"September 2002" Bibliography: leaves 77-85. Examines the persistence of the yellow-footed antechinus using live trapping in small, remnant patches and strips of forest, to document autecological sata and the investgate occurrence, breeding activity and inter-patch movements. Radio-tracking was conducted to compare home range properties of lactating females in restricted and unrestricted habitat.

White-tailed deer are ecosystem engineers that dramatically alter forest understory vegetation. Consequently, deer can impact many species in a forest through both direct and indirect effects. One species that deer may indirectly affect is the gypsy moth, whose pupae are preyed upon by the white-footed mouse. Through alterations to understory habitat of mice, deer may reduce mouse predation on gypsy moth pupae. In this study, I tested for indirect effects of deer on the gypsy moth by comparing mouse abundance, vegetation properties, and predation on pupae inside, and outside, of long-term deer exclosures. Overall, I did not find evidence for indirect effects of deer on the gypsy moth. There was little effect of the exclosures on mouse abundance, predation rates, and habitat measures. High mouse abundances, which likely resulted from a large acorn mast the previous year, may be obscuring indirect effects that would be detected at lower mouse abundances.

Submitted by SHAYRA PERUCH BONATELLI null (shayrabonatelli@gmail.com) on 2017-02-24T23:49:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Repositório.pdf: 1006643 bytes, checksum: 238b25a3d3559dba4417f37e5c5bda4d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-03-06T18:04:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 bonatelli_sp_me_bot.pdf: 1006643 bytes, checksum: 238b25a3d3559dba4417f37e5c5bda4d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-06T18:04:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 bonatelli_sp_me_bot.pdf: 1006643 bytes, checksum: 238b25a3d3559dba4417f37e5c5bda4d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-16 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Os animais da espécie Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix,1824) tem grande importância na questão conservacionista e vêm se tornando cada vez mais comuns como animais de estimação. O diagnóstico das diversas doenças em quelônios é um desafio para o clínico, pois a presença de casco e plastrão impede um exame físico detalhado com ausculta e palpação. A ecocardiografia tem se tornado valiosa no diagnóstico de diferentes afecções cardíacas. Este estudo teve como objetivo realizar a avaliação ecodopplercardiográfica em indivíduos Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix,1824) a fim de estabelecer referências de normalidade que poderão auxiliar futuros diagnósticos de cardiopatias nestes animais. Ao modo-B observou-se um coração composto por três câmaras e duas válvulas atrioventriculares e em todos os animais observou-se fluído pericárdico. A Dopplerfluxometria revelou um padrão de onda de baixo fluxo na via de saída no ventrículo com velocidade média de pico sistólico de 34,10cm/s. O fluxo de preenchimento ventricular se mostrou bifásico, sendo que a razão entre o pico diastólico inicial e final mostrou-se menor que 1, tendo média de 0,66. A fração de encurtamento foi calculada por dois métodos, um atrial e outro ventricular, apresentando médias de 34,47% para o átrio direito, 46,90% para o esquerdo e 29,46% para o ventrículo, mantendo-se próximo à faixa de normalidade da fração de encurtamento ventricular conhecida para cães. Esta técnica ultrassonográfica se mostra de alta eficácia para avaliação cardíaca em animais da espécie Chelonoidis carbonaria, submetidos à anestesia geral. / The animals of the Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix, 1824) specie have great importance in the conservacionist issue and are becoming increasingly common as pet. Diagnosis of various diseases in chelonian is a challenge for the clinician. The presence of shell and plastron avoid a detailed physical examination with auscultation and palpation. Echocardiography is very useful for diagnosis of different cardiac diseases. This study aimed to perform an echodopplercardiographic evaluation in Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix, 1824) individuals to establish reference value, providing information for the future diagnosis of heart disease in these animals. At B-mode evaluation, we observed a heart consisted of three cameras and two atrioventricular valves and all the animals presented pericardial fluid. The Doppler ultrasound revealed a low flow wave pattern in the ventricular outflow with mean velocity of systolic peak of 34,10cm/s. The atrioventricular filling flow revealed a biphasic wave pattern, being the ratio between the diastolic and sistolic peak lower than one with mean value of 0,66. Shortening fraction was calculated by two methods, one atrial and another ventricular, with mean value of 34,47% for the right atrium, 46,90% for the left and 29,46% for the ventricle, remaining near the range of the ventricular shortening fraction already known for dogs. This sonographic technique shows high efficiency for the cardiac evaluation in animals of the Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix, 1824) specie submitted to general anesthesia. / CNPq: 134265/2015-7

Conservation biology is primarily concerned with the amelioration of species decline. The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus xanthopus) is a medium-sized Macropod that inhabits the semiarid rangelands of South Australia and New South Wales. Its conservation status is Vulnerable C2a(i). In this study, population modelling, spatially explicit habitat modelling and Population Viability Analysis (PVA) have been used to better understand the factors that affect the abundance and distribution of the P. x. xanthopus in South Australia. The processes that drive the population dynamics of a species operate at different scales. As such this research involves a collection of several inter-related and scale-specific empirical studies that provide insights about the population dynamics of P. x. xanthopus. Each of these studies captures environmental, demographic and behavioural process acting on the population at different scales. These include the analysis of relative abundance data derived from an aerial census, mark recapture sampling of demographic parameters in relation to rainfall patterns and a collection of habitat models derived at different scales using presence-absence data. Spatially explicit PVAs enable the population dynamics of a species to be modelled in space and time. Using these data, a PVA is conducted to explore and rank the importance of the factors that threaten this species and help guide their future monitoring and management. Movement is also a key issue when considering problems such as isolation and inbreeding. Given that little is known about the dispersal behaviour of this species, a range of different dispersal behaviours are also simulated in the PVA using random and non-random mating algorithms, to estimate the potential for inbreeding. / thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2004.

Conservation biology is primarily concerned with the amelioration of species decline. The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus xanthopus) is a medium-sized Macropod that inhabits the semiarid rangelands of South Australia and New South Wales. Its conservation status is Vulnerable C2a(i). In this study, population modelling, spatially explicit habitat modelling and Population Viability Analysis (PVA) have been used to better understand the factors that affect the abundance and distribution of the P. x. xanthopus in South Australia. The processes that drive the population dynamics of a species operate at different scales. As such this research involves a collection of several inter-related and scale-specific empirical studies that provide insights about the population dynamics of P. x. xanthopus. Each of these studies captures environmental, demographic and behavioural process acting on the population at different scales. These include the analysis of relative abundance data derived from an aerial census, mark recapture sampling of demographic parameters in relation to rainfall patterns and a collection of habitat models derived at different scales using presence-absence data. Spatially explicit PVAs enable the population dynamics of a species to be modelled in space and time. Using these data, a PVA is conducted to explore and rank the importance of the factors that threaten this species and help guide their future monitoring and management. Movement is also a key issue when considering problems such as isolation and inbreeding. Given that little is known about the dispersal behaviour of this species, a range of different dispersal behaviours are also simulated in the PVA using random and non-random mating algorithms, to estimate the potential for inbreeding. / thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2004.

Orientador: Maria Jaqueline Mamprim / Resumo: Os animais da espécie Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix,1824) tem grande importância na questão conservacionista e vêm se tornando cada vez mais comuns como animais de estimação. O diagnóstico das diversas doenças em quelônios é um desafio para o clínico, pois a presença de casco e plastrão impede um exame físico detalhado com ausculta e palpação. A ecocardiografia tem se tornado valiosa no diagnóstico de diferentes afecções cardíacas. Este estudo teve como objetivo realizar a avaliação ecodopplercardiográfica em indivíduos Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix,1824) a fim de estabelecer referências de normalidade que poderão auxiliar futuros diagnósticos de cardiopatias nestes animais. Ao modo-B observou-se um coração composto por três câmaras e duas válvulas atrioventriculares e em todos os animais observou-se fluído pericárdico. A Dopplerfluxometria revelou um padrão de onda de baixo fluxo na via de saída no ventrículo com velocidade média de pico sistólico de 34,10cm/s. O fluxo de preenchimento ventricular se mostrou bifásico, sendo que a razão entre o pico diastólico inicial e final mostrou-se menor que 1, tendo média de 0,66. A fração de encurtamento foi calculada por dois métodos, um atrial e outro ventricular, apresentando médias de 34,47% para o átrio direito, 46,90% para o esquerdo e 29,46% para o ventrículo, mantendo-se próximo à faixa de normalidade da fração de encurtamento ventricular conhecida para cães. Esta técnica ultrassonográfica se mostra de alta eficácia para avaliaçã... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Mestre

Target shooting in the United States has become an increasingly popular sport in the last century. In addition to the large quantity of lead pellets littering range grounds and surrounding land, considerable amounts of clay target fragments cover shooting range areas as well as adjoining habitats. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within the target, as well as lead pellets from shotguns pose multiple threats to a variety of wildlife. To determine the effects of clay target and lead pellet ingestion on wildlife, I conducted controlled experiments on Coturnix quail exposed to clay targets in the lab, and collected wild birds and mammals exposed to lead pellets at a shooting range. The first Coturnix study determined whether quail voluntarily consumed target fragments or limestone fragments. In both fall (F=29.2, P<0.01) and spring (F=6.45, P=0.02) experiments, I found that quail consistently selected limestone fragments, but almost completely rejected clay target fragments. In the second study, quail were force-fed varying amounts of target dust on a weekly basis to simulate sporadic exposure to clay target dust. In both summer (F=1.63, P=0.23) and winter (F=0.34, P=0.8) trials, male quail did not have significant weight loss. Female quail had insignificant weight losses in summer trials (F=1.63, P=0.23) but experienced weight gains in winter trials (F=3.53, P=0.04). In the third and final Coturnix study, varying amounts of target dust were incorporated into daily feed rations to simulate frequent exposure to clay target dust. Male quail experienced weight loss in both summer (F=16.13, P<0.01) and winter (F=8.47, P<0.01) trials. Female quail also suffered weight loss in both summer (F=15.62, P<0.01) and winter (F=17.50, P<0.01) trials. Weight loss likely resulted from inadequate nutrition as opposed to target poisoning. However, because there were no biochemical analyses performed to test for PAH presence, no definite conclusions can be made. The second study focused on lead contamination in Passeriformes, perching birds, and small mammals. Seventeen of 20 birds (85%) (Passerine spp) captured at the shooting range had elevated lead levels (F=5.21, P<0.028), when compared to birds (n=20) at the control site. Nine of 26 (35%) white-footed mice (Peromyscous leucopus), trapped at the shooting range had elevated liver (F=9.78, P=0.0029) and kidney (F=22.49, P<0.01) lead levels. These results indicate that Passerine species as well as Peromyscous species around shooting ranges inadvertently consume lead, either as lead pellets, mistaking them for grit or dietary items, or through environmental sources such as water, soil, and vegetation. / Master of Science

Despite the potential benefits of modifying behaviour according to changing ecological conditions, many populations comprise individuals that differ consistently in behaviour across situations, contexts and points in time (i.e. individuals show personality). If personalities are adaptive, the balance between consistency and flexibility of behavioural traits should reflect the ability of individuals to detect and respond to changing conditions in an appropriate and timely manner and, thus, depend upon the pace and predictability of changing conditions. We investigated the balance between individual consistency and flexibility in the subsocial spider Anelosimus studiosus by assaying boldness across the diel cycle and correlating these data with patterns of prey and threat abundance in the natural habitat. We found significant diel flexibility in boldness correlating with drastic and predictable changes in prey availability. Moreover, the strength of within-individual flexibility in boldness was comparable to the strength of rank-order consistency among individuals. We also found evidence that mean boldness level and among-individual variation in boldness are correlated with reproductive status. These data emphasize the interplay between behavioural consistency and flexibility and suggest that temporal characteristics of ecological conditions may be vital in assessing the strength, stability and adaptive value of animal personalities.

No description available.

Le comportement de recherche alimentaire varie tout au long de la vie des oiseaux marins selon divers facteurs qui peuvent être liés au cycle de vie ou à l’habitat. Cependant, aucune étude n’avait auparavant abordé ces différents facteurs de variation chez une seule et même espèce. L’objectif de cette thèse était de distinguer la part fixe du comportement de recherche alimentaire de ses différents degrés de plasticité chez un oiseau marin pantropical, le fou à pieds rouges (Sula sula). Pour cela, des adultes et des juvéniles issus de différentes colonies ont été équipés de balises GPS afin d’étudier leurs trajets selon différents facteurs de variation intrinsèques (âge et stade de reproduction) et extrinsèques (forçages physiques, productivité primaire, compétition pour la ressource). Le comportement de recherche alimentaire des adultes variait de façon importante au sein d’une même colonie selon le stade de reproduction. Les trajets étaient plus courts pendant l'élevage du poussin, connu pour être particulièrement contraignant d’un point de vue énergétique, et plus longs pendant l’incubation et la période post-envol. Le suivi pluriannuel d’une des colonies a pu mettre en évidence la flexibilité du comportement lors de conditions environnementales défavorables. Des trajets plus longs étaient observés lors de la saison de reproduction qui présentait une diminution de la productivité et de l’activité tourbillonnaire locale. Une importante plasticité du comportement en fonction de l’habitat a pu être mise en évidence à l’échelle de l’aire de répartition de l’espèce. La durée et le rayon de prospection des trajets des adultes variaient considérablement selon les colonies, allant de trajets strictement diurnes à des trajets beaucoup plus longs qui incluaient plusieurs nuits passées en mer. Les fous à pieds rouges ne semblaient pas cibler des zones particulièrement productives et la compétition intra- et interspécifique semblait expliquer en partie les différences observées entre les colonies. En revanche, tous les trajets possédaient généralement une structure similaire et augmentaient leur effort de recherche alimentaire en adoptant un comportement de recherche en zone restreinte (ARS). Le comportement des juvéniles, encore nourris par leurs parents après leur envol pendant une longue période de transition, a pu être décrit pour la première fois. Avec le temps, les juvéniles augmentaient le rayon de prospection de leurs trajets, qui restait considérablement inférieur à celui des adultes. Des associations en mer avec d’autres juvéniles étaient fréquemment identifiées. Cette longue période d’apprentissage semble permettre l’acquisition progressive de compétences complexes nécessaires à la recherche et à la capture de leurs proies. Si la plasticité comportementale des individus tend généralement à amortir les effets des conditions défavorables sur l'état de santé moyen d’une population, cette flexibilité est tout de même limitée. Dans le contexte actuel de changement global, l’évaluation de la plasticité comportementale s’avère alors nécessaire afin de mieux prévoir les conséquences de ces changements sur les populations. / Seabird foraging behaviour varies through time according to factors that may be related to life cycle stage and/or habitat. However, no study has previously investigated variation in these different factors and how they impact foraging behaviour in a single species simultaneously. The aim of this thesis was to distinguish the fixed part of foraging behaviour from its different degrees of plasticity in a pantropical seabird, the Red-footed booby (Sula sula). Adults and juveniles from different colonies were equipped with GPS tags to track their foraging trips according to several intrinsic (age and breeding stage) and extrinsic factors (physical forcing, primary productivity and competition for resources). Adult foraging behaviour varied significantly within the same colony according to breeding stage. Tracks were shorter during brooding, which is known to be a particularly energy-constraining time period, and longer during incubation and fledging. Multi-year monitoring at one of the colonies revealed flexibility in behaviour under adverse environmental conditions. Longer tracks were observed during breeding seasons with decreased productivity and eddy activity. High plasticity in foraging behaviour according to habitat was observed across the range of the species. The length and range of adult trips varied considerably among colonies, ranging from strictly diurnal to longer trips that included several nights spent at sea. Red-footed boobies did not appear to target particularly productive areas, and intra- and interspecific competition seemed to explain partly the differences observed between colonies. On the other hand, all the individuals showed similar trip structuring and increased searching effort by adopting area-restricted search (ARS) behaviours. The behaviour of juveniles, still fed by their parents after fledging during a long transition period, was described for the first time. Over time, juveniles increased trip ranges, which were considerably lower than that of adults. Associations at sea with other juveniles were frequently identified. This long learning period seems to be an adaptation allowing the gradual acquisition of the skills necessary for the search and capture of prey. While the behavioural plasticity of individuals tends to cushion the effects of unfavourable conditions at the population scale, this flexibility is still limited. In the current context of global change, assessment of behavioural plasticity is necessary in order to better predict the consequences of these changes on populations.