I studied the behaviors, movement dynamics, habitat relationships, and population characteristics of Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) using urban and rural winter ranges in Cache Valley, Utah , from January 1994 to February 1998. There were 2 goals to my research endeavors. The first was to assess how and why the behaviors and demographic characteristics of urban deer differed from those of rural deer. The second was to assess the scale-dependent responses to habitat and the scale-dependent patterns of habitat use by deer living in each area. To accomplish the first goal, I compared the prevalence of migration, the spatial and temporal patterns of migration, and the spatial patterns of home range use between urban and rural deer. I also compared deer reproduction and population density in each area. I then explain how behavioral and demographic dissimilarities between urban and rural deer may have corresponded to differences in their net energetic gains (NEG) on seasonal ranges. These explanations, when combined graphically, generated a time-specific hypothesis of lower NEG by urban deer on a year-round basis. To accomplish the second goal, I developed new methodologies for analyzing animal movement pathways (which represent signatures of how animals respond to habitat), and animal patterns of habitat use . These methodologies explicitly incorporated the effects of spatial scale by employing fractal geometry and information theory. The results of these analyses showed that urban and rural deer responded to their habitats in similar ways at coarse resolutions of analysis (100-600 m), but differently at fine resolutions of analysis ( 4-60 m). I argue that similarities in habitat response at coarse resolutions reflected a common movement process that allowed deer maximize use of their home ranges while minimizing energetic expenditures. With respect to patterns of habitat use, urban deer concentrated in areas with concealment vegetation , which was highly fragmented across all resolutions of analysis. Rural deer, on the other hand, dispersed throughout areas containing shrubby vegetation at fine resolutions, and south-facing slopes at coarse resolutions. Interpretation of these results is discussed in detail.

Submitted by (ana.araujo@ufrpe.br) on 2016-08-01T18:16:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Lazaro de Souto Araujo.pdf: 1002088 bytes, checksum: 0179db6f98801daecf203ce539a2b169 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-01T18:16:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lazaro de Souto Araujo.pdf: 1002088 bytes, checksum: 0179db6f98801daecf203ce539a2b169 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-03-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / In this work we study the applicability of the fractal dimension as a parameter for description of the patterns of the retinal vessels in ophtalmically normal dogs. The following strategy was adopted: (i) development of an experimental procedure which permits obtaining digitalized photographs, with a contrast between the vessels and the eyes fundus sufficient for further numerical analysis; (ii) development of software for segmentation of the retinal vessels images and calculating the box-counting and radius of gyration fractal dimensions, and (iii) establishment of a standard curve for the fractal dimensions of the segmented vessels. The radius of gyration method was found to be more suitable for description of the segmented vessels then box-counting, and the properties of the corresponding normal curve were established. This methodology may prove useful for distinguishing between normal and pathological states of retinal vascularisation. / Neste trabalho estudamos a aplicabilidade da dimensão fractal como parâmetro para descrição dos padrões dos vasos retinianos em cães com visão normal. A seguinte estratégia foi adotada: (i) desenvolvimento de um procedimento experimental que permitiu obter fotografias digitalizadas, com contraste suficiente entre os vasos e o fundo de olho para permitir uma posterior análise numérica; (ii) desenvolvimento de um programa para a segmentação das imagens dos vasos retinianos e cálculo das suas dimensões fractais pelos métodos de contagem por caixas (box-counting) e de raio de giração (radium of gyration) e (iii) estabelecimento de uma curva padrão para as dimensões fractais dos vasos segmentados. O método do raio de giração foi o mais apropriado que o de contagem por caixas para a descrição dos vasos segmentados. Foram estabelecidas as propriedades da curva normal para a dimensão fractal calculada pelo método de raio de giração para as imagens segmentadas de fundos de olhos. É sugerido no trabalho que esta curva padrão pode ser útil para distinguir entre os estados normais e patológicos da vascularização retiniana.