A fauna de pequenos mamíferos e de carrapatos da Reserva Florestal do Morro Grande, Cotia, SP, foi investigada assim como microrganismos associados a eles. Coletas foram realizadas bimestralmente, e resultaram na captura de 158 pequenos mamíferos silvestres e cães, distribuídos em 126 roedores de 10 espécies, 26 marsupiais de 3 espécies, um tapiti, além de 6 cães domésticos inspecionados. Destes hospedeiros foram recolhidos 327 carrapatos de 9 espécies de 4 gêneros, e larvas de Amblyomma sp. Novos registros de hospedeiros foram acrescentados para as espécies I. aragaoi, I. loricatus, I. schulzei e de espécie morfologicamente semelhante a I. fuscipes. Simultaneamente, fizemos a pesquisa de exemplares em vida livre na vegetação por arraste e busca visual. Um total de 597 exemplares foram recolhidos e identificados, representando 9 espécies de 3 gêneros, além de larvas do gênero Amblyomma. Na sorologia por RIFI, com exceção dos cães domésticos que foram todos negativos, a soro reatividade apresentada para pequenos mamíferos silvestres sugere a circulação de cepas de Rickettsia naquela região. Dos 102 animais testados, 39 foram soro positivos e em 6 amostras nós sugerimos provável antígeno homólogo para R. bellii (3), R. rickettsii (2) e R. rhipicephali (1). Encontramos na quase totalidade dos espécimes adultos de I. aragaoi uma Rickettsia próxima à cepa endosiombionte de I. scapularis, e em uma fêmea de A. sculptum, sequências parciais do gene ompA foram similares a R. parkeri isoladas de A. triste no Brasil e na Argentina. Sequências geradas a partir de um fragmento do gene 18S rRNA de Hepatozoon sp. foram obtidas de amostras dos carrapatos I.c.f. fuscipes e I. schulzei, coletados sobre o roedor A. montensis. Outro hemoprotozoário encontrado foi um genótipo de Babesia sp. proveniente de pools de larvas e de ninfas de A. incisum, coletados em vida livre. Na investigação da presença de bactérias do gênero Coxiella, 14 amostras de diferentes espécies do gênero Amblyomma (A. aureolatum, A. brasiliense, A. incisum, A. naponense e A. sculptum) foram positivas, e as análises de homologia utilizando o marcador molecular 16S rDNA foram compatíveis com Coxiella endosimbiontes de carrapatos. / The fauna of small mammals and ticks of the reserved forest of Morro Grande (RFMG) was assessed and investigated, as well as associated infectious microorganisms. Sample collections were performed bimonthly, and resulted in 158 wild small mammals and dogs inspected, distributed in 126 rodents of 10 different species, 26 marsupials of 3 different species, a Tapiti, and also 6 domestic dogs. 327 ticks were collected from the mentioned hosts; these ticks were representatives of 9 species of 4 different genera, and Amblyomma sp. larvae. New hosts records were appended for 4 species of the genus Ixodes; I. aragaoi, I. loricatus, I. schulzei and a I. fuscipes simile species. Simultaneously, free roaming ticks were collected from the vegetation by dragging a flannel through the forest and visual search. A total of 597 ticks were collected and identified belonging to 9 species of 3 genera, as well as Amblyomma genus larvae. Serology arrays using RIFI technique were performed, and with exception of the domestic dogs that all were negative, the serum reactivity showed in the wild small mammals demonstrated the circulation of Rickettsia strains in the studied region. 39 animals of the 102 tested were positive and 6 samples had strong evidences of being homologous antigens for R. bellii (3), R. rickettsii (2), and R. rhipicephali (1). Molecular research of microorganisms in ticks showed that almost all the adult individuals of I. aragaoi were positive for a Rickettsia similar to an endosymbiont strain of I. scapularis, and in a female of A. sculptum partial sequences the gene of ompA were similar to R. parkeri isolated from A. triste in Brasil and Argentina. Sequences obtained from a fragment of the gene 18S rRNA of Hepatozoon sp. amplified from samples of the tick species I.c.f. fuscipes and I. schulzei, collected from a rodent A. montensis. Another Hemo-protozoon found was a genotype of Babesia sp. from pools of A. incisum larvae and nymphs, collected in the vegetation. For the bacteria of the genus Coxiella, 14 samples of different species of the genus Amblyomma (A. aureolatum, A. brasiliense, A. incisum, A. naponense and A. sculptum) were positive, and the similarity analyses using the 16S rDNA molecular marker were compatible with Coxiella endosymbiont of ticks.

Orientador: Wesley Rodrigues Silva / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T17:36:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Baumgarten_LeandroClaudio_D.pdf: 2505570 bytes, checksum: 605fa921efad6929c5d1ccf17fe35faa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Aves de rapina são pouco estudadas no Brasil e existem poucas informações sobre os padrões de dinâmica populacional das espécies que ocorrem no país, assim como os fatores que os influenciam. Com o objetivo de caracterizar a dinâmica populacional de rapineiros e como ela é influenciada pela abundância de presas, foi realizado um acompanhamento de 36 meses das populações de aves de rapina e pequenos mamíferos no Parque Nacional das Emas (Mineiros-GO). Além disto, foram coletadas informações sobre os padrões de atividade das presas para caracterizar mais claramente sua disponibilidade para predadores. A amostragem das presas foi realizada em nove estações de captura, cada uma com 24 armadilhas "pitfall" e a abundância de rapineiros foi a avaliada por censo de carro. Foram realizadas 12 coletas de dados com intervalos de dois meses entre si. Não foi verificada variação de abundância em nenhuma das espécies de aves de rapina entre anos, ao longo do estudo, no entanto a maioria delas apresentou grandes flutuações sazonais. Os dados obtidos sugerem que estas variações foram causadas principalmente pela movimentação das aves para dentro e fora da reserva. Para os pequenos mamíferos não foi encontrada variação sazonal significativa, mas durante 2001 foi registrado um grande aumento na abundância das três espécies mais comuns. A espécie de roedor mais abundante, Bolomys lasiurus, apresentou dinâmicas diferenciadas entre algumas estações de captura. Apesar da considerável variação de abundância das presas não foi detectada uma resposta numérica das aves de rapina no PARNA das Emas ao longo dos três anos de estudo. A comparação deste estudo com outros disponíveis na literatura, sugere que amostragens feitas em áreas mais extensas teriam dificuldade em detectar respostas predatórias, porque não seriam capazes de discriminar pequenas concentrações locais das aves de rapina causadas por aumentos pontuais de disponibilidade de presas / Abstract: Birds of prey are poorly studied in Brazil, and there is few information on patterns of population dynamics of species occurring in the country, as well as factor influencing them. We sample bird of prey and small mammals populations for 36 months aiming to describe raptor population dynamics and how it is influenced by prey abundance in Emas National Park (Mineiros - GO). Furthermore, we collect data on prey daily activity patterns to evaluate their availability for predators. Prey monitoring was performed in nine trapping sites, each one with 24 pitfall traps, raptor sampling was evaluated using car census. We did 12 one-month fieldtrips with two months apart. We did not detected abundance variation among years for any raptor species, although most of them showed seasonal fluctuations. Data gathered suggests these population changes were caused mostly by movements to and from the reserve. We did not find any seasonal fluctuations of small mammals, but we record a major increase of abundance for three of the commonest species. The most abundant species, Bolomys lasiurus, showed different population dynamics among trapping sites. We did no detected numerical response of birds of prey in Emas National Park along this three-year sampling. We compare these data with other studies available, and we suggest that sampling performed in larger areas would hardly detect predatory responses, because it would not be able to discern small local concentrations of raptors caused by increase in prey availability / Doutorado / Ecologia / Doutor em Biologia

Studies on vertical stratification of small mammals in the Cerrado biome are scarce and, therefore, this study has the aim to check the community composition of small mammals in relation to the vertical stratum utilization in gallery forest and cerradão of south-western Brazil. The captures were carried out during the months of August/September, November/December 2006 and February/March, May/June 2007. The traps were set in three transaction lines with 10 capture stations each one. Each station had a trap on the ground, other in the understory (2.0 to 3.0 m in height) and another in the canopy (8 to 10 m) in each environment, totalling 60 stations.. With an effort of 3600 traps-night 11 species of small mammals were captured, which were distributed differentially regarding the environments and the utilization of the vertical strata. Species presented habitat high segregation on physiognomies, only Rhipidomys macrurus presented in two environments. As for use of vertical strato for the Correspondence analysis Caluromys philander was the only notable in the canopy, Cryptonanus agricolai, Marmosa murina and, Oecomys bicolor were in the understory, and Gracilinanus agilis and Nectomys rattus were only sampled on the ground. In relation the faunistic and environments parameters formed two groups, where C agricolai and G. Agilis were associated to cerradão, dry season and number of tree and C. philander, M. Murina, N. rattus and O. bicolor were associated to gallery forest, stratification, number of branch and lianas. The Cerrado biome presents distinct fauna of small mammals associated with the two main forest physiognomies in it: gallery forest and cerradão. The utilization of traps in different strata increased the species richness, showing that they are distributed in different vertical strata of the forest, utilizing the complexity of the environment which enables them to coexist. / Estudos sobre estratificação vertical por pequenos mamíferos no Cerrado são escassos. Este estudo objetivou verificar a composição da comunidade de pequenos mamíferos em relação à utilização do estrato vertical em áreas de floresta de galeria e cerradão no sudoeste do Brasil. As capturas foram realizadas durante os meses de agosto/setembro, novembro/dezembro de 2006 e fevereiro/março, maio/junho de 2007. As armadilhas foram dispostas em três transecções com 10 estações de captura cada, sendo que cada estação compreendeu uma armadilhas no solo, uma no subbosque (2,0 a 3,0 m de altura) e uma no dossel (8 a 10 m) em cada ambiente, totalizando 60 estações de capturas. Com um esforço de 3600 armadilhas-noite foram capturadas 11 espécies de pequenos mamíferos, que estiveram distribuídas diferencialmente em relação aos ambientes e à utilização do estrato vertical. As espécies apresentaram forte segregação de hábitat, onde apenas Rhipidomys macrurus esteve presente nos dois ambientes. Quanto ao uso do estrato vertical, pela análise de Correspondência, Caluromys philander foi a única espécie que se destacou no dossel, Cryptonanus agricolai, Marmosa murina, e Oecomys bicolor, e se destacaram no sub-bosque, e Gracilinanus agilis e Nectomys rattus se destacaram ao nível do solo. Em ralação aos parâmetros faunísticos e ambientais formaram-se dois grupos , onde C. agricolai e G. agilis estiveram associados ao cerradão, estação seca e número de árvores e C. philander, M. murina, N. rattus e O. bicolor estiveram associados a floresta de galeria, estratificação, número de ramos e número de lianas. O bioma Cerrado apresenta distintas faunas de pequenos mamíferos associadas às duas formações florestais: floresta de galeria e o cerradão. A utilização de armadilhas em diferentes estratos aumenta a riqueza de pequenos mamíferos, mostrando que as espécies estão distribuídas em diferentes camadas verticais da floresta, utilizando a complexidade do ambiente o que possibilita a coexistência de um número maior de espécies.

Abstract Relationships between predators and prey may affect population dynamics of both parties. Predators may also serve as a link between populations of different prey, e.g., small game and small mammals. I used available data on the diet and reproduction of birds of prey (mainly common buzzards Buteo buteo and goshawks Accipiter gentilis) and video surveillance of their nests, as well as multiannual data on numbers of grouse and small mammals for studying food habits and population dynamics of raptors and their links with population fluctuations of voles and grouse (capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, black grouse Tetrao tetrix and hazel grouse Bonasa bonasia) in western Finland during 1980–1990s when grouse and vole numbers fluctuated in regular cycles. Microtus voles were the main prey of the buzzards which partly switched their diet to small game (juvenile grouse and hares) in years when vole numbers declined. The nesting rate of buzzards also correlated with vole abundance, but the productivity rate and brood size tended to lag behind the vole cycle. This mismatch between the buzzards' functional and numerical responses resulted in a fairly small impact of buzzards on juvenile grouse, which did not correlate with vole density. The productivity of goshawks followed the fluctuations of grouse density closely whereas the occupancy rate of goshawk territories did so with a two-year lag. The annual numerical ratio of goshawk to grouse was inversely related to grouse density, suggesting that this predator may be a destabilising factor for grouse population dynamics. However, the goshawks' kill rate of grouse showed no clear relations to grouse density. In June–July, these birds of prey (including hen harriers Circus cyaneus) usually killed a relatively small number of grouse chicks. Losses to raptors constituted up to one quarter of grouse juvenile mortality during the two months. We did not find a strong effect of avian predators on grouse juvenile mortality. In boreal forests, predators and other factors of grouse mortality do not operate as one, and there is probably no single factor responsible for the reproductive success of grouse.

Habitat fragmentation and destruction caused by development of infrastructure such as roads threaten biodiversity. Roads act as barriers by impeding animal movements and restricting space use. Understanding factors that influence barrier effects is important to discern the impacts of habitat fragmentation and to develop appropriate mitigations. We combined telemetry and demographic data in 2008 to 2012 with remote sensing imagery to investigate barrier effects of forest roads and assess effects of traffic, road edges, and canopy gaps on space use of an endangered, endemic forest obligate, the Mt. Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis). We mapped low to high traffic roads, road edges, canopy gaps, and random lines in forests to serve as references. We determined if red squirrels included these linear features in their total and core home ranges, and used this metric as an indicator of crossing and preference for habitat adjacent to the linear features. Forest roads acted as barriers regardless of traffic volume and had long-term impacts on animal space use. Animals did not avoid entering roadside areas, and probability of crossing linear features in the forest was not affected by distance to roads. In contrast, greater canopy cover increased probability of crossing, and gaps in canopy impeded animal movements. Higher likelihood of road crossing was associated with more variable tree height and mating activity. We demonstrated that narrow forest roads with low traffic volume were barriers for forest dependent species, and suggest that gap avoidance inhibits road crossings. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Human activities have being responsible for the global environmental changes, resulting in an increase number of incident of vector- and rodent-borne diseases worldwide. Rodents and arthropods-borne viruses are important globally emerging and re-emerging viruses and most of them are RNA viruses. Efficient and early diagnosis of these infections are very important to prevent their spread, to improve clinical management of the patients, as wells to protect livestock and domestic animals. Currently, available diagnostic methods such as immunoassays, polymerase chain reaction and virus isolation can detect only one or few viruses in a single assay. The DNA microarray platform has emerged as diagnostic tool suitable for high throughput screening of pathogenic agents. The aim of this study was to develop a DNA microarray platform (RoboArboVirusChip) for detecting rodent- and arthropod-borne viruses, which belong to seven families: Bunyaviridae (genera Orthobunyavirus, Nairovirus and Phlebovirus), Flaviviridae (genus Flavivirus), Togaviridae (genus Alphavirus), Reoviridae (genera Orbivirus, Seadornavirus and Coltvivirus), Rhabdoviridae (genera Vesiculovirus and Ephemerovirus), and Asfarviridae (genus Asfarvirus). Specific oligonucleotide probes of 60-mer (n=4209) targeting 412 virus species and generic probes of 25-35-mer (n=87) targeting viruses at the genus level were designed. A total of 17 reference viruses belonging to the Bunyaviridae, Flaviviridae, Rhabdoviridae and Togaviridae families were used to standardize RoboArboVirusChip. All reference viruses were specifically detected without any cross hybridization; however, the generic probes were not able to identify the viruses at the genus level. The RoboArboVirusChip was able to specifically identify four viruses contained in three different mixtures: i) virus of different families, ii) virus of the Flavivirus genus, and iii) the Dengue virus (DENV) serotypes. The four DENV serotypes were use to evaluate the sensitivity of the RoboArboVirusChip, which was able to detect a minimum of 25 RNA copies/mL of the viruses, confirming its high sensitivity. The applicability of the RoboArboVirusChip to detect viruses in clinical samples was tested with serum samples obtained from dengue suspected cases (four positive cases and 40 negative cases). DENV was detected in the four positive serum samples, while in the 40 negative serum samples, it was not detected any virus. The results obtained in this study suggest that the RoboArboVirusChip platform could be a useful tool for early diagnosis of robovirus and arbovirus infections during epidemic outbreaks, helping in the rapid implementation of disease containment strategies / As atividades humanas têm sido responsável por mudanças ambientais globais, resultando num aumento do número de casos de doenças transmitidas por vetores e roedores em todo o mundo. Os vírus transmitidos por roedores e artrópodes são vírus emergentes e re-emergentes de importância global, sendo que a maioria deles são vírus de RNA. O diagnóstico eficiente e precoce dessas infecções são muito importantes para evitar a sua propagação, para melhorar o manejo clínico dos pacientes e também, para proteger o gado e os animais domésticos. Atualmente, os métodos de diagnóstico disponíveis, tais como os imunoensaios, a reação em cadeia da polimerase e o isolamento viral podem detectar apenas um ou poucos vírus em um único ensaio. A plataforma de microarranjo de DNA tem surgido como uma ferramenta de diagnóstico apropriada para o monitoramento em larga escala de agentes patogênicos. O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver uma plataforma de microarranjo de DNA (RoboArboVirusChip) para a detecção de vírus transmitidos por roedores e artrópodes, os quais pertencem a sete famílias: Bunyaviridae (gêneros Orthobunyavirus, Nairovirus e Phlebovírus), Flaviviridae (gênero Flavivirus), Togaviridae (gênero Alphavirus), Reoviridae (gênero Orbivirus, Seadornavirus e Coltvivirus), Rhabdoviridae (géneros Vesiculovirus e Ephemerovirus), e Asfarviridae (gênero Asfarvirus). Sondas oligonucleotídicas de 60-mer (n=4209) específicas contra 412 espécies virais, e sondas genéricas de 25-35-mer (n=87) para detecção de vírus a nível do gênero foram desenhados. Um total de 17 vírus de referência, pertencentes às famílias Bunyaviridae, Flaviviridae, Rhabdoviridae e Togaviridae foram utilizados para padronizar o RoboArboVirusChip. Todos os vírus de referência foram detectados especificamente sem apresentação de hibridação cruzada, porem as sondas genéricas não foram capazes de detectar os vírus a nível do gênero. O RoboArboVirusChip foi capaz de identificar especificamente quatro vírus contidos em diferentes misturas: i) vírus de diferentes famílias, ii) vírus pertencentes ao gênero a Flavivirus, e iii) os sorotipos do vírus da dengue (DENV). Os quatro sorotipos do DENV foram utilizados para determinar a sensibilidade do RoboArboVirusChip, o qual foi capaz de detectar um mínimo de 25 copias de RNA/mL. A aplicabilidade do RoboArboVirusChip para detectar vírus em amostras clínicas foi avaliada testando amostras de soro de pacientes com suspeita de dengue (quatro casos positivos e 40 casos negativos). Os resultados obtidos neste estudo sugerem que o RoboArboVirusChip poderá ser uma ferramenta útil para o diagnóstico precoce da infecção causada por robovírus e arbovírus, auxiliando na rápida implementação de estratégias de contenção das doenças causadas por esses vírus

Orientador: Eleonore Zulnara Freire Setz / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T19:20:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sakane_KarinaKoibuchi_M.pdf: 3375558 bytes, checksum: b467da20c9db67f87557bc52b120d3bb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: A distribuição de espécies pode ser influenciada por diversos fatores. Pequenos mamíferos são bons modelos para estudos de distribuição e uso de espaço. São abundantes, de fácil captura, utilizam o espaço de diferentes formas e apresentam hábitos alimentares diversos. Realizamos o presente estudo na Reserva Biológica da Serra do Japi, Jundiaí-SP e tivemos como principais objetivos: (I) Investigar a riqueza de espécies presente na área e realizar um resumo da ecologia e história natural de cada espécie capturada (II) Analisar, ao longo de um gradiente altitudinal, a influência de diferentes fatores (temperatura, disponibilidade de alimentos, cobertura de solo, obstrução de dossel e obstrução vertical) na riqueza e abundância de espécies (III) Investigar a influência dos mesmos fatores citados anteriormente na composição de espécies. Na Reserva Biológica da Serra do Japi foram capturadas 11 espécies: Akodon sp., Oligoryzomys nigripes, Brucepattersonius sp., Delomys sublineatus, Thaptomys nigrita, Juliomys pictipes, Blarinomys breviceps, Didelphis aurita, Monodelphis scalops, Gracilinanus microtarsus e Monodelphis sp.n. A Reserva apresenta espécies que atuam como bons indicadores de qualidade ambiental e espécies endêmicas da Mata Atlântica, reforçando a sua importância na conservação. A riqueza foi significativamente maior na altitude intermediária. A única variável que apresentou influência significativa na riqueza, abundância e composição de espécies foi a cobertura por galhos caídos e arbustos de até 1 m (cobertura do solo). A maior porcentagem de cobertura do solo aumenta número de abrigos disponíveis, permitindo maior diferenciação de nicho e coexistência de diferentes espécies. Galhos caídos e arbustos ainda podem estar relacionados à redução de efeitos da competição e da predação / Abstract: Many factors can influence the distribution of species. Small mammals are good models for studies of distribution and use of space. They are abundant, easy to capture, use space differently and have different types of diets. This study was conducted in the Biological Reserve of Serra do Japi, Jundiaí-SP and had as aims: (I) Investigate the richness and get a summary of the ecology and natural history of each species of Reserve (II) research the influence of different factors (temperature, food availability, ground cover, canopy and vertical obstruction) in richness and abundance of species along a altitudinal gradient (III) Investigate the influence of the same factors mentioned before in the composition of small mammals. We found 11 species: Akodon sp., Oligoryzomys nigripes, Brucepattersonius sp., Delomys sublineatus, Thaptomys nigrita, Juliomys pictipes, Blarinomys breviceps, Didelphis aurita, Monodelphis scalops, Gracilinanus microtarsus and Monodelphis sp.n. The Biological Reserve of Serra do Japi has species that act as good indicators of environmental quality and also has endemic species of the Atlantic Forest. The richness was significantly higher the intermediate altitude. The only variable that showed significant influence on richness, abundance and species composition was fallen twigs and branches up to 1 m (ground cover). The highest percentage of ground cover increases the available resources, allowing niche differentiation and coexistence of different species. Fallen twigs and branches can also be related to decrease the effects of competition and predation / Mestrado / Ecologia / Mestra em Ecologia

The population dynamics of small mammal populations in Punda Maria, Kruger National Park, South Africa was investigated with respect to community size and structure, seed predation and dispersal of several trees. Species populations, community structure and habitat attributes were measured at six sites comprising of 3 habitat types (2 sites per habitat); namely Acaciagrassland, North-facing and South-facing sloped sites. Seasonal variation was investigated at the Acacia sites during late summer (April) and winter months (July). Five habitat attributes were measured; percentages of total cover and herbage, plant litter depth (cm), height of dominant vegetation type measured (m) and edaphic condition were recorded at 15 randomly selected traps per site. Almonds (Prunus dulcis), baobabs (Adansonia digitata), mopane (Colophospermum mopane), and Acacia tortilis seeds were used in the predation and dispersal experiment. North- and South-facing sites were dominated by Aethomys sp. while Acacia sites were dominated by Mastomys natalensis. Seed predation was high at the North-facing slopes, with a significant difference in predation on A. tortilis seeds. Seed dispersal activity was low; no , scatter hoarding was identified; only larder hoarding was observed by Aethomys sp. and M. natalensis at North-facing sites and Acacia sites respectively. Trampling by megaherbivore activity impacted vegetation structure and has negatively affected rodent population and ground activity, particularly at the Acacia sites.

Remote sensing of the environment has become an effective and useful research approach applied across a wide range of scientific and professional disciplines. Generally remote sensing is used to evaluate patterns and processes at broad spatio-temporal scales, such as classifying landscape vegetation patterns or for creating digital surface models, however, there are increasing opportunities to expand the use of remotely sensed information to a wider range of applications at variable spatial and temporal scales. In the field of plant seedling and germination research methods are needed to improve plant establishment and restoration monitoring, particularly in areas that have historically low success rates such as in semi-arid and arid rangeland landscapes. The purpose of this research is to assess the efficacy of remote sensing for tracking seedling height, seedling density, and seedling fate, and determine the biotic causes of seedling mortality in a rangeland revegetation site in northwestern Utah. In Chapter 1, we use 28 time-lapse and motion sensing infrared cameras (Reconyx) to measure seedling density and height in fenced and unfenced plots during the initial four months of seedling establishment and growth. We compare imaged-based measurements of seedling height and density with similar measurements collected in the field and at different daylight hours to determine the accuracy and reliability of remotely sensed measurements. We found that the ideal sample periods for capturing the clearest images were at the time the sun passed zenith and shadows were minimized. Average seedling height was 14% lower in image-based versus field estimates. Seedling density was underestimated by approximately 30% when using cameras. Our study establishes that remote sensing of seedlings using time-lapse cameras is a method for seedling research and monitoring in restoration efforts which merits further research and development. In Chapter 2, we track biotic causes of seedling fate using the methods developed in Chapter 1, and compare seedling survival in fenced and unfenced plots. Fencing led to a four-fold increase in the number of seedlings emerged from the soil. Herbivory and damage caused by trampling and burial resulted in the death of 61.4 % of all unfenced seedlings. Fencing plots increased the probability of seedling survival by seven times. Using cameras to track seedling fate at two restoration sites revealed that small herbivores, including Lepus californicus, Thomomys bottae, and Dipodomys sp. drastically reduced seedling survival during the first year after planting. Effects of herbivores on seedling survival should be taken into consideration when planning revegetation operations, and further research can increase knowledge of how herbivory affects restoration efforts. Using cameras can provide meaningful information to managers and researchers about seedling status and fate.

No description available.