The rate of intraspecific nest parasitism was determined for a colony of Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) nesting on the Tern Islands in Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick. In order to recognize instances of nest parasitism, field criteria and microsatellite analysis testing for parentage between attending hens and the eggs in their nests were used. Traditionally, molecular analysis has involved collecting blood samples from females and offspring, however, for the purpose of this study, DNA was extracted successfully from feathers, egg membranes, and unhatched embryos which were collected during the summers of 1999 and 2000. A total of 8 primer pairs which amplified microsatellite loci in closely related avian species were tested (Sfimu-2, Sfimu-3, Sfimu-4, Sfimu-5, Sfimu-6, Sfimu-7, Bcamu-6, and Alamu-1). Four of these primers produced product of the expected size (Sfimu-3, Sfimu-4, Sfimu-7, and Bcamu-6). Amplification of these loci, however was inconsistent and subsequent sequence analysis revealed that the amplicons did not contain tandem repeats and therefore were not useful in genotyping. From field criteria we were able to establish rates of parasitism of 46% and 44% for each season. Rates of parasitism tended to be higher at the beginning of the season, compared to nests initiated later. Field criteria bring support to several hypotheses on causes of nest parasitism, indicating that more than one may influence rates of parasitism in a population.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri - Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-103). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-103). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri - Columbia, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-38, 41, 74-77, 107-111, 129-132). Also available on the Internet.

Spring hunting season for wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) in Mississippi is designed to coincide with peak gobbling activity. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) uses brood surveys and hunter observations to forecast gobbling activity. Hunters claimed hunting season does not coincide with regional gobbling peaks. I conducted statewide surveys to assess latitudinal and climatic influences in gobbling activity and used long-term (1996-2008) MDWFP data to evaluate use as a forecasting tool. I observed ≥ 66% of all spring gobbling with an approximate 2-week difference in peak gobbling activity between northern and southern Mississippi. Gobbling in the north was influenced by temperature, wind speed, and cloud cover; in the south, only cloud cover. Long-term data performed poorly predicting gobbling activity (R2 = 0.02 – 0.047, regionally; R2 = 0.06 – 0.09, statewide). Spring hunting season captures most gobbling, including peaks. Data sources should be used cautiously to forecast gobbling activity.

No description available.

No description available.

Natality characteristics were calculated for 3 regions in the southern Appalachians (Ridge and Valley, Alleghany Plateau, and Ohio River Valley). I report data collected in the first 2 years of a long term (> 6 years) study conducted by the Appalachian Cooperative Grouse Research Project (ACGRP). Nesting rate, pooled over all regions, was 83.6% in 1997 and 79.7% in 1998. In the 2-year period, the Alleghany Plateau reported the highest nesting rate (97.6%) while the Ohio River Valley reported the lowest rate (54.2%). Overall hen success rates were 81.5% in 1997 and 56.9% in 1998. Yearling hen success rates were as high or higher than adults. Adult hen success was 85.7% in 1997 and 48.5% in 1998; yearling hen success was 86.7% in 1997 and 82.3% in 1998. Additionally, I found a lower renest rate (8% over 2 years) in the southern Appalachians than previous studies have reported. The mean first-nest clutch size in the southern Appalachian region was considerably lower (9.5, years and regions pooled) than that reported for other portions of ruffed grouse range. Recommendations are given on how ACGRP natality data collection may be improved in upcoming years. Ruffed grouse chick survival estimates were calculated from data collected in the first 2 years of a long term ACGRP study as well as data collected separate from ACGRP protocol. First-week chick survival estimates ranged from 0.18 to 0.32 in 1997 and 0.45 to 0.48 in 1998. Late brood season survivorship values (0.11-0.13 at week 5, 0.07 at week 10) were considerably lower in the southern Appalachians than those reported from more northern portions of ruffed grouse range. Additionally, the mean number of chicks per brood in July was lower in the southern Appalachians than that reported in the Great Lakes region during July and August. Recommendations are given on how ACGRP chick count data collection may be improved in upcoming years. I compared micro-habitat characteristics at known brood locations with randomly selected locations to determine which characteristics are selected by ruffed grouse hens and broods in the southern Appalachians. In the first half of the brood season (weeks 1-6) hens and broods selected sites with tall, complete, vegetative ground cover. Additionally, broods selected forested sites with a well-developed canopy, rather than areas affected by large canopy gaps or openings. Higher ground cover at brood sites may have been due to a lack of midstory structure. The abundance of arthropods, fruit, and forage at brood flush sites was higher during the first few weeks of the brood season; this was possibly due to flush sites being located in open, mid-age or mature forest. Several authors have speculated that as the chicks' diet shifts from primarily arthropods to fruit and forage at approximately 3 weeks of age, the habitat selected by hens and their broods may change to accommodate this dietary shift. In my study, a change in habitat selection did not occur between weeks 3 and 4 as expected but after week 6 and may indicate the chicks' dietary shift occurs later than some have predicted. / Master of Science

Trade-offs in resource allocation underlie key life history traits of organisms. My dissertation focuses on the size-number trade-off in clonal broods of offspring using the polyembryonic wasp, Copidosoma bakeri parasitizing immature stages of the moth Agrotis ipsilon. I aim to characterize responses of wasp brood size and individual body mass by manipulating the environments in order to understand the allocation pattern in the size number trade-off. In reviewing the functional forms of trade-off relationships in relation to resource constraints, I distinguish among three main trade-off types based on graphical representations of the relationship between the trade-off variables: linear, convex (inverse), and concave. The size-number trade-off in C. bakeri shows convex relationship. Characteristics of the trade-off are sex specific: female broods have larger body mass but smaller brood size than do male broods. When food intake of the host was increased, the trade-off between wasp body mass and brood size for both sexes shifts toward both higher wasp brood size and higher body mass. When the host has better access to food late in development, the size-number trade-off curve moves up and to the right on the graph. However, the trait combinations shift along the same trade-off curve toward greater wasp body mass but smaller brood size when the host development time is shorter due to more resources in early in development. I also investigate temperature effects on the size-number trade-off. C. bakeri brood size significantly increases with high temperature early in host development. There is no shift in the allocation pattern of the size-number trade-off with temperature. Finally, I test effects of body mass on longevity, fecundity, and mating competitiveness of C. bakeri. Larger body size increases female longevity, and mated females produce more eggs than unmated females. There are no significant relationships between male body mass and longevity or mating competitiveness. Mating reduces male longevity independent of body mass. The different impact of body mass on fitness between male and female wasps suggests the observed sex-specific allocation patterns of the size-number trade-off. Implications of the experiments and possible follow-up work are discussed.