This investigation compared statistical parameters for the blood serum chemistries of free ranging Osprey nestlings from Florida Bay and an Osprey population from Lake Istokpoga, in Central Florida (Chapter 1). Florida Bay Ospreys showed higher mean rank values for alanine aminotransferase (H=6.79, P=.009), alkaline phosphatase (H=6.48, P=.011), and sodium (H=5.7, P=.017), and Central Florida had higher mean rank values potassium (H=13.19, P=.000) and carbon dioxide (H=6.23, P=.013). Serum chemistries values were also compared between free-ranging Bald Eagle and Osprey nestling in Florida Bay estuary in southern Florida (Chapter 2). There were significant differences between serum values of Bald Eagle and Osprey nestlings. Bald Eagle serum values were higher for total protein (H=17.833, P=.00002), Albumin (H=7.449, P=.006), Aspartate aminotransferase (H=113.153, P =.0001), and Calcium (H=7.148, P = 008). Osprey serum values were higher for alanine aminotransferase (H=11.824, P = 0.0005), alkaline phosphatase (H=105.5, P =.0001), creatine kinase (H=13.465, P = 0.0002), carbon dioxide (H=4.443, P = 0.035) and cholinesterase (H=99.3, P=.0001). Sixteen nestling Bald Eagles were fitted with satellite platform transmitter terminal (PTT) or VHF radio transmitter package for a duration of six years (Chapter 3)= to identify their movement and dispersal. One of the 15 eagles migrated to North Carolina, whereas the other 14 (93%) confined their movements to Florida. Tracking duration per individual ranged from 82 to 1,531 days. We estimated first-year survival as 52% and 67% for the period from 1.5 to 3 years. Diamondback Terrapins (Chapter 4) were evaluated by an integrated assessment of physical, chemical, and physiological parameters. Extreme site fidelity of the turtles to mangrove habitat was evident along with a strong female biased sex ratio. There was a significant difference in the total number of individuals collected at the two sites (P =. 01) despite the total size and shorelines of the two sites being very nearly the same. Total recapture rate was 70% for combined population (TLK = 80% and CKW = 48%). We provide blood serum values and microbial cultures as baselines from these turtles in the wild. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Oregon, 2001. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-177). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to UO users.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution." Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-77).

This thesis develops a set of criteria and a framework for assessing the productivity of the habitat referral process operating in British Columbia. The habitat referral process is a mechanism by which applications for projects potentially affecting fish habitat are referred to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans by other government agencies or directly by applicants. Approvals, usually in the form of permits, leases or licenses, are issued or refused depending on the comments that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and other agencies have expressed when reviewing the application. There are four good reasons for studying this topic: 1) as one of the government's activities the referral process is included in the major review of government programs that is presently being undertaken; 2) there is evidence that some of the existing referral processes are unproductive: discontent is being expressed by the people involved in referrals, and the process itself shows obvious signs that there are problems (backlogs, delays, overtime); 3) criteria and a framework for assessing the productivity of referral processes were not available before this study; and 4) referrals account for a considerable portion of the workload of the Habitat Management function of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In the thesis, firstly the referral process is set in the context of the governance system: its relationships with the other processes and mechanisms used in decision-making for resource management and protection are described. Secondly, a framework for assessing the productivity of the referral process is developed. This was derived mainly from the literature on productivity improvement and decision-making. Finally, the set of criteria is developed, drawing from the interviews with people involved in referrals, an analysis of the evolution of the referral process, and the specific literature on the referral mechanism. The criteria are displayed in a tree, from the most general to the most specific. Criteria are then explained and discussed individually, and examples of how the criteria can be translated into practical terms are also provided. The criteria help identify problems in the referral processes under review and suggest possible solutions. The improvement of the performance of the referral mechanism is seen in the context of its evolution. It is recognized that the trend is toward more upfront planning and consequently fewer projects being reviewed through referrals. This 'tool' - the criteria and framework - will prove useful to anybody who wants to assess the productivity of the habitat or other referral processes. It will help them to identify the problems and to find the appropriate solutions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Davis and San Diego State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web. (Restricted to UC campuses)

This thesis develops a set of criteria and a framework for assessing the productivity of the habitat referral process operating in British Columbia. The habitat referral process is a mechanism by which applications for projects potentially affecting fish habitat are referred to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans by other government agencies or directly by applicants. Approvals, usually in the form of permits, leases or licenses, are issued or refused depending on the comments that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and other agencies have expressed when reviewing the application. There are four good reasons for studying this topic: 1) as one of the government's activities the referral process is included in the major review of government programs that is presently being undertaken; 2) there is evidence that some of the existing referral processes are unproductive: discontent is being expressed by the people involved in referrals, and the process itself shows obvious signs that there are problems (backlogs, delays, overtime); 3) criteria and a framework for assessing the productivity of referral processes were not available before this study; and 4) referrals account for a considerable portion of the workload of the Habitat Management function of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In the thesis, firstly the referral process is set in the context of the governance system: its relationships with the other processes and mechanisms used in decision-making for resource management and protection are described. Secondly, a framework for assessing the productivity of the referral process is developed. This was derived mainly from the literature on productivity improvement and decision-making. Finally, the set of criteria is developed, drawing from the interviews with people involved in referrals, an analysis of the evolution of the referral process, and the specific literature on the referral mechanism. The criteria are displayed in a tree, from the most general to the most specific. Criteria are then explained and discussed individually, and examples of how the criteria can be translated into practical terms are also provided. The criteria help identify problems in the referral processes under review and suggest possible solutions. The improvement of the performance of the referral mechanism is seen in the context of its evolution. It is recognized that the trend is toward more upfront planning and consequently fewer projects being reviewed through referrals. This 'tool' - the criteria and framework - will prove useful to anybody who wants to assess the productivity of the habitat or other referral processes. It will help them to identify the problems and to find the appropriate solutions. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Herbivores have a significant influence on their environment. Factors that influence herbivore distribution in a landscape are important for conservation. Artificial water provision is one such factor, with water sources being focal points of herbivore activity. Variation between herbivore utilisation of different waterhole types and habitat integrity surrounding the different waterholes is assessed in this study. Correlations are drawn between herbivore utilisation and habitat integrity to quantify the impact that artificial waterholes have on the landscape. A scoring system is devised to investigate the various factors affecting vegetation around artificial waterholes. Results show that there are significant variations between herbivore utilisation for different artificial waterhole types, as well as significant variation in habitat integrity surrounding the different waterhole types. Distance between waterholes and drainage lines, and utilisation by specific herbivore species have a significant impact on habitat integrity - specifically affecting veld condition and disturbance observed on woody plant species. A habitat score that was created by combining data from both the herbaceous and woody layers is not affected by waterhole type, distance from waterholes, or the different herbivore species utilising the different waterhole types. Earth dams have the greatest impact on surrounding vegetation and are the most utilised waterhole type. Closures of earth dams are not recommended due to their importance to herbivores. Less utilised waterhole types are also important, mitigating the impact of herbivore damage to vegetation at earth dams. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Nature Conservation)

Road networks have significant impacts on ecosystems through deforestation, rapid land conversion and wildlife-vehicle collisions. Road ecology seeks to analyze the spatial and biological patterns of collisions to understand the effect of roadways and best inform transportation planning in mitigating these threats. 215 km of roadway BR-262, that bisects critical habitat of the Brazilian Cerrado and Pantanal in southwest Brazil, was analyzed between April 2011 and June 2012 to assess how biological, physical and landscape characteristics affect clustering of collisions. 518 collisions, representing 40 species, were found to be seasonally clustered between the unimodal rain and flood pulse in a February-March-April window and were spatially clustered over the study area in relation to cash crop and cattle ranching land-use and the rural low-lying Pantanal floodplain. Mitigation seeks to work with local communities and transportation agencies to facilitate fauna safe crossing through the roadway that do not conflict with drivers. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Florida’s sea turtle populations are increasing due to conservation efforts; however, sea turtle species are vulnerable to climate change. Turtles exhibit temperaturedependent sex determination, in which nest environment influences sex. Environmental changes may produce altered sex ratios that limit reproduction potential; therefore hatchling sex ratios should be monitored. Hatchlings are not externally sexually dimorphic, making sex identification difficult. This study established baseline plasma hormone concentrations in hatchling and post-hatchling green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Five hormones were assayed and were present in the majority of samples (testosterone: N.D.-10.12, progesterone: N.D.-0.43, estradiol: N.D.-4.78, estriol: N.D.-5.55 and estrone: N.D.-1.67 μg/mL). Plasma hormones did not distinguish hatchling sex because male and female ranges overlapped. Hormone concentrations varied with sex but also with incubation temperature, indicating that climate change could impact hatchling and posthatchling hormone profiles and thus could impact future fitness. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Human influence on the environment is becoming increasingly pervasive across the globe, and can drastically impact ecological patterns and processes. For many terrestrial wildlife species, human influence can fragment critical habitat, increase mortality, and threaten habitat connectivity and ultimately the persistence of wildlife populations. This dissertation aims to use multiple conservation ecology methods and tools to test the impact of human influence on the population dynamics of a large carnivore in a human-dominated landscape. To assess the impact of human activity on carnivore ecology, a series of empirical studies were conducted on a small population of American black bear (Ursus americanus) in the Western Great Basin, USA. A long-term dataset including geographic locations of animal habitat choices as well as mortality locations were used in multiple statistical models that tested the response of black bears to human activity. These analyses were conducted at multiple spatial and temporal resolutions to reveal nuances potentially overlooked if analyses were limited to a single resolution. Individual studies, presented as dissertation chapters, examine the relationships between human activity and carnivore ecology. Collectively, the results of these studies find black bear ecology to be highly sensitive to the magnitude and spatial composition of human activity in the Lake Tahoe Basin, observable at both coarse and fine spatial resolutions. The results presented in this study on the influence of human activity on large carnivore population dynamics allow for a more thorough understanding of the various ways common conservation ecology methods and tools can be used to evaluate human-wildlife relationships.