Little Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, and Tricolored Herons that nest in the
Everglades have declined sharply over the past decade, due in part to food resource
limitations. Here, I examined the diet of small herons to determine how prey
characteristics affected the fitness of small herons in the highly modified Florida
Everglades. Analysis of these diet differences showed birds nesting in 2017, a
hydrologically dryer-than average year, and a more taxonomically varied diet were
associated with nest success and improved body condition of nestlings. Over half (51%)
of the fish biomass Little Blue Herons consumed were non-native species, compared to
14% and 19% non-native fish biomass consumed by Snowy Egrets and Tricolored
Herons, respectively. Surprisingly, <7% of fish biomass available in the Everglades were
comprised of non-native fish species, suggesting that small herons, and Little Blue
Herons in particular, may be using alternative foraging habitats, to supplement their
dietary needs. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_40728 |
| Contributors | Jackson, Ashley Elizabeth (author), Gawlik, Dale E. (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies |
| Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
| Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 109 p., application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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