Interior Double-crested cormorant reproduction was examined on a large geographical scale to evaluate management actions. Three distinct breeding areas across Ontario were selected. Beginning in 2002, over 11,000 preledged cormorants have been marked. During 2006 and 2007, re-observation of banded birds, colony data such as nest, egg, and chick measurements, and island morphology, were collected. Data revealed no significant regional differences in adult size. However, eggs in eastern Lake Ontario (ELO) were larger than North Channel of Lake Huron (NChan) and Lake of the Woods (LOW). Chicks in ELO throughout development were smaller than NChan and LOW. Number of gulls was correlated inversely to cormorant fledge rate. Survival estimates were <20% for young of the year, but increased to >80% after year 2. Elasticity analysis revealed that a 50% reduction in adult survival combined with 100% fecundity reduction would result in a 42% reduction in population growth.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-4563 |
| Date | 13 December 2008 |
| Creators | Chastant, Jennifer Erin |
| Publisher | Scholars Junction |
| Source Sets | Mississippi State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
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