the soil, contributing to the growth of vegetation. In addition, the excavation process allows us to understand fundamental behavioral patterns in social organization in cutting ants, constituting relevant basic ecological studies related to behavioral dynamics of group activities organized in eusocial insects. It is known that for some species of leaf-cutting ants, symbiotic fungus and offspring act as a stimulus for the excavation, exerting influence on the complexity of the emerging structures (tunnels and chambers). This study investigated what are the stimuli for digging behavior in Acromyrmex subterraneus during nest building, testing the hypothesis that the presence of the fungus garden and/or brood are stimuli for the excavation of tunnels and chambers. In addition, we investigated the division of labor to verify if the level of activity of workers for excavation task changes due to the presence of the fungus and brood. The experiment consisted in recording the frequency of excavation of individually marked workers placed in plastic cylinders filled with soil, in which were applied four treatments: FB - 30 medium workers, 5g of fungus garden and 30 brood items (larvae and pupae) FG - 30 medium workers and 5g of fungus garden, LP - 30 medium workers and 30 items of brood and WK - 30 medium workers without fungus garden and brood. After 24 hours we registered nest morphometric parameters (length and width of chambers and tunnels in cm) and the volume of excavated soil, as well as the excavation activity of each worker. In contrast to the expected, there was no change in the morphological structure, digging frequency or volume of excavated soil among the treatments. However, we verified differences among the activity level of the workers, leading to an unequal distribution of tasks with half of the most workers remaining inactive while the others performed the excavation intensely and repetitively.

My research was focused on greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; 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. 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. 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 (Corvus corax: hereafter "raven") density. I found that Wildlife Services decreased raven density by 61% during 2008-2011 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. 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 (Aquila chrysaetos) density, proximity to anthropogenic and landscape features, and hen parental investment (nesting and brood-rearing).

No description available.

A terrain analysis of the Shiloh Battlefield is presented in conjunction with a meteorological assessment of the conditions prevalent during the battle. The intent of the analysis was to ascertain the effect that conditions might have played upon the strategic and tactical actions prior to, and during the Battle of Shiloh, 1862. The significance of this study was to determine the influence of meteorological and geographical factors upon the two armies. Values for temperature and precipitation were estimated using the PDSI and data from NOAA. According to the model it was a very wet year. Weather and geography clearly played a role in how and when the Battle of Shiloh was fought. Due to the high number of casualties, however, the Battle of Shiloh would change how warfare would be conducted in the United States.

No description available.

During 2008 – 2009, we quantified foraging behavior of adult Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) by deploying time-depth recorders (TDRs) on 18 adults and collected morphological measurements from 40 adults nesting on Petit Manan Island, Maine. Dive data were successfully retrieved from 5 birds foraging for 14 days in 2008, and 8 birds foraging for 18 days in 2009. Pooling across all birds, a total of 8,097 dives were recorded, with peaks in activity during 0400-0800 and 1600-2000, and no diving between 2100 and 0400. Mean (± SD) dives/bird/day was 276.4 (± 84.7), with dives grouped into bouts lasting 17.8 (± 31.5) minutes, consisting of 8.9 (± 3.4) dives. Dive depth was less than 15 m for 86% of the dives. Mean maximum dive depth across birds was 9.7 (± 1.7) m, with the deepest dive being 40.7 m. Females made fewer deep dives (27-41 m), had more midday dives (1000 - 1559), and their dives were spread across a greater number of bouts per day than males. Given a mean foraging trip length of 60.1 (± 38.3) minutes for 26 birds observed in 2009, we estimate that adult puffins foraged, on average, within 31 km of the colony. Morphological measures were recorded by a single observer and included body mass, wing chord, bill depth, bill length, culmen, and head-bill length, and represented 19 males and 21 females, based on blood sample analysis. Data were analyzed using classification trees, and our final tree used culmen length and bill depth to correctly classify 34 of 40 (85%) birds (kappa = 0.695, P < 0.01). Use of our model can greatly improve the ability of biologists to identify sex of puffins in the field at this colony site, but variability in morphological data we collected at addition colonies indicates that future work is needed to determine its applicability throughout the Gulf of Maine. During 2009, we measured burrow characteristics of alcids and empty burrows. Breeding success and burrow characteristics were measured for nests of 104 puffins, 58 guillemots and 4 razorbills, with burrow characteristics measured for an additional 12 guillemot and 56 empty burrows. Mean diameter of burrow openings of puffins, guillemots, razorbills and empty burrows were significantly different, and artificial puffin burrows had significantly smaller openings than natural while artificial and natural guillemot burrows had similar opening diameters. Hatch, chick, and nest success of puffins was similar among burrow types, but guillemots had higher hatch and nest success in artificial burrows. The variables we used to create models for predicting hatch and nest success for puffins and guillemots had inadequate discriminatory power to predict success.

Man-made nest boxes are surrogate nest sites widely used by waterfowl managers in North America to propagate free-ranging Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) and other cavity-nesting waterfowl. I monitored 129 and 174 nest boxes in 2020 and 2021, respectively, at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge and York Woods, Mississippi. I evaluated site-specific biotic and abiotic factors that were potentially influential on nest survival of Wood Ducks and general nesting ecology and apparent nest success of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) and Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). Daily survival rate of Wood Ducks was negatively influenced by increasing encroaching vegetation at Noxubee NWR and varied by year at York Woods. Across both sites and years, Black-bellied Whistling Duck and Hooded Merganser nest success averaged 59% and 77%, respectively. I also evaluated eggshell breaking strength (EBS) between all three species, where EBS was highest in Hooded Mergansers, followed by Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Wood Ducks.