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In the Southern Appalachians, there are growing concerns about Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) due to habitat destruction and the uncertain future of their forested riparian habitat. In this study, I establish baseline data of a population of Spotted Salamanders so future monitoring of this population can be performed. The study site is located in northeastern Tennessee, just east of the city of Bristol. It is a vernal pond at the Osceola Island Recreation Area one mile below the South Holston Dam on Holston View Dam road. A drift fence was established completely around the perimeter of the vernal pond to capture Spotted Salamanders entering and exiting the study pond. Individual Spotted Salamanders were identified using spot pattern recognition. An estimated population size of 2,449 Spotted Salamanders was determined to utilized the pond for breeding for the spring of 2003.

No description available.

Dogs have been used alongside humans as detection tools for centuries. There have been a multitude of studies published that demonstrate the accuracy and utility of detection dogs, more specifically conservation scent detection dogs. With ubiquitous agricultural threats in the United States, there is a need for a tool to help decrease the threat level. Pet dogs could be the answer. There are millions of pet dogs in the United States and with the success of the dog sport nose work there is the potential to use pet dogs as detection tools. In this proof-of-concept study, six pet dogs were trained to detect the spotted lanternfly. The dogs completed a training phase and five tests. The mean sensitivity of the six dogs, for the five tests, was 79.75%. The mean PPP of the six dogs, for all five tests, was 66.79%. The results suggest that these six dogs could be beneficial detection tools for the Spotted Lanternfly. Based on the findings in this study, pet dogs could be invaluable in the field of conservation scent detection. / Master of Science / Dogs have been used alongside humans as detection tools for centuries. There have been a multitude of studies published that demonstrate the accuracy and utility of detection dogs, more specifically conservation scent detection dogs. With ubiquitous agricultural threats in the United States, there is a need for a tool to help decrease the threat level. Pet dogs could be the answer. There are millions of pet dogs in the United States and with the success of the dog sport nose work there is the potential to use pet dogs as detection tools. In this proof-of-concept study, six pet dogs were trained to detect the spotted lanternfly. The dogs completed a training phase and five tests. The mean sensitivity, or proportion of correct detections, of the six dogs, for the five tests, was 79.75%. The mean PPP, or likelihood it is that the source of odor is present when a dog offers an alert; of the six dogs, for all five tests, was 66.79%. The results suggest that these six dogs could be beneficial detection tools for the Spotted Lanternfly. Based on the findings in this study, pet dogs could be invaluable in the field of conservation scent detection.

Synchrony between Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) is crucial for successfully fending off bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during interspecies aggression. The present study examined synchrony in adult Atlantic spotted dolphins during aggressive encounters with bottlenose dolphins. Across group size, aggressive behavioral events increased preceding synchrony, peaked during synchrony, and decreased dramatically after synchrony. Although smaller groups (< 10 dolphins) became synchronous more frequently than larger groups (> 10 dolphins), larger groups remained synchronous longer; however, smaller groups exhibited more frequent aggressive behavioral events during synchrony, suggesting that additional aggressive behaviors may be necessary to compensate for the small group size, whereas larger groups may be able to rely on synchrony alone. Disorganized squawk bouts synchronized as physical synchrony began, but only if coupled with escalating aggressive behaviors. The synchrony during aggressive episodes observed in adult Atlantic spotted dolphins can be used as a baseline to determine the process of the development of this critical skill in juveniles. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This study describes the composition of forest landscapes surrounding northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) nests in the central Cascade Mountains of Oregon. I compared forest composition around 126 owl nests in 70 pair territories with forest composition around 119 points drawn randomly from all terrestrial cover-types, and around 104 points drawn randomly from the old-forest (closed canopy, > 80 yrs) cover type. All nest sites and random points were drawn from U.S. Forest Service lands and were not drawn from privately owned lands or Wilderness Areas. Forest cover was classified on a Landsat Thematic Mapper image. I quantified the percentage of old-forest within 200 concentric circular plots (0.04-5.0-km radii), centered on each analyzed point, using a geographic information system. I used logistic regression to make spatially-explicit inferences. Owl nests were surrounded by more old-forest when compared to points drawn randomly from all terrestrial cover types: there was significantly (P<0.05) more old-forest around the owl nests in plots as large as 1.79 km in radius. When compared to points drawn randomly from the old-forest cover type, owl nests were surrounded by significantly (P<0.05) more old-forest in plots with 0.17-0.80-km radii. Exploratory analyses suggest that the landscape scales most pertinent to northern spotted owl nest site positioning in this study area appear to be (in descending order): the surrounding 10-15 ha (~200-m radius), the surrounding 25-30 ha (~300-m radius), the surrounding 200 ha (800-m radius), and possibly the surrounding 700 ha (1,500-m radius). This study supports the assertion that northern spotted owls are strongly associated with older forests. The results also indicate that owl nests are most associated with higher proportions of old-forest near the nest implying that the arrangement of habitat is important for nest-site selection/positioning Since spotted owls in the central Cascade Mountains of Oregon are known to have home-ranges that average 1,769 ha, it is important to recognize that these results apply to nest-site selection/positioning on the landscape and not to the amount of habitat necessary for pair persistence or successful reproduction. / Graduation date: 1998

Bibliography: leaves 196-210 / xi, 256, [85] leaves : (ill. (some col.) ; 31 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Entomology, Waite Agricultural Research Institute, 1985

The federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is the focus of intensive conservation efforts that have led to much forested land being reserved as habitat for the owl and associated wildlife species throughout the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Recently, however, a relatively new threat to spotted owls has emerged in the form of an invasive competitor: the congeneric barred owl (Strix varia). As barred owls have rapidly expanded their populations into the entire range of the northern spotted owl, mounting evidence indicates that they are displacing, hybridizing with, and even killing spotted owls. The barred owl invasion into western North America has made an already complex conservation issue even more contentious, and a lack of information on the ecological relationships between the 2 species has hampered conservation efforts. During 2007–2009 I investigated spatial relationships, habitat selection, diets, survival, and reproduction of sympatric spotted owls and barred owls in western Oregon, USA. My overall objective was to determine the potential for and possible consequences of competition for space, habitat, and food between the 2 species. My study included 29 spotted owls and 28 barred owls that were radio-marked in 36 neighboring territories and monitored over a 24-month tracking period. Based on repeated surveys of both species, the number of territories occupied by pairs of barred owls in the 745 km² study area (82) greatly outnumbered those occupied by pairs of spotted owls (15). Estimates of mean size of home-ranges and core-use areas of spotted owls (1,843 ha and 305 ha, respectively) were 2–4 times larger than those of barred owls (581 ha and 188 ha, respectively). Individual spotted and barred owls in adjacent territories often had overlapping home ranges, but inter-specific space sharing was largely restricted to broader foraging areas in the home range with minimal spatial overlap among core-use areas. I used an information-theoretic approach to rank discrete choice models representing alternative hypotheses about the influence of forest conditions and interspecific interactions on species-specific patterns of nighttime habitat selection. Spotted owls spent a disproportionate amount of time foraging on steep slopes in ravines dominated by old (>120 yrs old) conifer trees. Barred owls used available forest types more evenly than spotted owls, and were most strongly associated with patches of large hardwood and conifer trees that occupied relatively flat areas along streams. Spotted and barred owls differed in the relative use of old conifer forest (higher for spotted owls) and slope conditions (steeper slopes for spotted owls). I found no evidence that the 2 species differed in their use of young, mature, and riparian-hardwood forest types, and both species avoided forest-nonforest edges. The best resource selection function for spotted owls indicated that the relative probability of a location being selected was reduced if the location was within or in close proximity to a core-use area of a barred owl. I used pellet analysis and measures of food niche overlap to examine the potential for dietary competition between spatially associated pairs of spotted owls and barred owls. I identified 1,223 prey items from 15 territories occupied by pairs of spotted owls and 4,299 prey items from 24 territories occupied by pairs of barred owls. Diets of both species were dominated by nocturnal mammals, but diets of barred owls included many terrestrial, aquatic, and diurnal prey species that were rare or absent in diets of spotted owls. Northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus), woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes, N. cinerea), and lagomorphs (Lepus americanus, Sylvilagus bachmani) were particularly important prey for both owl species, accounting for 81% and 49% of total dietary biomass for spotted owls and barred owls, respectively. Dietary overlap between pairs of spotted and barred owls in adjacent territories ranged from 28–70% (mean = 42%) In addition to overlap in resource use, I also identified strong associations between the presence of barred owls and the behavior of spotted owls, as shown by changes in space-use, habitat selection, and reproductive output of spotted owls exposed to different levels of spatial overlap with barred owls in adjacent territories. Barred owls in my study area displayed both numeric and demographic superiority over spotted owls; the annual survival probability of radio-marked spotted owls from known-fate analyses (0.81, SE = 0.05) was lower than that of barred owls (0.92, SE = 0.04), and barred owls produced over 6 times as many young over a 3-year period as spotted owls. Survival of both species was positively associated with an increasing proportion of old (>120 yrs old) conifer forest within the home range, which suggested that availability of old forest was a potential limiting factor in the competitive relationship between the 2 species. When viewed collectively, my results support the hypothesis that interference competition with a high density of barred owls for territorial space can act to constrain the availability of critical resources required for successful recruitment and reproduction of spotted owls. My findings have broad implications for the conservation of spotted owls, as they suggest that spatial heterogeneity in survival and reproduction may arise not only because of differences among territories in the quality of forest habitat, but also because of the spatial distribution of an invasive competitor. / Graduation date: 2012 / This pdf will not be made available until April 12th, 2012.

Discipline was implemented by mothers and alloparent spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) mothers and alloparents on Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. Disciplinarians were significantly more likely to be adults than juveniles. Although most disciplinarians were female, males were also observed to perform discipline. The recipients of discipline were male and female, and significantly more likely to be calves than juveniles. Pursuit, contact, and display behaviors were used in discipline, however pursuit behaviors were most often observed. Variables such as age class, sex, and parity were not found to influence how discipline was implemented. The durations of all disciplinary pursuits were under thirty seconds, and successful pursuits had slightly shorter duration than unsuccessful pursuits. Disciplinarian success was not significantly influenced by age class, sex, parity, or behavior used. / by Meghan Weinpress. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

This study investigated a resident community of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) on Little Bahama Bank (LBB) in the Bahamas utilizing a noninvasive molecular approach. Genetic template material was collected and extracted from fecal material of S. frontalis. Fine-scale population structure was found within LBB according to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellites (Fst = 0.25317, P < 0.0001 and Fst = 0.04491, P < 0.0001, respectively). Three main social clusters (North, Central, South/Roam) exist on LBB and all clusters were found to be genetically distinct according to microsatellite analyses. Mitochondrial haplotypes revealed North and South/Roam were not differentiated, but Central was different from both. When separated by sex, males were less genetically structured than females. Males showed no evidence of structure according to Ost or Rst. / Females of all clusters were differentiated according to microsatellites whereas mtDNA revealed the same pattern in females as was seen for the total population. The structuring patterns of the sexes clearly indicate a pattern of male dispersal and female philopatry for the LBB population. Genetic investigation of mating revealed patterns in the mating system of S. frontalis on LBB. Genotypes of females and offspring were analyzed and revealed that more than two males were required to explain the progeny arrays, indicating promiscuous mating among females. In addition, paternity assessment assigned seven males as fathers to ten of 29 mother-calf pairs. A pattern of reproductive skew according to age was revealed because reproductively successful males were in the oldest age class at the estimated time of conception of the calves. / Patterns in social cluster mating revealed that males from the Central cluster sired offspring with females from both the Central and North clusters, while Roaming males sired offspring with South and Central females indicating that males mate within their social cluster or with females from the next closest cluster. The study has important implications for cetacean research, specifically delphinids. Fine-scale population structure and mating patterns of male and female S. frontalis were revealed through noninvasive methodology presenting a valuable genetic framework with which to support ongoing investigations of life history, behavior, communication and social structure. / by Michelle Lynn Green. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.