Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xiv, 124 p. : ill. (some col.), col. maps. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 97 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-97).

No description available.

Predation accounts for the majority of ruffed grouse mortality beyond the brooding period throughout grouse range. Most studies of ruffed grouse ecology have taken place in the central portion of the species range including the Great Lakes states and southern Canada where aspen (Populus tremuloides) is dominant. Populations in the central range of grouse distribution exhibit 10-year cyclic patterns of decline that have been associated with the invasions of boreal predators such as great horned owls and northern goshawks during crashes in small mammal populations. I completed an accuracy assessment of field sign to determine the role of scavenging as it related to diagnosing causes of proximate mortality. Potentially large numbers of grouse are scavenged after death, which can alter or completely falsify the reported cause of death.. My results indicated that stand-level and micro-site habitat variables did not influence scavenger detection of ruffed grouse carcasses (P > 0.05). Scavenging was limited to 24 of 64 carcasses and was entirely attributed to mammalian species. Scavenging behavior was related to the condition of the carcass following death (P = 0.003) and the ambient temperature (P = 0.01). As the temperature increased and as a carcasses entrails and muscle became more exposed, the probability of being scavenged increased. Nineteen percent of whole carcasses placed in the field were scavenged and would have been attributed to mammal predation based on the field sign; 56% of 32 mock avian kills were scavenged would have been attributed to mammal predation. I related indices of predators and weather patterns to trends in ruffed grouse predation. Using data collected at 10 study sites between February, 1997 and December, 2000, I compared predation rates, and animal and weather indices to predation rates, across sites, years, regions, seasons and month combinations pooled across years. Avian predators were the primary predators of ruffed grouse in the Appalachian region (50% of all predation). Predation rates on ruffed grouse were highest in fall (8.3%), due to high predation on juveniles, and spring (7.4%) in association with raptor migration and pre-breeding activity of grouse. Predation patterns and predator abundance did not indicate the occurrence of predator invasions during the years of this study. Predation rates on ruffed grouse were positively related to the presence of rain and negatively related to the average low temperature and number of rabbits and squirrels observed per hour. Observations of owls and Cooper's hawks per hour were correlated with predation rates on grouse while those of red-tailed, red-shouldered and broad-winged hawks were not. / Master of Science

Three experiments with captive ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) demonstrated that dietary metabolizable energy (ME) can be predicted from neutral detergent solubles, total phenols, and percent acorns of grouse diets. The weight of the fat attached to the gizzard was highly correlated with percent carcass fat in 82 grouse and was judged a useful index of body condition. Crop contents of 1005 grouse collected during fall and winter 1981-84 in Maine, New York, Wisconsin, Washington, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, and Georgia were used to make regional comparisons of food habits and diet quality. The ME of crop contents was predicted from chemical composition. Evergreen leaves of woody plants were the most common late winter forages of grouse in southeastern states, whereas buds, twigs, and catkins were the most common late fall and winter forages in diets of grouse in northern states. Winter diets in the Southeast tended to have higher levels of predicted ME than diets in the North; however, southeastern diets tended to have higher levels of total phenols and lower levels of protein than typical northern diets. Evergreen leaf forages had higher levels of tannin phenols than buds, twigs, and catkins. Dietary ME appeared adequate in both the North and the Southeast, but low levels of protein and high levels of tannins may result in poorer quality winter diets along the southeastern edge of the range of the ruffed grouse. Acorns comprised 63% of the crop contents of 22 grouse collected in Virginia in March and April 1982, the spring following a year of high acorn production. Leaves and flowers of herbaceous forbs were the primary forages of 41 grouse collected in spring 1983 and 1984. Body fat levels were greater for females than males and declined from March to April. Fat declines appeared to be related to breeding activities. Evergreen leaves were the most abundant forages available to grouse in late winter on a study site in southwestern Virginia. Biomass of high quality herbaceous leaves-was insufficient to meet estimated energy requirements of grouse in late winter, indicating a need for a dietary shift to low quality evergreen leaves. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1971. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Vegetation structure of sites used by ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) hens with brood, solitary grouse, drumming males, and nesting hens in northern Utah was measured in 1979 and 1980 . Univariate statistical techniques were used to determine general habitat characteristics of each group and discriminant function analysis was applied to the data to differentiate among groups. Most nests were located in maple stands (Acer grandidentatum and A. negundo) with dense tree canopies, low shrubs, and sparse ground vegetation. Drumming logs were most commonly found in densely stocked stands of aspen (Populus tremuloides) mixed with maple or chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) having a well-developed shrub layer and good horizontal visibility. The most important component of habitat used by solitary grouse was the dense shrub layer that apparently provided protection from precipitation, extreme temperatures, and predators. Hens with brood were commonly associated with aspen and mixed aspen stands which had open canopies, sparse shrub growth, and tall ground cover. Near the end of July, hens with brood began using habitat similar to that used by solitary grouse. The degree of horizontal visibility best separated habitat used by hens with brood and solitary grouse from the more open habitat associated with drumming logs and nest sites. Open tree canopy cover and tall shrubs best differentiated between habitat used by hens with brood from that used by solitary grouse. In general, many structural characteristics of habitat used by ruffed grouse in northern Utah appear similar to those reported in other areas of the species' range . Management strategies for use here should, however, be developed for small "islands" of habitat and emphasize enhancing structural and species diversity by planning for mixed aspen stands with a well-developed shrub layer.

Master of Science

The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus incana) inhabits much of the deciduous woodland of northern and central Utah. Its distribution is confined mainly to the Wasatch and Uinta mountain ranges. It has been observed in willows (Salix spp.) at 5, 000 feet elevation and in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) at 9,000 feet.