Thesis (M.S.)--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-53).

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-72).

Thesis (M.S. - Hydrology and Water Resources)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-129).

Thesis (MSc (Production Animal Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (February 7, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) ecology has been examined within its native range, but knowledge of extralimital populations of Rio Grande wild turkeys (M. g. intermedia) is lacking. I investigated habitat use, characteristics of activity sites, home ranges and movements, productivity, and survival of Rio Grande turkey hens from 1989 through 1991. I obtained >6,000 locations of 76 radio-tagged hens in Douglas County, Oregon and quantified characteristics of 99 roosts, 126 nests, and 64 brood-rearing sites. Turkeys selectively used meadows and hardwood/conifer cover types during winter and summer (P < 0.05). Adult hens roosted in dense young conifer stands more often than expected throughout the year; hardwood/conifer woodlands were used more than expected for roosting by all flocks (P < 0.05). Hens nested in 8 of 10 cover types; recent clearcuts were used more than expected (P < 0.05). Use of meadows and hardwood/conifer habitats by brood hens exceeded availability (P < 0.05). Dense sapling/pole and mature conifer stands were used less than expected at all times (P < 0.05). Adults roosted in Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii) more than expected (P < 0.05), but hen-poult flocks roosted in tree species in proportion to availability (P > 0.50). Nest sites were characterized by relatively dense understory, but no relationship was observed between nest success and vegetation characteristics. Brood-rearing sites had sparse horizontal screening and moderate vegetative cover. The overall nesting rate was 97% and renesting accounted for 17% of poults hatched. In contrast to other populations, renesting after brood loss was common among adult hens. Annual survival rates varied among years (0.50 to 0.89) but did not differ between adults and yearlings (P > 0.17). Prescribed burning to reduce dense shrub cover should improve stands for nesting and brood rearing. Maintaining or increasing areas of mixed hardwood/conifer cover types would ensure availability of habitat for brood rearing, roosting, and year-round use. My research indicated that Rio Grande turkeys were more adaptable and productive than Merriam's wild turkeys (M. g. merriami) in Oregon. High nest success in several cover types and use of several cover types for brood rearing and roosting indicated that Rio Grande turkeys would thrive under a variety of habitat conditions. / Graduation date: 1996 / Presentation date: 1996-04-05

Throughout history, harvesting of fruit from the wild has played a role in the livelihoods of people in South Africa. For the San, who lived in South Africa for thousands of years, wild fruits were a staple food during parts of the year (Fox & Norwood Young 1983). Among the Bantu people, who entered South Africa about two thousand years ago (Hammond-Tooke 1993), agriculture was the main way in which food was acquired, but they also collected food from the wild. Especially during times of hardship, when cattle herds were decimated or crops were destroyed, they relied on hunting and gathering of fruits and edible plants from the wild for survival (Shapera & Goodwin 1959; Stuart & Malcolm 1986; Bundy 1988). European people settling in South Africa learnt to use and appreciate wild fruits (van Dyk 1988). In the rural areas of the Southern African region, the utilization of wild fruits as a source of food has persisted, especially among black people (Walker 1989; Shackleton 1996; Rossiter, Pellegrin et al. 1997). There is increasing interest in the domestication and improvement of selected fruits, and their utilization as orchard crops, marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) being the prime example (Nerd et al.1990; Holtzhausen, Swart & van Rensburg 1990; Nerd & Mizrahi 1993; Geldenhuys 2001; Taylor 2001; Barton 2001). Research into the wild fruits of South Africa has been mainly botanical or anthropological.