Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2002. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-100). Also available on the World Wide Web.

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Ovarian changes, patterns of reproduction, and age-specific productivity of female Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) on Vancouver Island were elucidated largely by examination of serial, stained sections of ovaries from 444 females. Well-defined, 8 or 9-day, follicular cycles occur during the breeding season in November and early December. Many follicles rupturing at first ovulation are asynchronous and of extreme sizes. Relatively small (4-5 mm³), short-lived (8-day) corpora lutea develop after first ovulation; these rapidly regress after second ovulation, while the corpora lutea of pregnancy grow to 100 mm³, within 5-8 days. The changes in ovarian structures during the breeding season were ascertained in 12 females, whose follicles and corpora lutea were dated by the cleavage stage of fertilized ova. These provided criteria for estimating ovulation dates in other females. In each cycle, about 50% of the adult females ovulated within an 8-day period. The mean date of first ovulation in each of the 5 years was approximately November 16; the second ovulation followed after a remarkably short period of 8-9 days. About 96% of the females conceived at second ovulation and 4% on subsequent ovulations. A high proportion of 'silent heats' accompany first ovulation, as indicated by lack of sperm on four of six ova. Growth curves, based on fetuses conceived at second ovulation, provided the conception dates of two late conceivers—those containing more than one generation of regressed corpora lutea of non-pregnancy. Females may cycle at least five times if pregnancy does not occur. Accessory corpora lutea develop in large and small unruptured follicles, in small ruptured follicles, and in regressing corpora lutea. They occurred in 47% of females between first and second ovulation and in 36% of pregnant females. Minimum loss of ova was 8.3% in all females that produced corpora lutea and 4.3% in females that became pregnant, of which 3.1% was moribund fetuses. Corpora lutea of pregnancy, corresponding to the number of fetuses, develop into distinctive scars, which persist for the life of the doe. Pregnancy rates of the previous season, as well as the long term productivity of individuals and the population, were estimated from these. The average number of viable fetuses per doe increased progressively from 0.91 in yearlings to 1.81 in the 5-5 to 6.5 age-classes, and thereafter decreased. These changes in fertility with age were mirrored by changes in weight and girth. The relative contribution of fawns by each age-class in the population progressively decreased with age. One hundred females of reproductive age produced about 137 fawns. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

MAYA is a prototype computerized population dynamics model designed to enhance decision making in wildlife management. Initially, the basis of scientific and philosophical design and implementation of enhanced computer modeling are discussed. This discussion forms the foundation for the development of the actual model. The model is a general population model, utilizing previously known data on seasonally migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) as both an example and a test of the model's capabilities. By combining detailed sub-models at the single species level, the behavior of a larger system is mimicked. The mathematical parameters of this system are restricted to those which correspond to known biological processes. Feedback control is utilized to regulate the dynamic interplay of processes related to specific recognizable structures or physiological functions. The model maintains the identity of the individual organism as the mediator of all transactions within the system. The primary focus of these transactions is energy; specifically consumer energy budgets and their mechanisms of regulation. Equations are presented in finite difference form for digital computer implementation, utilizing a time step of unit length. The result is a Fortran program, MAYA, and a description and discussion of a number of simulation trials. This model was created with an eye not only for computer simulation, but also to raise issues, both philosophic and scientific, as to the reason for, and purpose of, computer management in our society. Thus, it is not until Chapter 4 that an actual discussion of MAYA is to be found. Logic dictates that one should understand the philosophic and theoretic approach of the person creating a model to best understand, question and, hopefully, improve upon the final product. These issues are discussed in Chapters 1 and 2. The greatest value of this model is to provide, based on the ensuing sets of assumptions in Chapter 3, the logical consequences that would otherwise take a great deal of tedious arithmetic--it is a tool to assist the imagination.

Reduced recruitment rates in Utah mule deer (Odocoilus hemionus) showed that significant losses in production were accruing during pregnancy, the neonatal period or during the first few months after birth . The primary objectives of the study were to determine the time, extent and possible causes of these losses. Corpora luteal and fetal rates were estimated by examining the reproductive tracts of 125 carcasses collected on selected herd units in Utah and by observing the reproductive tracts of 136 female deer captured in Spanish Fork Canyon. A laparotomy was performed on each captured female to allow visual examination of the reproductive tract without sacrificing the doe. Live-birth rates were estimated by observing and monitoring pregnant wild does held captive during the fawning period, and by observing free - ranging does tagged with radio- transmitters . Fawn mortality was estimated by monitoring radio-tagged fawns, captured shortly after birth until fawn:doe ratios were observed the following fall. The greatest loss in production occurred during the post-natal period. Annual fawn losses averaged 26.4 percent, while a 3.7 percent interuterine loss occurred before midpregnancy and a 9.5 percent fetal loss was recorded between midpregnancy and parturition. No single mortality factor appeared to be responsible for most of the fawn losses. Condition of the pregnant doe on the winter range was investigated as the cause of reduced recruitment. The condition of the doe had to be accurately estimated while the doe was alive, before the relationship between condition and reproductive success could be evaluated. The condition of 43 carcasses, based upon a modified nutritional status index that included weight corrected for size and age, was highly significantly correlated to condition of the same carcasses estimated by amount of kidney fat (r=0.70, P Weights and sizes of fawns captured shortly after birth were not significantly related to subsequent survival.

A wildfire burned over 40,000 ha of conifer and mixed conifer-hardwood forest in the Silver Creek drainage of southwestern Oregon in the fall of 1987 allowing me to assess big game use of a large natural burn. I used fecal pellet group counts to estimate habitat use and effects of forest management activities on Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) within the Silver Fire Recovery Project Area (SFRPA) of the Siskiyou National Forest. Pellet decay rate and differences in observers' abilities to detect deer and elk pellet groups (interobserver variability) were estimated to test validity of pellet group counts. Pellet group persistence was estimated during a 10-month period. There were no differences in pellet group persistence between elk and deer (P < 0.05). Observers differed in ability to detect elk (F = 2.7; df = 4, 530; P = 0.03) and deer (F = 10.7; df = 4, 883; P < 0.0001) pellet groups. Interobserver variability related to elk pellet groups was low and was attributed to differences in numbers of transects searched by each observer. Two observers detected greater mean numbers of deer pellet groups than did other observers. I counted 775 elk pellet groups and 3,888 deer pellet groups on four study areas within the SFRPA. I analyzed habitat use for two periods: June to mid-October (summer-fall), and mid- October through May (fall-spring). I used stepwise logistic regression to create models predicting categories of habitat use during each period. Management variables were added to the habitat models to estimate effect of management on predicted categories of habitat use. Total overstory canopy cover was negatively related to deer use during both use periods. Distance to road was the only significant management variable affecting deer habitat use during the fall-spring period (P = 0.03). Slash cover had a negative effect on probability of habitat use by deer during the summer-fall period (P = 0.02). Elk use was negatively affected by steep slopes and hardwood canopies during both periods, while grass seeding positively affected elk use during both summer-fall (P = 0.05) and fall-spring (P = 0.03) use periods. Clearcutting had a negative effect on probability of elk use during the fall-spring period (P = 0.04). / Graduation date: 1995

“The Feet of Commerce: Mule-trains and Transportation in Eighteenth Century New Spain” explores the work of the muleteers of colonial Mexico. Muleteers satisfied the material demands of New Spain’s consumers by distributing trans-Atlantic and domestic products throughout the viceroyalty, including fine Chinese and English fabrics; cacao from Guayaquil (Ecuador); olive oil, books, wines and other spirits from Spain. Internally, muleteers supplied urban and mining centers with agricultural goods and raw materials (like wool and tobacco) for their manufacture. In the seventeenth century, mule-based transport coalesced into a professional service that allowed the muleteers to adapt to new demands, establish business relationships, and become the primary mode of transport in the eighteenth century. Moreover, the professionalization of the land-based system of transport (la arriería) generated a level of trust that enabled muleteers to contract their services to all members of New Spain’s commercial networks because the system had proven itself as an efficient method of transportation. As the primary means of transport in the eighteenth century, la arriería was the crucial vehicle by which institutions and individuals negotiated New Spain’s commercial terrain; without it, New Spain’s economy could not function. Muleteers transacted with merchants in urban centers and at the ports of Veracruz and Acapulco, negotiated with local and viceregal authorities for transportation contracts and to ensure the safety of their mule trains, and reacted to obstacles on the road that impeded the flow of commerce. Through their daily business transactions, their influence on the building and maintenance of roads, and their trade networks, muleteers who dedicated their lives to la arriería sustained the economic viability of the Spanish colonial system. / text

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