Thesis advisor: David Krauss / Behavior in a confined group of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) and a confined group of ring tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) were analyzed to reveal any significant differences in agonistic behaviors and to assess the varying stress levels between individuals. I predicted that the activity rate of the individuals would determine the amount of agonistic behavior demonstrated, specifically that more active individuals would be more frequently performing agonistic behaviors than those who were less active. The mandrills as a whole exhibited a higher activity rate than the lemurs, and the proportion of time spent exhibiting agonistic behaviors was also higher, as expected. These results suggest that the mandrill population is under more stress than the lemurs. Differences in the age makeup of these groups may partially explain the behavioral differences that occurred: the mandrills' group included a juvenile who was considerably more active than his parents while all three lemurs observed were adults. Differences in the size of the exhibit may also explain the differences as the exhibit for the mandrills was smaller than that of the lemurs, while the mandrills were more than triple the lemurs' size. This analysis supports earlier studies: that primate behavior is influenced strongly by their environment and its cohabitants. / Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Biology. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

A study was undertaken to determine the abundance, distribution, perching heights, diets and territory sizes of Red-Tailed Hawks on Sauvie Island, Oregon. Sauvie Island supported a large wintering population of non-territorial Red-Tailed Hawks. The establishment of territories began around 10 January. Average perch height was found to be 14.2 m. Average perch height increased from fall to spring, corresponding-to the onset of the breeding season and to the onset of egg-laying and incubation. Voles (Microtus spp.) were the principal prey year-round, though waterfowl were more important in terms of biomass in the winter and early spring. Territory sizes on the Island ranged from .31 - 3.73 km squared The abundance of voles was assessed in different habitats within five Red-Tailed Hawk territories. Territory size was shown to be inversely correlated to the population density of voles. The implications of this finding for the type of territoriality exhibited by Red-Tailed Hawks is discussed, as are some proximate factors affecting habitat selection.

Area used by male and female Phrynosoma mcallii (Hallowell) was studied in a population locted on the Barry M. Goldwater Aerial Gunnery Range near Yuma, Arizona. Area used by males and females shifted through time and did not fit the definition of home range. Summer male and female area used was not significantly different (F=2.625, df=1, P=0.131), but male areas used were significantly larger for 15-day time periods (F=9.67, P=0.0003). Males overlapped the area they occupied in consecutive 15-day time periods more often than did females. Female area used never overlapped within a 15-day time period. Male area used overlapped those of other males and females within a 15-day time period.

Recently, hunting and associated recreation have become an important business for Texas landowners. Most ranchers want to realize maximum net return from their investments. This study's objectives were to develop white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and livestock enterprise budgets and to determine optimal economic combinations and levels of deer and livestock enterprises to maximize net returns. Questionnaires were mailed to landowners in the Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains who purchased shooting preserve licenses in 1985. Five hundred and twenty-four ranchers responded {23.4%). Respondents were segregated by enterprises (deer, cattle, sheep, and Angora and Spanish goats) and a 5% random sample Has chosen from each group for personal interviews. Forty-two and eighteen ranchers in the Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains, respectively, provided operational and financial information about their ranch enterprises. Typical ranch enterprise budgets were developed for four types of deer enterprises, three cattle enterprises, one sheep enterprise, two Angora goat enterprises, and one Spanish goat enterprise in the Edwards Plateau. In the South Texas Plains, enterprise budgets were developed for four types of deer enterprises and two cattle enterprises. Available resources, such as hectarage, labor, forage, and capital, were determined for typical ranches in both regions. The year deer enterprise was the most profitable deer enterprise in both regions, followed by the season, short-term/season, and short-term deer enterprises. The nanny-mutton-kid-breeding-mohair Angora goat enterprise was the most profitable livestock enterprise in the Edwards Plateau, while the cow-calf enterprise was the most profitable in the South Texas Plains. Linear programming was used to determine optimal combinations and levels of deer and livestock enterprises on typical Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains ranches. The most profitable combination (in this case only one activity) in the Edwards Plateau was the nanny-mutton-kid- breeding Angora goat enterprise, which had an extremely high gross income due to high mohair prices and government subsidies. The year deer and cow-calf enterprises were the most profitable combination in the South Texas Plains. The most binding constraints on enterprise combination and level were labor, livestock investment, and spring and summer forage.

This thesis addresses some problems that arise in signal processing when the noise is impulsive and follows a heavy tailed distribution. After reviewing several of the more well known heavy- tailed distributions the common problem of which of these hest models the observations is considered. To this end, a test is proposed for the symmetric alpha stable distribution. The test threshold is found using both asymptotic theory and parametric bootstrap resampling. In doing so, some modifications are proposed for Koutrouvelis' estimator of the symmetric alpha stable distributions parameters that improve performance. In electrical systems impulsive noise is generated externally to the receiver while thermal Gaussian noise is generated internally by the receiver electronics, the resultant noise is an additive combination of these two independent sources. A characteristic function domain estimator for the parameters of the resultant distribution is developed for the case when the impulsive noise is modeled by a symmetric alpha stable distribution. Having concentrated on validation and parameter estimation for the noise model, some problems in signal detection and estimation are considered. Detection of the number of sources impinging on an array is an important first. step in many array processing problems for which the development of optimal methods can be complicated even in the Gaussian case. Here, a multiple hypothesis test for the equality of the eigenvalues of the sample array covariance is proposed. / The nonparametric bootstrap is used to estimate the distributions of the test statistics removing the assumption of Gaussianity and offering improved performance for heavy tailed observations. Finally, some robust estimators are proposed for estimating parametric signals in additive noise. These are based on M-estimators but implicitly incorporate an estimate of the noise distribution. enabling the estimator to adapt to the unknown noise distribution. Two estimators are developed, one uses a nonparametric kernel density estimator while the other models the score function of the noise distribution with a linear combination of basis functions.

This study arose from a conservation dilemma between the need to conserve a population of the endangered pink tailed legless lizard, Aprasia parapulchella and crucial upgrading of Canberra's sewerage treatment plant. The study focused on conservation biology and how it could be applied to the management of A. parapulchella. As little biological information was available on A. parapulchella, research was focused on obtaining data that would be beneficial in the conservation management of the species. This included the dietary and habitat requirements, population status and structure and population relocation and habitat restoration. A. parapulchella was found to occur in low relative densities at all sites (maximum 9.1 lizards per 1000 rocks turned, Mt Taylor). Populations of the species appear to be larger than has been considered previously, however numbers are still below 500 individuals per site. Sexual dimorphism is present in the species with females achieving longer snout-vent lengths than males. Sex ratios were equal in all sites, however average size of lizards was different at the four main study sites, indicating differences in population structure. The life history of A. parapulchella can be summarised as long-lived, late maturing (3rd or 4lh year of life) with a low reproductive rate (single clutch of two eggs per year). A. parapulchella is a dietary specialist feeding on about 11 different species of ants. Interestingly, the lizards also live with the same species that they feed upon. By far the most important species in the diet and homesite requirements of A. parapulchella is the ant Iridomyrmex rufoniger. A. parapulchella shows positive selection towards the species in homesite choice, is found most commonly in the nests of this ant, and selects its brood over the brood of other ant species in diet experiments. In addition this ant was represented in the diet of A. parapulchella more commonly than any other ant. The relationship between ants and A. parapulchella appears to be unique and the mechanisms of this specialisation require further investigation. The vegetation associations where A. parapulchella occur are different across the range of the species. Sites at Bendigo and West Wyalong support mallee communities, while in the ACT region, Bathurst and Tarcutta, A. parapulchella appears to be a habitat specialist, being found most commonly in sites dominated by grass species, both native and introduced. A. parapulchella lives beneath rocks in grassland sites. Rocks that the species uses for homesites are commonly between 100 and 150 mm wide, 120-220 mm long and 50 and 150 mm thick. There were significant differences between the sizes of rocks used at different sites and between different seasons. Rocks used by females were significantly larger than rocks used by juvenile lizards. Twelve other species of reptile were found to use rocks in grassland sites, with rocks partitioned within the community on the basis of size and shape. An experimental relocation of A. parapulchella was conducted to try to determine ideal habitat conditions for the survival of relocated individuals. Unfortunately of the 114 lizards released, only 15 were recaptured. Although recaptures were low, trends indicated that treatments of Themeda triandra and very high rock densities had the highest survival rates. Key habitat variables were reinstated at the Lower Molonglo Dam site however restoration is preliminary with more time needed for the habitat to be suitable for occupation by A. parapulchella. What started as a situation that was likely to have a deleterious impact on A. parapulchella has been turned into a conservation success story. Without the involvement of ACT Electricity and Water, much of the basic biology of A. parapulchella would still be unknown. The findings will now form a solid basis from which to effectively conserve A. parapulchella. The project provides an example of the conservation success that can be achieved between industry and conservation partnerships.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (February 7, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) numbers on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas have increased in recent years and are a cause of urban-related accidents (e.g., deer-vehicle collisions, negative interation with humans). Safety personnel for the JSC are interested in reducing human-deer interaction by a reduction in overall population numbers. My overall study objectives were to (1) estimate population parameters for JSC deer, (2) develop a computer simulation model for the JSC deer, and (3) evaluate 2 management strategies to control JSC deer numbers a priori using the JSC deer model. The 2 management strategies I evaluated were the efficacy of SpayVac immunocontraceptive vaccine (sterilization) and trap and translocation (deer removal) efforts in managing white-tailed deer on JSC. In general, single treatments of removals or sterilization (less than 75 percent of female deer treated) were not effective in reducing population growth (R greater than 1). Approximately 50% of female deer needed to be removed annually to reduce population growth whereas approximately 25% of female deer needed to be treated annually with SpayVac for the same effects. A combination of trap and removals and sterilizations was effective in reducing population growth when applied to approximately 25% of the female population annually. I recommend the use of sterilization annually (25%) or a combination of sterilization and removal (25%) to achieve the goals of JSC in maintaining current deer numbers. Removing or sterilizing > 50% of the female deer annually caused the JSC deer population to decrease to a level near eradication.

Wildlife reintroduction programs are a type of conservation initiative meant to preserve biodiversity through the restoration of damaged areas and the reintroduction of extirpated species. Unfortunately, such reintroductions have a history of limited success, ad hoc procedures, and little focus on hypothetico-deductive design. This study sought to identify some of the trends in the leadership, management, and structure of wildlife reintroduction programs through the use of a case study and survey. The survey was distributed to reintroduction practitioners and biologists worldwide in an attempt to identify patterns of organizational behavior within the field. Some general trends indicated that most reintroductions had active and monitoring phases of 4 or more years (59% and 75% of respondents respectively), adhered closely to World Conservation Union (IUCN) Reintroduction Guidelines (43% of respondents), had a somewhat hierarchical structure (50% of respondents), held annual long-term goal-setting meetings (56%), observed annual employee evaluations (63%), and underwent project evaluations annually, using both internal (74%) and external (39%) evaluative instruments. Opinion questions regarding the ultimate performance of the project indicated that although 75% of researchers felt that their project had made good progress, only 63% said that a formal evaluation had confirmed this statement.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) numbers on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas have increased in recent years and are a cause of urban-related accidents (e.g., deer-vehicle collisions, negative interation with humans). Safety personnel for the JSC are interested in reducing human-deer interaction by a reduction in overall population numbers. My overall study objectives were to (1) estimate population parameters for JSC deer, (2) develop a computer simulation model for the JSC deer, and (3) evaluate 2 management strategies to control JSC deer numbers a priori using the JSC deer model. The 2 management strategies I evaluated were the efficacy of SpayVac immunocontraceptive vaccine (sterilization) and trap and translocation (deer removal) efforts in managing white-tailed deer on JSC. In general, single treatments of removals or sterilization (less than 75 percent of female deer treated) were not effective in reducing population growth (R greater than 1). Approximately 50% of female deer needed to be removed annually to reduce population growth whereas approximately 25% of female deer needed to be treated annually with SpayVac for the same effects. A combination of trap and removals and sterilizations was effective in reducing population growth when applied to approximately 25% of the female population annually. I recommend the use of sterilization annually (25%) or a combination of sterilization and removal (25%) to achieve the goals of JSC in maintaining current deer numbers. Removing or sterilizing > 50% of the female deer annually caused the JSC deer population to decrease to a level near eradication.