Thesis (Ph. D., Zoology)--University of Idaho, March 2008. / Major professor: John A. Byers. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by subscription or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (Ph. D., Biology)--University of Idaho, May 2009. / Major professor: John A. Byers. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by subscription or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.S. in natural resource sciences)--Washington State University, December 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Oct. 5, 2009). "Department of Natural Resource Sciences." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Biological Sciences, South Dakota State University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S. )--University of North Texas, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 8, 2006). Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-108).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1997. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 333-395).

During January 1983 - July 1985 the population dynamics, movements, and habitat use of pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) were studied on the 1040 km² Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, in southeastern Colorado, prior to initiation of military training. Forty-seven adults and 32 fawns were radio marked; 247 adults were color collared or ear tagged only. Using aerial strip and quadrat surveys, I estimated a summer population for 1983, 1984, and 1985 of 694, 690, and 657 respectively. Adult female pregnancy rate was approximately 98%, mean litter size for females > 1.5 years was 1.9, and fetal and fawn sex ratios were not different from 1:1. Fawn mortality was 89% in 1983 and 80% in 1984. Adult mortality was 20% in 1983 and 28% in 1984. Annual rate of increase (λ) over the 2 year study was .806. Home range size of pronghorns was extremely variable within and between sexes and among seasons. Winter ranges were 2-fold and 5-fold larger than summer range for females and males, respectively. Sixty-five percent of all weekly movements were < 3 km. Females preferred open grassland in all seasons, and cholla grassland in winter. Yucca grassland was preferred in spring and fall, and cholla/open grass edges were highly preferred in all seasons. Males preferred open grassland in all seasons but winter, and preferred cholla grassland in all seasons but spring, cholla/open grass edges were also preferred in all seasons. Fawns used open grassland and cholla/open grass edges more than expected, while using woodland and shrub habitats less than expected. / M.S.

The Rocker b Ranch on the southern Rolling Plains has one of the last sizeable populations of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in Texas. To investigate habitat utilization on the ranch, pronghorn were fitted with GPS/VHF collars and were released into pastures surrounded by a variety of fences to determine how fence types affected habitat selection. Habitat parameters chosen for analysis were vegetation, elevation, slope, aspect, and distances to water, roads, and oil wells. Results showed that pronghorn on the ranch crossed modified fencing significantly less than other types of fencing. Pronghorn selected for all habitat parameters to various degrees, with the most important being vegetation type. Habitat selection could be attributed to correspondence of vegetation type with other parameters or spatial arrangements of physical features of the landscape. Seasonal differences in habitat utilization were evident, and animals tended to move shorter distances at night than they did during daylight hours.

Genetic analyses of increasing power are now regularly incorporated into wildlife management assessments of threatened and endangered species. Genetic data provide valuable information regarding taxonomy, kinship, and population size and structure. Recently transformed by the advent of powerful technologies that expand our view from single genes to the entire genome, the field of conservation may be on the verge of another revolution with the emergence of epigenetics as a promising means of surveying environmental response in natural populations. In this dissertation, I present my doctoral research upon population genetics and epigenetics of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). Considerable effort has been undertaken to conserve pronghorn, particularly in the periphery of its range in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Translocation is regularly used to supplement and re-establish populations of the wide-ranging A. a. americana subspecies while captive breeding has been established for two endangered pronghorn subspecies, A. a. sonoriensis found in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico and A. a. peninsularis of the Baja Peninsula. The primary goal of my doctoral work was to provide pronghorn managers with current estimates of genetic diversity, relatedness, and structure within and between pronghorn subspecies in the desert southwest. My work shows that conservation measures for A. a. sonoriensis have successfully maintained genetic diversity within this endangered subspecies. My estimates of population structure within A. a. americana in northern Arizona reveal the influence of translocation and habitat fragmentation and demonstrate the successful reestablishment of gene flow following the removal of highway fences. With the purpose of guiding future release of captive pronghorn, I explored the subspecies status of pronghorn extirpated from a portion of their range in southern California and northern Baja California. My analyses of museum specimens indicate that the historical range of A. a. peninsularis may have extended as far north as the international border while specimens collected just north of the border share more genetic identity with A. a. sonoriensis. To follow my interests in epigenetics, I also conducted the first ever conservation epigenetics study with Arizona pronghorn. I found that pronghorn are more epigenetically than genetically diverse and this is an indicator that further epigenetic study will reveal the signature of response to environmental factors, as it has with other species demonstrating this pattern.

Efforts to reintroduce and maintain populations of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) to the California Central Valley, specifically the Carrizo Plain National Monument (CPNM) and the Mojave Desert (Antelope Valley) portion of Tejon Ranch, have largely been unsuccessful due to dwindling numbers of translocated animals. The objective of this study was to improve upon previous models for the CPNM using aerial survey data and then apply the model to the Tejon Ranch. Aerial survey data collected from 2000-2010 on the CPNM was used to establish “use” and “non-use” areas in the model. Model variables included vegetation type (forest, shrub, grassland, semi-desert scrub, crops, and bare areas), slope, and road density. Vegetation and road density variables were treated categorically and slope as a continuous variable. Kernel density estimation (KDE) was used to estimate utilization distributions and home ranges (Fieberg 2007). An 80% isopleth was used to define “used” and “unused” habitat areas within the study site. Binary logistic regression was used to detect correlations between habitat variables and habitat use by pronghorn. Results of the regression analysis indicated overall significance with a p-value of < 0.0001 (testing that all slopes = 0). Each habitat variable comparison was made after adjusting for the other variables (e.g., slope effects were evaluated after adjusting for road density and vegetation type) and was found to be significant. Each variable coefficient was then included in a predictive equation and entered into GIS to generate a map to predict where pronghorn would likely be observed. Similar layers were created for the Tejon Ranch and the predictive equation was run with the CPNM statistical analysis. Limited conclusions about habitat suitability on the CPNM or the Tejon Ranch can be made based on the habitat data available for this model. While slope, road density, and vegetation type are all significant habitat variables influencing pronghorn habitat use, further study is needed to understand the mechanisms driving these relationships. With additional data expansion of the current habitat suitability model would help to further define pronghorn habitat use, specifically the creation of a focused model of a particular season, life history period, or individual animal use to identify more detailed habitat use patterns.