In 2004, the government of Panama created Ecoparque Panama with the aim of conserving unique habitat and curbing urbanization on the western slope of the Panama Canal. A lack of baseline ecological research in the area prompted the Panamanian National Environmental Authority and the U.S. Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry to fund a camera-trap study to catalog and determine relative abundance of predator and prey species in the Panama Canal region. These infrared-triggered camera-traps allowed researchers to study elusive wildlife that may otherwise remain undetected. Using techniques adapted from previous research, infrared and motion-triggered camera-traps were purposively placed in the 4 km2 Ecoparque (U.S. Forest Service spelling: Eco-Park) Panama study area to gather data on two cervid species, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and red brocket deer (Mazama americana). The study was conducted over a five month period (December 2005-April 2006). Data collected were analyzed using SPSS and Stastix statistical software. Results in the form of inferred relative abundances and densities show that populations currently appear to be within the local carrying capacity. Cervid management recommendations of this study include the continued moratorium on deer hunting and strengthening of the legal protection of the red brocket deer. Given the lack of previous data, the conclusions drawn from this preliminary study will be the foundation for future research in Panama.

Little research has been conducted in the Republic of Panama concerning mammalian predator and prey populations. New Technologies such as remote camera-traps, allow researcher to efficiently monitor elusive wildlife species within dense tropical vegetation. The general goal of this study was to establish concrete evidence of the felid population in EcoParque Panama-a newly designated protected area adjacent to Panama City. The specific objective of the study was to estimate the relative abundance of predators and prey species in order to determine the feasibility of releasing more felids into the area that were to be removed from the Panama Canal Expansion Zone. Camera-traps were purposefully located in likely felid habitat and data were collected for approximately 5 months. Photographs were analyzed according to species and location captured, and abundances were established. Using SPSS and Statistix statistical software, tests for association between likely habitat for felids and time activity periods for prey species were conducted. EcoParque was found to have a robust prey population with relatively few predators. Felid predators present include the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and jaguarundi (Felis yaguarondi). Results suggest that felid carrying capacity has not been reached and additional individuals could be released into the area. This preliminary study lays the ground work for further research in EcoParque as well as the rest of Panama concerning predator and prey species relationships.

No description available.

The Coeur d’Alene salamander (Plethodon idahoensis) is a species of special concern throughout its global range, which includes southeastern BC (COSEWIC, Nov 2007), Idaho, and Montana, due to disjunct populations and sensitivity to human disturbance. Within the Interior Cedar-Hemlock forest on Mount Revelstoke, BC, Coeur d’Alene salamanders occur at their highest abundance between 600 m and 800 m. Beyond the Mount Revelstoke National Park boundaries, the low-order stream habitat of this species is subject to disturbance from forestry, mining, road building, road maintenance, and watercourse diversions such as run-of-the-river hydro projects. We conducted nocturnal salamander surveys and assessed habitat characteristics on 12 Sites (750 m² – 1000 m² stream transects) along three streams from June through September 2006. Coeur d’Alene salamanders were detected from 600 m - 1000 m on seven of the 12 study sites. Relative abundance of Coeur d’Alene salamanders ranged from 0.005 ± 0.001 per m² to 0.025 ± 0.005 per m² on six sites below 950 m. Coeur d’Alene salamanders occurred at an average of 0.001 ± 0.001 per m² at 972 m, the only site above 950 m where we detected salamanders. Our capture-mark-recapture efforts of three surveys per month in June and August yielded a very low recapture rate (3.95 %). Coeur d’Alene salamanders are challenging to enumerate due to their vertical distribution within the soil and underlying geological material. Neonate, juvenile, and adult Coeur d’Alene salamanders were observed from June to September and the highest proportion of neonates occurred in June, soon after the salamanders emerged from winter hibernation. Results of a logistic regression analysis of 1-m² plots reflected the importance of fine scale habitat characteristics (quadrat gradient, boulder, cobble, moss, grass, and shrub) in addition to site-level habitat features (water volume and elevation) that in combination describe the association of Coeur d’Alene salamanders with cool and moist conditions. Coeur d’Alene salamanders appear to select streambed habitat during warm, dry periods, which may be a behavioural response to minimize dehydration during periods of activity at the surface of the forest floor.

The Coeur d’Alene salamander (Plethodon idahoensis) is a species of special concern throughout its global range, which includes southeastern BC (COSEWIC, Nov 2007), Idaho, and Montana, due to disjunct populations and sensitivity to human disturbance. Within the Interior Cedar-Hemlock forest on Mount Revelstoke, BC, Coeur d’Alene salamanders occur at their highest abundance between 600 m and 800 m. Beyond the Mount Revelstoke National Park boundaries, the low-order stream habitat of this species is subject to disturbance from forestry, mining, road building, road maintenance, and watercourse diversions such as run-of-the-river hydro projects. We conducted nocturnal salamander surveys and assessed habitat characteristics on 12 Sites (750 m² – 1000 m² stream transects) along three streams from June through September 2006. Coeur d’Alene salamanders were detected from 600 m - 1000 m on seven of the 12 study sites. Relative abundance of Coeur d’Alene salamanders ranged from 0.005 ± 0.001 per m² to 0.025 ± 0.005 per m² on six sites below 950 m. Coeur d’Alene salamanders occurred at an average of 0.001 ± 0.001 per m² at 972 m, the only site above 950 m where we detected salamanders. Our capture-mark-recapture efforts of three surveys per month in June and August yielded a very low recapture rate (3.95 %). Coeur d’Alene salamanders are challenging to enumerate due to their vertical distribution within the soil and underlying geological material. Neonate, juvenile, and adult Coeur d’Alene salamanders were observed from June to September and the highest proportion of neonates occurred in June, soon after the salamanders emerged from winter hibernation. Results of a logistic regression analysis of 1-m² plots reflected the importance of fine scale habitat characteristics (quadrat gradient, boulder, cobble, moss, grass, and shrub) in addition to site-level habitat features (water volume and elevation) that in combination describe the association of Coeur d’Alene salamanders with cool and moist conditions. Coeur d’Alene salamanders appear to select streambed habitat during warm, dry periods, which may be a behavioural response to minimize dehydration during periods of activity at the surface of the forest floor.

The Coeur d’Alene salamander (Plethodon idahoensis) is a species of special concern throughout its global range, which includes southeastern BC (COSEWIC, Nov 2007), Idaho, and Montana, due to disjunct populations and sensitivity to human disturbance. Within the Interior Cedar-Hemlock forest on Mount Revelstoke, BC, Coeur d’Alene salamanders occur at their highest abundance between 600 m and 800 m. Beyond the Mount Revelstoke National Park boundaries, the low-order stream habitat of this species is subject to disturbance from forestry, mining, road building, road maintenance, and watercourse diversions such as run-of-the-river hydro projects. We conducted nocturnal salamander surveys and assessed habitat characteristics on 12 Sites (750 m² – 1000 m² stream transects) along three streams from June through September 2006. Coeur d’Alene salamanders were detected from 600 m - 1000 m on seven of the 12 study sites. Relative abundance of Coeur d’Alene salamanders ranged from 0.005 ± 0.001 per m² to 0.025 ± 0.005 per m² on six sites below 950 m. Coeur d’Alene salamanders occurred at an average of 0.001 ± 0.001 per m² at 972 m, the only site above 950 m where we detected salamanders. Our capture-mark-recapture efforts of three surveys per month in June and August yielded a very low recapture rate (3.95 %). Coeur d’Alene salamanders are challenging to enumerate due to their vertical distribution within the soil and underlying geological material. Neonate, juvenile, and adult Coeur d’Alene salamanders were observed from June to September and the highest proportion of neonates occurred in June, soon after the salamanders emerged from winter hibernation. Results of a logistic regression analysis of 1-m² plots reflected the importance of fine scale habitat characteristics (quadrat gradient, boulder, cobble, moss, grass, and shrub) in addition to site-level habitat features (water volume and elevation) that in combination describe the association of Coeur d’Alene salamanders with cool and moist conditions. Coeur d’Alene salamanders appear to select streambed habitat during warm, dry periods, which may be a behavioural response to minimize dehydration during periods of activity at the surface of the forest floor. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Catch per unit effort (CPUE) is a quantitative method used to describe fisheries worldwide. CPUE can be presented as number of fish per 1000 hooks, number of fish per amount of fishing time, or with any unit of effort that best describes the fishery (e.g., search time, hooks per hour, number of trawls). CPUE is commonly used as an index to estimate relative abundance for a population. These indices are then applied within stock assessments so that fisheries managers can make justified decisions for how to manage a particular stock or fishery using options such as quotas, catch limitations, gear and license restrictions, or closed areas. For commercial pelagic longline (PLL) fisheries, onboard observer data are considered the only reliable data available due to the large-scale movements of highly migratory species (HMS) like tunas and because of the high costs associated with fisheries independent surveys. Unfortunately, fishery-reported logbook data are heavily biased in favor of the target species and the expense of onboard observers results in a low percentage of fleet coverage. Subsequently, CPUE derived from fishery-dependent data tends to overestimate relative abundance for highly migratory species. The spatial distribution of fish and fishing effort is essential for understanding the proportionality between CPUE and stock abundance. A spatial metric was created (SCPUE) for individual gear deployments using observer-based catch and effort data from the western North Atlantic PLL fleet. SCPUE was found to be less variable than CPUE when used as an index of relative abundance, suggesting that SCPUE could serve as an improved index of relative abundance within stock assessments because it explicitly incorporates spatial information obtained directly from the fishing location. Areas of concentrated fishing effort and fine-scale aggregations of target and non-target fishes were identified using the optimized hot spot analysis tool in ArcGIS (10.2). This SCPUE method describes particular areas of fishing activity in terms of localized fish density, thus eliminating the assumption that all fish in a population are dispersed evenly within statistical management zones. The SCPUE metric could also assist fisheries management by identifying particular areas of concern for HMS and delineating boundaries for time-area closures, marine protected areas, and essential fish habitat.

The role of individual soil microorganisms changes over the course of a plant's life - microorganisms that have no discernable role at one developmental stage may affect the plant later in its growth. Traditional analysis of the soil microbiome, which has focused principally on the relative abundances (RA) of individual organisms, may be incomplete, as underlying differences in population size cannot be addressed. We conducted a metagenomic analysis of soil microorganisms from various maize (Zea mays L.) fields at two depths, accompanied by crop yield components, to provide insight into influences of edaphic microbes on maize productivity under commercial maize production systems in Missouri. This study assesses the influence of fungi and bacteria, not only in terms of RA, but also in their estimated absolute abundances (EAA), derived by combining the results of Illumina HiSeq sequencing data and phospholipid fatty acid abundance data. Significant interactions were identified between maize yield components and soil microbes at critical developmental states. Most interactions between fungi and yield components were negative, with notable exceptions. Bacterial interactions were more complex, with most interactions during early ear development identified as positive, and most interactions during tasseling identified as negative. In addition to the effects that microbial populations have on yield, plant populations reciprocally changed the microbial community. Plant developmental state was the greatest predictor of bacteria, with the microbial communities present during the active growing season being most similar to each other, whereas the preplant microbiome and post-reproductive microbiome being most similar to each other. Fungal communities were primarily dependent on location.

No description available.

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), brown marmorated stink bug, is an invasive, polyphagous pest that has disrupted integrated pest management programs in Mid-Atlantic tree fruit orchards since 2010. The amount of damage to fruit caused by H. halys feeding is highly variable, even within adjacent orchard blocks, and the influence of orchards and wild host plants nearby on H. halys relative abundance is unknown. Pheromone-based trapping studies conducted along woodland-to-orchard transects, along woodland borders at sites with and without adjacent orchards, and within the mid-canopy of several common wild host trees in woodland borders were used to investigate biotic factors underlying the variability of H. halys populations among sites within a geographically proximate area. Additionally, the retention duration of H. halys on wild and cultivated tree hosts was used as a proxy for host acceptability throughout the season. All trapping studies yielded significantly greater H. halys captures during the late season, and in the transect study, pyramid traps deployed at orchard and woodland edges during this period yielded the highest captures. The presence of orchards or open fields adjacent to woodlands had no significant impact on H. halys captures in sticky traps deployed along wooded edges, but captures varied significantly among orchard and open field sites. Among 11 common wild host plant genera surveyed at these sites, five genera, Elaeagnus, Fraxinus, Lonicera, Ailanthus, and Sassafras, were significantly related to H. halys relative densities. Conversely, studies measuring captures in small pyramid traps within the canopy of wild tree hosts revealed no significant differences among hosts at any point in the season, suggesting that this approach might not be appropriate for assessing host plant suitability. Finally, harmonic radar trials assessing host plant retention as a proxy for host suitability revealed that adults released on peach and pheromone-baited apple trees had significantly greater retention durations than those released on non-host, grass, and that adult retention duration increased from the early to late season. In combination, results indicate that the risk posed by H. halys to cultivated orchard crops varied across locations and seasonally, and may be related to the species composition of wild host trees in adjoining woodlands. / Doctor of Philosophy / Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive insect that has inflicted feeding damage on fruit grown in Mid-Atlantic orchards since 2010. The agricultural landscape in the Mid-Atlantic region complicates BMSB management, as many orchards are bordered by woodlots containing a variety of BMSB host plants. The amount of BMSB feeding injury at harvest can vary greatly among nearby orchards, and even within individual orchards, but it is unknown why these differences exist. Several BMSB trapping studies using pheromone-baited traps revealed that BMSB populations were greatest in the late-season, confirming previous work. Furthermore, captures in traps positioned in lines intersecting orchards and adjacent woodlots revealed late-season BMSB presence was greatest at the orchard and woodland edges. Captures in traps next to woodlots adjacent to orchards and open field sites indicated that the presence of orchards had no impact on captures, but that captures varied significantly among orchard sites and open field sites. A survey of the woody plants in the woodlots adjacent to these sites revealed that five host plant genera were strongly related to BMSB abundance. A study examining BMSB captures in small pyramid traps deployed in the canopy of several common wild tree hosts did not yield differences in captures among hosts at any point in the season, and thus was not a suitable method for assessing seasonal differences in BMSB host use. Finally, harmonic radar technology was used to assess how long BMSB remained on several wild and cultivated host plants at different points in the growing season, as a proxy for host suitability. Peach and pheromone-baited apple showed significantly greater adult retention durations than non-host, grass, and adults remained on host plants longer in the early than late season. Ultimately, these results should aid in the monitoring and management of BMSB by providing a broader understanding of factors underlying the presence and abundance of BMSB on a localized geographic scale.