Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-51). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-94).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [75]-92).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-95).

No description available.

No description available.

Patterns and causes of variation in the reproductive success of Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) are investigated in this thesis. The two general patterns looked for were: inter-annual variation in reproductive success, and repeatability of reproductive success of individual parents. The specific problems addressed were: (1) whether intra-seasonal variation in reproductive success was the result of differences in the quality of parents or their territories; (2) whether nutritional condition of nestlings affected their subsequent survival; (3) whether variation in morphology of adult sparrows was influenced by the conditions under which birds grew up; and (4) given the patterns discovered in the first three sections, how trade-offs between present and future reproduction constrain the effort expended by adult sparrows in reproduction. Data used in this thesis came from a long-term (1975-present) descriptive study of the population of Song Sparrows living on Mandarte Island, B.C., Canada. Data on survival, reproductive success, and nestling and adult morphology were all available. The approach taken in the thesis was to search for systematic variation in the data, and from these patterns to make inferences about cause and effect. The following conclusions are made: (1) the intra-seasonal decline in clutch size, observed in populations of many species of birds, was the result of poor birds or birds on poor quality territories both nesting later and laying smaller clutches; (2) nestlings in better nutritional condition had a higher probability of survival while under the care of their parents, than nestlings in poor nutritional condition; (3) the probability of survival of offspring after they left their parents' care was lower for young born later in the year, but this pattern is not caused by variation among parents or their territories (contrary to the cause of seasonal decline in clutch size); (4) morphology of birds as adults was affected by the environment that birds grew up in, with nutritional condition and population density while a nestling both affecting adult morphology; (5) the effort that parents expend on reproduction is constrained by ability to vary reproductive effort with date of nesting and parental age. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

Urban areas are a unique and growing habitat type. Animals living in this novel habitat are faced with new challenges, but may also encounter novel opportunities. Though urban animals have been observed to differ from their rural counterparts in a variety of behavioral and physiological traits, little is known about the specific features of urban areas that drive these differences and whether they are adaptive. Understanding this process is important from a conservation perspective and also to gain insight into how animals colonize novel habitats more generally. Using song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), a native songbird commonly found in urban areas, I explored responses to urbanization and the drivers and consequences of these responses with an eye toward understanding whether song sparrows had successfully adapted to urban habitats (Chapter I). I began by comparing body condition and levels of corticosterone, a hormone associated with energy management and the stress response in birds, between urban and rural populations (Chapter II). There was more variation across years than between habitats, suggesting that a variable environmental factor common to both habitats is the primary driver of these traits. I then compared territorial aggression levels and tested the effect of food availability on aggression (Chapter III). Fed rural birds and all urban birds had higher aggression levels than unfed rural birds, indicating that territorial aggression is related to resource availability in this species and that urban habitats may be perceived as more desirable. Finally, I looked for differences in reproductive timing and success and for relationships between reproductive success and aggression (Chapter IV). Higher reproductive success in urban populations, coupled with differences in the timing of successful nests between habitats, suggest differences in predation risk and predator community structure between habitats. In Chapter V, I synthesize my major findings and suggest directions for future research building on these results. I conclude that urban song sparrows differ from rural birds, that these differences are influenced by resource availability, and that urban habitats can potentially support stable song sparrow populations, though more research is necessary to determine the fitness impacts of specific traits that change with urbanization. / Ph. D.