Predators play a critical role in regulating the structure and function of ecosystems by exhibiting top-down forces on lower trophic levels. Despite their important contributions in maintaining ecosystem health, lethal predator control remains a global wildlife management strategy to reduce predation on livestock, culturally and/or economically important species, and species at risk, as well as to reduce conflict with humans. Predator control has received criticism due in part to a paucity of rigorous research on the community-level impacts of this practice, beyond the target prey species. Specifically, there is a lack of understanding of the behavioural consequences of predator control on the wider ecological community. In this thesis, I used a multi-year camera trap dataset to evaluate how government-mandated grey wolf (Canis lupus) population reduction to conserve boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) could impact the resource selection of the carnivore community in northeast Alberta, Canada. In my second chapter, I investigated whether perceived persecution risk due to predator control may alter wolf habitat selection. I found that wolves switched from positively associating with roads before predator control to avoiding anthropogenic linear features and selecting for block features after predator control. These results suggest that lethal control may prompt wolves to prioritize local prey acquisition near block features over movement on linear features. In my third chapter, I examined whether coyote, lynx, and black bear exhibited shifts in co-occurrence with habitat features, competitors, and prey consistent with a release from top-down suppression in response to predator control. I found that predator control triggered unexpected behavioural changes among coyote and lynx consistent with a release from top-down suppression, but not among black bears. Non-apex predator response to predator control may depend on the strength of competition between the apex and non-apex predator, emphasizing the need to consider bottom-up processes when trying to understand the indirect effects of predator control. This research demonstrates that predator control can have trickle-down effects within the larger ecological community, specifically affecting how species utilize resources. As predator control continues to be a recommended wildlife management strategy, it is imperative to continue investigating its unintended consequences throughout the ecological community. / Graduate

Submitted by Erika Demachki (erikademachki@gmail.com) on 2018-07-03T18:02:31Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Júlio Cury Hoffmann - 2018.pdf: 1219488 bytes, checksum: 20fea8e1513a899e8a9f32df5739d99a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-07-04T12:29:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Júlio Cury Hoffmann - 2018.pdf: 1219488 bytes, checksum: 20fea8e1513a899e8a9f32df5739d99a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-04T12:29:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Júlio Cury Hoffmann - 2018.pdf: 1219488 bytes, checksum: 20fea8e1513a899e8a9f32df5739d99a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / There are several problems on the analysis of biological communities with sparse data, resulting from gradients with high beta diversity. I used four strategies to solve this problem (Beals smoothing, Swan, Shortest Path and Extended Dissimilarity). I randomly removed from 1% to 50% of the individuals in empirical and simulated matrices. I then performed PCoA and nMDS ordinations and used Procrustes correlation of the original two dimensional ordination with the ordination obtained using the degraded matrices. For the simulated data set, I also correlated the ordenation in two dimensions with the coordinates of the samples in the two-dimensional simulated gradients. Finally, I analyzed how robustness to degradation, quantified as Procrustean correlation, was related to the matrix properties. Different from the expected, in the comparison of the degraded and original ordinations, the uncorrected data with a traditional dissimilarity index (Bray-Curtis) produced higher fit than the four methods evaluated. In relation to the coordinates of the simulated two-dimensional gradients, the evaluated methods were slightly better than the raw data. Overall, the simulated data were more robust to the degradation than the empirical ones and the data of abundance were more robust than matrices of presence and absence. Matrices with small proportion of zeros were more robust to degradation. I conclude that the correction methods evaluated distorted the pattern on the original data. Also, data with low beta diversity (few zeros) are robust to degradation and sufficient to reconstruct the original gradient. / Existem vários problemas nas análises de comunidades em Ecologia decorrentes da grande quantidade de zeros na matriz de espécies por locais (dados esparsos), principalmente em situações em que a diversidade beta é alta. Usando quatro estratégias para resolver estes problemas (Beals, Swan, Menor Caminho e Dissimilaridade estendida) retirei aleatoriamente de 1 ate 50 % dos indivíduos de matrizes empíricas e simuladas (degradação das matizes). Realizei ordenações PCoA e nMDS e, com correlações de Procrustes, relacionei a ordenação original em duas dimensões com a ordenação obtida pelas matrizes degradadas. Com dados simulados relacionei a ordenação em duas dimensões também com as coordenadas das amostras no gradiente bidimensional simulado. Além disso, analisei como a robustez à degradação, medida como correlação Procrustes, está relacionada às características da matriz. Diferente do esperado, na comparação das ordenações de matrizes degradadas com a ordenação da matriz original, os dados utilizados sem correções e com índice de dissimilaridade tradicional (Bray-Curtis) tiveram maior ajuste que os quatro métodos avaliados. Em relação às coordenadas, os métodos aplicados tiveram desempenho um pouco melhor do que os dados sem correções quando a diversidade beta foi maior. Em geral, os dados simulados foram mais robustos à degradação que os empíricos e os dados de abundância foram mais robustos que de presença e ausência. Matrizes com menor proporção de zeros foram mais robustas à degradação. Concluo que os métodos de correção distorceram o padrão dos dados originais. Ainda, dados com baixa diversidade beta (poucos zeros na matrix) são robustos à degradação e são suficientes para reconstruir o gradiente original.

I used a theoretical model to determine the conditions under which Cactoblastis cactorum populations would be expected to experience positive population growth. Results from simulations suggest that host species richness, host quality, and the C. cactorum death rate interact to determine the probability of C. cactorum positive population growth. I also studied the influence of host diversity empirically. Cactoblastis cactorum prevalence was significantly higher when O. stricta was present in the community. Also, higher species richness within host assemblages led to a higher prevalence of infestation than in single-species host assemblages. Finally, I explored cooccurrence patterns of native cactuseeding insects in an effort to document the impact of C. cactorum to native insect assemblages. The presence of C. cactorum in a community did not appear to affect the structure of native cactuseeding insect assemblages.