Browsing by Subject "habitat use"
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Item FALL SURVIVAL, MOVEMENTS, AND HABITAT USE OF AMERICAN WOODCOCK IN THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION: 2003 FIELD SEASON REPORT(2004-02) Andersen, David E; Bruggink, John G; Doherty, Kevin; Lutz, R.Scott; Meunier, Jed; Oppelt, EileenDeclines in the number of American woodcock (Scolopax minor) heard on annual singing ground surveys have resulted in concern regarding the population status of woodcock in both the Central and Eastern Management Regions. Although changes in the distribution and abundance of woodcock habitat are believed to largely be responsible for apparent population declines, relatively little is known regarding the influence of harvest on woodcock population dynamics. Similarly, movements and habitat use of woodcock in fall prior to migration are poorly understood. In 2001 (Minnesota) and 2002 (Michigan and Wisconsin), we initiated a study of woodcock to assess magnitude and causes of woodcock mortality, and investigate movements and habitat use of woodcock in the western Great Lakes Region during fall. In all 3 states, we radio-marked woodcock on paired study areas; one of which was open to woodcock hunting (“hunted areas”) and one of which was closed (“non-hunted areas”) to hunting or had limited access for hunting (“lightly-hunted areas”). In 2003, across all 3 states we captured and radio-equipped 338 woodcock; 194 on hunted areas and 144 on non-hunted or lightly-hunted areas. Survival rates of woodcock during the 2003 hunting season in Michigan were 0.778 + 0.157 in the hunted area and 0.857 + 0.240 in the non-hunted area. In Minnesota, the hunting season survival rate of woodcock in the hunted area was 0.733 + 0.303, and in the non-hunted area it was 0.854 + 0.155. In Wisconsin, the hunting season survival rates of woodcock were 0.657 + 0.151 in the hunted area and 0.735 + 0.151 in the lightly hunted area. A sub-sample of after hatch year (AHY) female woodcock was monitored intensively in each state and preliminary analyses of movement and habitat use data from these birds suggest that woodcock make primarily small-scale movements (47.7% <50 m between subsequent locations and 5.82 ha average 95% fixed kernel home range size) prior to migration. Primary cover types used were aspen (Populus spp.) seedling/sapling, aspen pole, alder (Alnus spp.), conifer, and willow (Salix spp.). Preliminary analyses also suggest that woodcock used edges within individual covers, but that use of edge habitats is variable among habitat types and years.Item Fishing Cat Ecology: Food Habits, Home Ranges, Habitat Use and Mortality in a Human-Dominated Landscape around Khao Sam Roi Yot, Peninsular Thailand(2015-06) Cutter, PassananAbstract Despite their global status as an endangered species, many aspects of fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) ecology have not been studied in detail in the wild. The objectives of this study were to understand food habits, habitat use, home range patterns, and causes of mortality in a predominantly agricultural landscape in the area in and around Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, peninsular Thailand. Few studies have been conducted on the food habits of wild fishing cats and none has been conducted in Southeast Asia. I identified prey remains in fishing cat scats to estimate composition and relative occurrence of major prey groups in the feces of 194 fishing cat scats collected over an approximately 35 km2 area. The proportion of prey remains found in scats was 42% fish, 24% mammals, 24%, birds, 5% reptiles, and 2% crustaceans. There was a significant difference in seasonal prey composition (p = 0.001). During the dry season, 47% of prey remains found was fish, 11 % mammal, 29% bird, 11% reptile, and 3% crustacean. In the wet season, proportions were 36% fish, 39% mammal, 20% bird, 2% reptile, and 1% crustacean. In this study, fishing cat diet varied more than previously reported, both in terms of the diversity of prey and in the proportions of major groups recorded between seasons. To study the home range, habitat use, and mortality of fishing cats, I captured seventeen cats (seven females and 10 males) using box traps and fitted 16 with VHF radio collars. Data from these animals (>1000 locations) were used to estimate home range size and habitat selection. Home range size was estimated using 100% Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and the 95% Fixed Kernel (FK) methods. Fishing cats essentially maintained their core area for the duration of the study despite seasonal changes in diet. For the 100% MCP, the area of the male annual home range, F5 was 13.5 km2 and M8 was 4 km2 and the mean for female annual home ranges (n=4) was 4.0 km2. Whereas, the 95% estimates for the male annual home range was 8.8 km2, and the mean annual home range for females was 3.9 km2. Seasonal home range was estimated for one male. His wet season 100% MCP was 10.8 km2, and his 95% fixed kernel was 12.6 km2. In the dry season his 100% MCP home range was 5.7 km2 and the 95% fixed kernel home range was 8.9 km2. For females (n=4), mean wet season 100% MCP home range was 3.2 km2 and the mean 95% fixed kernel was 3.1 km2. The dry season mean 100% MCP was 3.0 km2 and the mean 95% fixed kernel was 3.2 km2. There is evidence of overall home range overlap between females but their 50% area had no overlap. Fishing cats used aquaculture areas and rice fields more frequently, than mangrove restoration areas, and coconut plantations, and human settlement and limestone hills were avoided. One animal used primarily mangrove vegetation (97% of all locations). Coconut plantation was a relatively rare vegetation type within the study area, but it was the most used habitat for one animal in the dry season. Of 16 cats originally collared, five died from confirmed poaching or retribution killing (31.3%), dead from unknown causes (n=6, 37.5%), unknown fate (n=3, 18.8%), and collar malfunction (n=2, 12.5%). Considering that fishing cats have been known to live to 10 years of age, the sample in this study sustained a relatively high mortality rate. Because poaching and retaliatory killing was the main cause of death, the most effective conservation effort for this species in coastal Thailand should focus on decreasing human-fishing cat conflict and poaching.Item Habitat use and reproductive success of waterbirds in the human-dominated landscape of North America’s prairies: Using sparse data to inform management(2018-05) Specht, HannahInformation needed to implement effective management strategies requires an understanding of where, when and how target species use habitats available to them to survive and reproduce. I used new approaches for field data collection and analysis for rare and cryptic species to improve understanding of how anthropogenic and natural habitat characteristics affect the habitat use and reproductive success of grassland waterbirds, to better inform management in North America’s Northern Great Plains. Using historical data on waterfowl age ratios at banding and a database of upland shorebird nest records, I identified spatial and temporal variation in upland nesting waterfowl and shorebird fecundity. Specifically, I found positive relationships between vole population irruptions and metrics of fecundity (age ratios and nest survival) in both upland nesting waterfowl and shorebirds, and that fecundity of both groups was tightly tied to wetland conditions; increases in wetland inundation improved dabbling duck fecundity and Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa) experienced higher fecundity in territories with greater wetland cover. Density dependent effects were mixed across species. I used occupancy surveys with behavioral indicators of brood presence to assess whether habitat use by conservation concern upland shorebirds and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) was altered by oil development in the Bakken oil field, using habitat suitability models to account for natural variation in habitat quality. I found reduced habitat use by breeding pairs and/or broods of all five studied species at sites with higher traffic and that Wilson’s phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) breeding pairs avoided habitat with higher well density. Using behavior to infer brood presence facilitated identifying effects of traffic on brood habitat use where data would otherwise have been too sparse. Finally, I present a new occupancy survey sampling design that improves estimates for rare species. Management for upland-nesting waterbirds should continue to prioritize maintaining the capacity of less permanent wetland basins to rehydrate and active patch management of grassland. Infrastructure and activity that impacts grassland wildlife should be concentrated within corridors on the landscape while conservation should be concentrated in spaces between development corridors.Item Karner Blue Butterfly: A Symbol of a Vanishing Landscape(Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, 1994) Andow, David A.; Baker, Richard J.; Lane, Cynthia P; Andow, D.A.; Baker, R.J.; Lane, C.P.Item Spatio-temporal Ecology of Forest Birds(2015-05) Grinde, AlexisMaintaining avian diversity in forest ecosystems have been shown to afford many benefits for forest health and productivity. However, alterations to the historical disturbance regimes within hemiboreal forests have impacted bird communities, and the ability of landscapes to meet the ecological needs of breeding forest birds has become a growing concern. As changes in forest landscapes continue, landscape effects may become increasingly important drivers of population dynamics for forest bird species. This dissertation includes a combination of experimental, theoretical, and applied research to assess the influence of habitat, landscape, community composition, and life history traits on population dynamics of forest birds. This research aids in identifying mechanisms associated with species population dynamics which is critical for understanding long term population trends and factors that contribute to species persistence and maintenance of biodiversity.