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Lally, Phillippa Jane. "Habitual behaviour and weight control." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2007. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1444914/.
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With obesity rates rising steadily in most parts of the world, there is considerable interest in novel weight loss interventions. This thesis tests the utility of habit formation theory for designing behaviour change advice for weight loss. Central to models of habit operation is the idea that habits develop through repetition of the behaviour in consistent contexts (Context Dependent Repetition CDR), but the process itself has attracted little research attention, and it has never been used as a basis for interventions. This thesis used CDR as the basis of a weight loss intervention and also examined the process of habit development for diet and activity behaviours. Study 1 was an eight week pilot study with ten participants who were given simple advice on developing diet and exercise habits associated with weight loss. Post-intervention interviews found evidence that some behaviours had acquired 'automaticity' - the hallmark of habits - and weight data showed an average 3kg weight loss. Study 2 extended the evaluation of the intervention in a randomised controlled trial of the habit-based advice compared with a no-treatment control group, incorporating standardised measures of automaticity. The results showed significantly greater weight loss in the intervention group, which was maintained over follow up. The recommended behaviours also became increasingly automatic. Study 3 tracked changes in automaticity over three months as volunteers repeated one eating or activity behaviour in a consistent context on a daily basis. The results showed that advice on CDR is sufficient to promote habit formation and supported the prediction that an asymptotic curve of increasing automaticity reflects a generalised habit-formation process. The average length of time to reach an asymptote was 70 days. This research has contributed to the understanding of habit formation and shown that it may be a useful foundation for simple, easily disseminable, weight loss interventions.
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Powell, Anna. "Investigating the molecular substrates of goal-directed and habitual behaviour." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2013. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/56823/.
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According to contemporary learning theory, instrumental actions are controlled, in a large part, by two dissociable systems. Whilst goal-directed actions are driven by an explicit awareness of an anticipated outcome, habitual responses are the product of previously reinforced associations between contextual stimuli and salient outcomes. Although experimental lesion studies and pathological disorders, such as drug addiction and Parkinson's disease, have advanced our knowledge of the brain circuitries important in the regulation of instrumental behaviour, we still do not have a full understanding of the executive mechanisms regulating the expression of these behaviours or the neural processes which underlie the shift from �exible goal-directed actions to stimulus-bound habits that occurs naturally following repeated practice. The present work focused speci�cally on the molecular mechanisms involved in this shift. The �rst experimental section, Chapter 3, established a protocol for modelling goal-directed and habitual instrumental responding in rats. Experiment 1 measured the sensitivity of lever press responding to changes in outcome value, as an index of goal-directed behaviour, in groups of rats sourced from either Charles River or Harlan. After three sessions of instrumental training, only rats sourced from Charles River and devalued in the same context that they were trained in, rather than in a di�erent context, reduced responding for a devalued outcome. Building on these �ndings, in Experiment 2 a separate group of rats, sourced from Charles River, was trained to level press over 10 sessions. In contrast to the �rst experiment, lever press responding at test in this group of animals was insensitive to outcome devaluation. These initial experiments demonstrated evidence consistent with a training-induced shift from goal-directed to habitual instrumental behaviour and were used to inform the design of a second set of experiments, described in Chapter 4, in which region-speci�c di�erences in gene expression were compared across groups of rats with di�erent levels of lever press experience. DNA microarray analysis of tissue samples from the dorsolateral (DLS) and posterior dorsomedial striatum (pDMS), using Rat Gene 2.0 ST A�ymetrix arrays, revealed both training group- and brain region-speci�c ef- fects. Evidence of a high proportion of non-linear regulation pro�les across the training groups was indicative of experience-dependent shifts in gene expression; further- more, the high degree of separation between the training-dependent expression pro�les of the DLS and pDMS points to the dynamic engagement of distinct, region-speci�c regulatory networks over the course of instrumental learning. The experiments presented in Chapter 5 went on to investigate the role of epigenetic mechanisms, speci�cally histone acetylation, in the regulation of instrumental behaviour by using the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate (NaB) to interfere with endogenous chromatin remodelling processes. The e�ects of systemic injections of NaB on the sensitivity of lever press behaviour to changes in outcome value were assessed in three separate studies, each designed to target a di�erent stage of learning. NaB had no e�ect on the acquisition or consolidation of goal-directed behaviour. However, after three sessions of training, the instrumental behaviour of animals receiving an injection of NaB prior to exticntion test was less sensitive to reinforcer devaluation relative to controls, suggesting that histone acetylation may be involved in the retrieval phase of instrumental learning. In an attempt to address some of the limitations of systemic drug administration, the �nal experimental chapter, Chapter 6, describes an initial exploratory investigation into the e�ects of administering NaB directly into the brain using a microinfusion protocol. Western blot analysis showed an increase in histone H4 acetylation in the mPFC following infusions of NaB targeting the infralimbic cortex. Behavioural data suggested that NaB may act to ameliorate some of the damaging e�ects of the infusion procedure, with NaB-treated animals showing enhanced sensitivity to outcome devaluation relative to controls. These preliminary data act as proof of principle for the development of a microinfusion protocol for studying the role of histone acetylation in instrumental learning and highlight a number of practical issues which will be addressed in ongoing work. Taken together the experiments presented in this thesis provide evidence for the existence of discrete gene expression changes associated with minimal or extended training regimes, and for highly speci�c e�ects of a systemically administered HDACi on components of instrumental behaviour. These data o�er new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of instrumental learning in rodents and provide a starting point for further investigations into the role that epigenetic processes may play in the neural plasticity underlying the transition from goal-directed to habitual behaviour.
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Lingawi, Nura. "The role of the amygdala central nucleus in habitual behaviour." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9883.
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The amygdala central nucleus (CeN) is a heterogeneous structure lying within the medial temporal lobe and is known to be involved in the processing and reacting to emotional events. Traditionally, the CeN has been the focus of research investigating aversive Pavlovian conditioning, specifically in the acquisition and expression of fear responses. Here, a series of experiments have been conducted to examine the role of the CeN in appetitive instrumental conditioning. Generally in this type of learning, behaviours are initially goal-directed and sensitive to the outcome value, but after a period of training, behaviours shift to being habitual. The role of the CeN in habitual control of instrumental actions was investigated in an overtraining-induced habit in rats. It was found that the anterior region of the CeN (aCeN) is critical for habit acquisition. Furthermore, experiments to investigate interactions of the aCeN and its efferent and afferent structures were also conducted. Using asymmetrical lesions to disconnect regions of interest, it was found that the aCeN interacts with both the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) and the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLAC) in habit acquisition in distinct and dissociable ways. These results are the first to implicate the CeN and its connection with the circuit involving the DLS and BLAC in habit learning. Furthermore, they imply that, in instrumental conditioning, regions of the amygdala parse the instrumental outcome into reward and reinforcement signals mediating goal-directed and habitual actions.
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Ucbasaran, Ayse Deniz. "Business ownership experience, entrepreneurial behaviour and performance : novice, habitual, serial and portfolio entrepreneurs." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2004. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/10380/.
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Recent media reports have drawn attention to entrepreneurs who have successfully owned several businesses. Entrepreneurs who have owned at least two businesses are known as 'habitual entrepreneurs'. However, not all habitual entrepreneurs are consistently successful. Further, studies show that habitual entrepreneurs are heterogeneous. A distinction has been made between portfolio entrepreneurs (i.e., those who own multiple businesses simultaneously) and serial entrepreneurs (i.e., those who have owned multiple businesses sequentially). It has been argued that to really understand entrepreneurship, there is a need to understand habitual entrepreneurs because they have been able to move down the experience curve with respect to the problems and processes of owning a business. If habitual entrepreneurs are distinct from other groups of entrepreneurs such as novice entrepreneurs (particularly in terms of superior performance), then there may be advantages associated with identifying their practices. Practitioners, such as providers of finance, can make sure that the qualities of habitual entrepreneurs are present in the entrepreneurs they choose to find. Policy-makers wanting to maximise the return on their investments may provide financial support to this group. In addition, guided by the knowledge of how habitual entrepreneurs behave, support can be directed to novice entrepreneurs to encourage best practice. In this study, the theoretical rationale for distinguishing between these groups is provided using human capital theory. Business ownership experience is viewed as one component of an entrepreneur's specific human capital. In particular, it is argued that as a result of their experience, habitual entrepreneurs may have had an opportunity to develop other aspects of their human capital to a greater extent than novice entrepreneurs. Consequently, one objective of the thesis was to identify differences in the human capital profile of habitual and novice entrepreneurs. The results of the study show that while similarities exist, habitual entrepreneurs display different human capital characteristics than novice entrepreneurs. Further, portfolio entrepreneurs also display different human capital characteristics than serial entrepreneurs. The thesis also explored the relationship between business ownership experience and entrepreneurial behaviour as well as performance. The evidence indicates that habitual entrepreneurs do not search for more information than novice entrepreneurs but they do use different sources of information. Further, habitual entrepreneurs (in particular portfolio entrepreneurs) identify and pursue a significantly greater number of opportunities in a given period. Using a variety of entrepreneur and firm-level performance measures, habitual entrepreneurs do not out-perform their novice counterparts. Interestingly, neither those habitual entrepreneur-s who had been consistently successful, nor those who had previously failed, report superior performance to novice entrepreneurs. On the basis of the findings presented in this study, a number of policy suggestions can be made. Unfortunately, as no particular group of entrepreneur was associated with superior performance, the recommendation than financial support be targeted to a certain group could not be made. However, given relationships between other aspects of human capital and performance, some suggestions for support, particularly in terms of training are offered. Given identified differences in the human capital and behavioural profile of novice, habitual, serial and portfolio entrepreneurs, a case for tailored support is made.
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Molnar, Petra. "Tracing prehistoric activitiy : life ways, habitual behaviour and health of hunter-gatherers on Gotland /." Stockholm : Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-8136.
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Farrell, A. Ellen. "Motivations, behaviour and cognition of novice and habitual business angels in new firm incorporations." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2005. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11361/.
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Re-investment is vital to the business angel "industry" because re-investing angels endorse a greater number of entrepreneurs and invest more funds than non-reinvesting angels. In this exploratory empirical analysis, the appraisal qualities of business angels are examined relative to their impact on producing successful investments as well as their impact upon re-investment. The three appraisal qualities investigated are business angels' motivations, their deal generation behaviours and the cognitive heuristics of overconfidence and representativeness. The analysis is based on the information model of the existence of the formal venture capital industry. A typology of business angels is introduced based on 1) their intentions to re-invest and 2) their exit status at re-investment. Business angels who have re-invested are classified as habitual angels. A novel data set reveals information about angels' first to fourth investments that allows for comparability between novice and habitual angels' first investments. The data set is randomly sampled from a known population of newly incorporated firms on the east coast of Canada producing a more representative sample than other business angel studies. Six in-depth case studies add to the findings. The findings indicate that financial motivations, intermediated deal generation and under-confidence are associated with financially successful informal venture capital investments. However, compared to novice angels, the representative sample of habitual angels eschew financial motivations and intermediation, and are characterised by overconfidence at the level of their first investment. Habitual angels demonstrate some qualities that indicate they learn with subsequent investments. Implications for policy makers, business angels and entrepreneurs are included.
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Molnar, Petra. "Tracing prehistoric activitities : life ways, habitual behaviour and health of hunter-gatherers on Gotland /." Stockholm : Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-8136.
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Potthoff, Sebastian. "Making good quality care habitual : an exploration of the concept habit in relation to healthcare professional behaviour." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3954.
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Translating evidence-based guidance into practice involves healthcare professionals (HCPs) adopting new, and changing existing behaviours. Implementation research typically focuses on the reflective process that underlies HCPs’ behaviour, however there is a growing interest in the role that impulsive processes such as habit have on behaviour. Habit can be defined as a learned tendency to perform a behaviour automatically in response to a specific cue. This thesis presents four studies investigating how a habit perspective can contribute to understanding HCPs’ behaviour. Chapter 1 describes how a greater consideration of habit in the implementation literature could contribute to the field. Chapter 2 presents theory-based interviews conducted with HCPs who piloted a new self-management tool for diabetes. The study showed how HCPs formed a new habit of using the tool and how electronic reminders facilitated this process by promoting behavioural repetition. Chapter 3 describes a randomised controlled trial that aimed to test whether a planning intervention (using action- and coping planning) would be effective in supporting HCPs with habit change. While the study did not reach recruitment targets, it provided some first insights regarding the feasibility of using a planning intervention to support HCP behaviour change. Chapter 4 presents a secondary analysis of a large national data set, which found that the relationship between planning (action and coping planning) and six guideline-recommended behaviours operated indirectly on HCP behaviour via habit. Finally, Chapter 5 describes a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the association between habit and HCPs’ behaviour and showed that habit plays a significant role in predicting clinical behaviours. This thesis supports the consideration of habit when predicting HCPs’ behaviour and suggests that the use of conditional planning interventions may offer a feasible approach to support HCPs with creating and breaking habit.
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Kam, Wai-keung, and 甘偉強. "Health behaviour, habitual physical activity and health related fitness level of pre-service student teachers in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2000. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31960947.
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Kam, Wai-keung. "Health behaviour, habitual physical activity and health related fitness level of pre-service student teachers in Hong Kong." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2000. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B22291945.
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Wu, Burton. "New variational Bayesian approaches for statistical data mining : with applications to profiling and differentiating habitual consumption behaviour of customers in the wireless telecommunication industry." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2011. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/46084/1/Burton_Wu_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis investigates profiling and differentiating customers through the use of statistical data mining techniques. The business application of our work centres on examining individuals’ seldomly studied yet critical consumption behaviour over an extensive time period within the context of the wireless telecommunication industry; consumption behaviour (as oppose to purchasing behaviour) is behaviour that has been performed so frequently that it become habitual and involves minimal intentions or decision making. Key variables investigated are the activity initialised timestamp and cell tower location as well as the activity type and usage quantity (e.g., voice call with duration in seconds); and the research focuses are on customers’ spatial and temporal usage behaviour. The main methodological emphasis is on the development of clustering models based on Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) which are fitted with the use of the recently developed variational Bayesian (VB) method. VB is an efficient deterministic alternative to the popular but computationally demandingMarkov chainMonte Carlo (MCMC) methods. The standard VBGMMalgorithm is extended by allowing component splitting such that it is robust to initial parameter choices and can automatically and efficiently determine the number of components. The new algorithm we propose allows more effective modelling of individuals’ highly heterogeneous and spiky spatial usage behaviour, or more generally human mobility patterns; the term spiky describes data patterns with large areas of low probability mixed with small areas of high probability. Customers are then characterised and segmented based on the fitted GMM which corresponds to how each of them uses the products/services spatially in their daily lives; this is essentially their likely lifestyle and occupational traits. Other significant research contributions include fitting GMMs using VB to circular data i.e., the temporal usage behaviour, and developing clustering algorithms suitable for high dimensional data based on the use of VB-GMM.
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Wafa, Sharifah Wajihah. "Randomised controlled trial of a good practice approach to treatment of childhood obesity and health-related quality of life and habitual physical activity and sedentary behaviour of obese children in Malaysia." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2012. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3786/.
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Childhood obesity is a leading global public health issue. Chapter One of this thesis is a literature review of the evidence concerning the issue of childhood obesity and its management. The literature review describes this issue in terms of national and international prevalence and trends, health consequences and determinants. The literature review examines the evidence to guide effective management of childhood obesity. The role of parents in the management of childhood obesity has been identified as a promising area of research and specific attention is given to this issue. This thesis examined the effect of a family-based behavioural treatment programme for obesity in 7-11 year olds (The Malaysian Childhood Obesity Treatment (MASCOT) Study). The intervention is presented in Chapter Two. Families of obese 7-11 year olds in Kuala Lumpur were randomised to either an intervention (treatment) or control (no treatment) group. The sample was characterised by BMI z-score, health related quality of life reported by participants and their parents (PedsQL questionnaire) and objectively measured habitual physical activity and sedentary behaviour (Actigraph accelerometry). The intervention was delivered over a six month period and between group differences in changes over the six month period were examined at this time point. The sample size (n=107) was calculated as sufficient to detect an estimated difference in the reduction in BMI z-score of-0.25 in over six months between groups and the SD of the change in BMI z-score of 0.21, allowing for dropout (and with power=90%, significance=95%). The primary outcome was change in BMI z-score. This chapter also describes how the MASCOT treatment programme developed, and describes its content. The Malaysian Childhood Obesity Treatment Trial (MASCOT) was a single-blind RCT of a dietetic treatment for childhood obesity in children of primary school age (7 to11 years old) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The MASCOT comprising eight sessions, of an 8-hour family-centred group treatment programme is described, based on behavioural change techniques, covering topics on nutrition, physical activity and sedentary as well as parenting skills. All information was directed to parents, the main agent of change in which they were responsible for initiating and maintaining healthy lifestyle changes with their families. Outcomes were recorded at baseline and six months, consisting of primary outcome indicators (body mass index (BMI) z-score) and secondary outcome indicators (weight changes, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and, habitual physical activity and sedentary behaviour) (Chapter Three). Analysis of the primary outcome found no significant group differences at the six month time point for BMI z-score (intervention: 0.0 (0.7) vs control: 0.1 (0.5), p=0.79). There were significant differences between the groups in favour of the intervention group in weight changes (intervention: 1.7(2.5) vs control: 3.5(2.0), p<0.001) and total parent score for HRQoL (intervention: 4.2(15.5) vs control -3.8(19.3), p<0.05). This thesis also reports complementary studies that examined: · the quality of life of obese children compared to pair-matched controls of healthy weight (Chapter Four) and · the physical activity levels and sedentary behaviour of obese children in the MASCOT study versus healthy weight children (Chapter Five) The study of quality of life (Chapter Four) found significant impairment in all HRQoL dimensions (Total score, Physical Health, Psychosocial Health) in the obese children compared to healthy weight children (p<0.001, respectively). In Chapter Five it was shown that obese children spent more time in sedentary behavior (intervention: 90.2% vs control: 87.5%, p<0.001) and less time in MVPA (intervention: 0.7% vs control: 1.2%, p<0.001) compared to healthy weight children. Chapter Six concludes the thesis by summarising its results and highlighting how they have contributed to the evidence base. Study strengths and limitations are described and those weaknesses would be improved by suggesting a few changes in the MASCOT programme for future research.
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Knight, Susan J. "Characterizing the habitual dimension of consumer behavior the formation and persistence of habitual behavior patterns /." Full text available online (restricted access), 1999. http://images.lib.monash.edu.au/ts/theses/Knight.pdf.
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Fisher, Naomi Ruth. "The relationship between mindfulness, emotion regulation, habitual thinking and eating behaviours." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2014. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/4583/.
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Evidence regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for health-related eating behaviours is emerging. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. This thesis presents findings from a series of studies examining the role of two potential mechanisms; extending research into the role of emotion regulation and is the first known research to examine the role of mental habit. A mixed method approach was used to increase understanding about relations between mindfulness (dispositional, experimentally manipulated, and cultivated through practice) and reward motivated eating (RME; uncontrolled and emotional). Chapters one and two provide a review of current literature. Chapter three presents findings from an initial online study in which mediation analyses support the proposition that difficulties in emotion regulation and habitual negative self-thinking are underlying mechanisms in relations between dispositional mindfulness and RME. In addition, participants who engaged in mindfulness meditation reported greater dispositional mindfulness, fewer difficulties in emotion regulation, less habitual negative self-thinking, and uncontrolled or emotional eating. The second study examined mindful induction scripts, a necessary and novel step in clarifying and increasing transparency in the attribution of effects evidenced in experimental settings. The analysis and resultant components informed the development of a Mindful Attention Induction (MAI) used in study three to examine the influence of an MAI on hedonic reactivity to the properties of food. Subjective hunger decreased and fullness increased for the mindfulness group compared to the control group indicating that mindful attention to properties of food can reduce hedonic reactivity, however, the effects were short lived. Importantly, food intake was significantly greater for the control group compared to the mindful group despite, by that point, no subjective differences in craving or appetitive measures. The findings illustrate how a mindful approach cultivated through mindful mediation may influence behavioural change without reliance on translation of intentions into actions. The final study piloted the Mindful Eating Programme, a synthesis of the findings and methods of studies 1-3. Qualitative analyses provides a picture of the process of change, which was often attributed to increased awareness of antecedents to undesired eating tendencies, noticing in the present moment and use of mindfulness practices as a tool to realise change.
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Lu, Tai-Hung. "A Guideline for Designing Habitual and Persuasive Systems." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1505131366776192.
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Pavey, T. G. "The relationship between children's psychological well-being, habitual physical activity, and sedentary behaviours." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/91901.
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Well-being incorporates psychological, social and moral development, the capacity to enter into and sustain satisfying relationships and limit distress and maladaptive behaviour. The benefits of physical activity and dangers of a sedentary lifestyle to health outcomes, e.g. cardio-vascular disease, obesity, diabetes and psychological well-being are well documented children. Due to methodological and measurement problems, research addressing the relationship between psychological well-being and physical activity are inconsistent and weak. This series of studies aimed to overcome the problems of previous research and investigated the relationship between children’s psychological well-being and habitual physical activity. Previous research has highlighted an association between children’s physical activity and individual psychological well-being constructs. However, Masse et al. (1998) argued that psychological well-being should contain the measurement of both positive (e.g. self-esteem) and negative (e.g. depression) psychological states. Subsequently, Parfitt and Eston (2005) identified an association between children’s total physical activity and psychological well-being (anxiety, depression, self-esteem). Limitations of previous studies include the type of physical activity measures used and the measurement of only global self-esteem, which itself is multidimensional. The purpose of this research was to extend and expand on the limitations of the Parfitt and Eston’s (2005) study. Psychological measures included both global, domain and sub-domain measurements of self-esteem, with accelerometry providing estimates of total daily physical activity and time spent in sedentary through to vigorous intensity activity. Study One assessed relationships between psychological well-being and physical activity using the same psychological constructs as Parfitt and Eston (2005), but with physical activity intensity included. Results highlighted an association between self-esteem and time spent in very light activity. Study Two assessed the current data’s applicability with the proposed models and theories related to self-esteem. It was concluded that the current data provided an adequate fit with the proposed models and theories of self-esteem. Study Three introduced the domain and sub-domain constructs of self-esteem and a more valid measure of physical activity. Results highlighted associations at the global, domain and sub-domain levels with predominately time spent in very light and vigorous intensity activity. Very light intensity activity was associated with negative effects while vigorous intensity activity was associated with positive effects. It was hypothesised that if these cross-sectional relationships also existed longitudinally, then an intervention study changing the time children spend in very light and vigorous intensity activity may be beneficial to children’s psychological health. With the relationship between children’s psychological well-being and physical activity clearly highlighted, Study Four assessed the direction of this relationship and aimed to inform a potential intervention study. Longitudinal data were collected over a 12-month period and multi-level modelling was used to analyse the direction of the relationship. Results highlighted a potential indirect effect of time accumulated in very light and vigorous intensity activity on psychological well-being, which reinforced the previous cross-sectional studies. Furthermore, a reciprocal effect was identified between physical activity and the physical self-worth domain. It was concluded that interventions decreasing time spent in very light and increasing vigorous intensity activity may be beneficial to children’s psychological well-being. Study Five aimed to have an impact on children’s psychological well-being, by reducing the time children spent in very light intensity activity, through an increase in daily step counts. Although the intervention decreased the time children spent in sedentary behaviour, there was no influence on psychological well-being. However, there were several methodological limitations that affected the intervention, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn from this study, including a small sample size providing available data for analysis. The results of this thesis show a relationship between children’s psychological well-being and habitual physical activity intensity exists. Further research manipulating the time children accumulate in very light (reduction) and vigorous (increase) intensity activity, can potentially impact positively on the psychological well-being of a normal population of children.
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PAGET, BLANC VINCENT. "Investigating the molecular basis of the shift from goal-directed to habitual behavior." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Genova, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11567/931913.
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According to current theories, actions are controlled by the balance between two dissociable processes acquired during learning. The flexible, goal-directed control of behavior, which is dependent on the causal relationship between the action and its outcome (A-O) and the automatic and inflexible habitual behavior that is insensitive to changes in A-O contingencies. The amount of training critically defines which cognitive process determines action control. Whilst at early stages behavior is goal-directed; with repeated practice behavior gradually becomes automatic and habitual. Lesion studies in rodents have identified two striatal sub-region that are at least partially responsible for the expression of goal directed and habitual behaviour, the dorso-medial (DMS) and dorso-lateral striatum (DLS) respectively. Within these structures striatal projection neurons integrate cortical glutamatergic signals and midbrain dopaminergic information through multiple post-synaptic receptors to shape synaptic plasticity and action output. Amongst which, the group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1/5s) are ideally placed, integrating glutamatergic signals into cellular responses and regulating pre-synaptic glutamate release through endocannabinoids production. We found that in mice subjected to different training regimes of instrumental conditioning of nose poke for food reward, which promote either goal-directed (short-training) or habitual behavior (over-training), the inability of reverting A-O contingency after over-training was associated with a lack of activation of signalling cascades downstream mGluR1/5s. Preventing in-vivo the activation of mGluR5 during training, in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), restored behavioral sensitivity to changes in A-O contingencies and averted biochemical changes. By using super resolution microscopy (STORM) and electrophysiology on ex-vivo brain slices, we also found that the capability of updating changes in A-O association is associated with a nanoscale reorganization of molecular components of the mGlur5-endocannabinoid (eCB) signalling and enhanced eCB-mediated LTD in goal-directed but not habitual mice.
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Kruitbos, Laura Marina. "Influence of habitat on the behaviour of entomopathogenic nematodes." Thesis, Available from the University of Aberdeen Library and Historic Collections Digital Resources, 2009. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIGITOOL-3&owner=resourcediscovery&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=25963.
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Alexandre, Nicolas M. "Insect Behavior Determines Plant Distribution in Alpine Habitat." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/594954.
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Specialist leaf-mining fly Scaptomyza nigrita is a major herbivore of its host plant Cardamine cordifolia. Host plants are found along a gradient from sun-exposed bog to deep spruce shade habitat where herbivory decreases as shade increases. Prior studies have failed to support the hypothesis that plant quality determines plant distribution. A series of outdoor cage experiments utilizing a factorial design tested whether herbivore choice may instead drive plant distribution. It was found that adult female S. nigrita exhibited a significant preference for feeding and ovipositing on C. cordifolia leaves exposed to light, regardless of habitat origin of plant, leaf width, or presence of prior herbivore damage. This study does not support the phytocentric explanation that host plant distribution is determined by herbivore preference for plants based on their quality. My findings instead support the hypothesis that herbivores drive plant distributions into the shade by creating enemy-free space for host plants through their preference for light.
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Gustafsson, Jennie Frida Linn. "Thermoregulating behavior and habitat use of Liolaemus aparicioi." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Biologi, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-120411.
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The thermoregulation of lizards depends highly on the environment they inhabit. Thermoregulation is crucial for physiological processes and affects therefore the life history of the lizard. High altitudes are characterized by a colder climate than on lower altitudes, and these environmental factors affects the thermoregulation of lizards. Lizards can however adapt to colder climates by adjusting their physiology and/or behavior. In this study two populations of Liolaemus aparicioi, an endemic lizard inhabiting the valleys close to La Paz, were observed at two different altitudes to investigate any differences in behavior or habitat use that could compensate for the high altitude. The behavioral displays associated to thermoregulation and the use of habitat were recorded in order to assess how they allocated their time and how they used the habitat available. The mean values of most parameters measured indicated that the population on the high altitude do compensate for the high altitude by behavior and habitat use.
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Go, Moe. "Ranging behavior and habitat use of cercopithecine monkeys." 京都大学 (Kyoto University), 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/120712.
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Osinubi, Samuel Temidayo. "Habitat Effect on the Behaviour and Condition of the Yellow-breasted Boubou (Laniarius atroflavus)." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Biological Sciences, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/6495.
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This project was aimed at investigating behaviour and condition of the Yellow-breasted Boubou, Laniarius atroflavus, in response to habitat differences across core, edge and riparian Afro-montane forest habitats at the Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve, Nigeria. This species is little known and conservation effort will require direction in identifying the habitat of best quality for their survival. The determination of habitat association using correspondence analysis of census data suggested strongest association with the riparian habitat, even though this habitat held the least overall avian biodiversity as determined from a modified Shannon index. L. atroflavus appeared not to hold territories in the core habitat. Territoriality, vocalisation and time budget showed trends indicating L. atroflavus were more abundant and fared better in the riparian habitat. In this habitat, there was a greater density of territories and a smaller mean territory size, better call quality in frequency bandwidth and duration, and increased displaying and foraging time in the riparian habitat. Difference in size, colour and growth-based measures of condition showed difference between sexes, but did not show a strong habitat effect – males were larger than females, yet females appeared to have better quality of yellow breast feathers for equal carotenoid concentration. The effect of nest predation risk as a predictor of habitat quality revealed nests in the riparian habitat had the greatest daily survival probability, and within this habitat nests established at lower heights survived longest. While the evidence pointed towards the riparian habitat being most suitable for L. atroflavus, this habitat sadly continues to suffer anthropogenic disturbance and this species’ IUCN listing as Least Concern was suspected be an over-estimation.
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Collett, Matthew. "Influences of resource distribution on ecology and behaviour." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.300135.
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Lindsell, Jeremy A. "Ranging behaviour and habitat selection in the Scaly-breasted Illadopsis." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.393380.
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Bodsworth, Edward James. "Dispersal and behaviour of butterflies in response to their habitat." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.410583.
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Rangeley, Robert W. (Robert William). "Habitat selection in juvenile pollock, Pollachius virens : behavioural responses to changing habitat availability." Thesis, McGill University, 1994. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=28648.
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This thesis demonstrates how tidal changes in the availability of intertidal zone habitats can affect the distribution and behaviour of juvenile pollock (Pollachius virens). Schools of pollock moved from the subtidal zone to the open habitat in the intertidal zone. On rising tides, pollock switched from the open habitat at low tidal stages to the dense algal habitat at high tidal stages. On falling tides, pollock rapidly schooled downshore in the open habitat. Pollock were rarely solitary in the open habitat and usually formed large schools. In the algal habitats, pollock were usually dispersed and preferred the dense algae over the sparse algae. Predation risk from birds was widely distributed among depths, habitats and stages of the tide, during the day. In a mesocosm experiment, pollock increased their use of the algal habitat and were more difficult to detect following a simulated bird predator threat. Preference for the algal habitat was density-dependent when either pollock abundance or algal habitat area were manipulated. Pollock responded to their potentially high density in the algae by schooling in the open habitat.
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Hall, Anna Marie. "Foraging behaviour and reproductive season habitat selection of northeast pacific porpoises." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/37218.
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Behavioural observations are fundamental to understanding and defining the habitat needs of animals. I compiled the behavioural repertoires reported for harbour (Phocoena phocoena) and Dall’s porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) by classifying the life processes of phocoenids into 12 descriptive categories. This range-wide review revealed complex sexual and social behaviours, similar foraging behaviours and breeding site fidelity, as well as differences in habitat selection between these two northern hemisphere species. I also conducted a fine-scale field study of harbour porpoise foraging behaviour at two sites in Juan de Fuca Strait (British Columbia) using point transect survey data (2007–2008), and platforms of opportunity data (1995–1996, 1998–2008) to determine the physical conditions under which harbour porpoise foraged and the extent to which they displayed specialised behaviours. I examined harbour porpoise presence, density and group sizes relative to tidal currents, tidal variation, lunar phase, lunar position, solar position, diurnality, seasonality and presence of conspecifics—and found that greater numbers of harbour porpoise occurred on the ebb current during the spring tides. Numbers of porpoise increased three-fold between April and October, when calves and high-energy behaviours were also more prevalent. To identify porpoise breeding habitat in the inland waters of southern British Columbia and northwestern Washington, I used systematically and opportunistically collected sightings of harbour and Dall’s porpoise (1991–2008), and compared group sizes and frequency of occurrences for both species relative to bathymetry and tidal speeds. Overall, I found that both species selected bathymetrically differentiated habitats that were characterized by high rates of tidal mixing (with harbour porpoise preferring regions ≤100 m, and Dall’s porpoise preferring 151 – 250 m). Spatial analysis identified two separate areas that may be species-specific breeding habitats—the first to be identified for either species in this region. In summary, harbour porpoise maintained stable group sizes and used tidally well-mixed foraging sites on a temporary but predictable basis. Dall’s porpoise were associated with these same areas, but habitat partitioning associated with differences in bathymetry occurred in important breeding areas that may account for the coastal parapatric distribution of these two high trophic level predators.
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Collings, Paul James. "Associations between objectively-measured habitual physical activity, sedentary time, sleep duration and adiposity in UK children and adolescents." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2015. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.709067.
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Battersby, Jessamy E. "A comparison of the roost ecology of the brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus and the serotine bat Eptesicus serotinus." Thesis, University of Sussex, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.324223.
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Gent, A. H. "Movement and dispersion of the smooth snake Coronella austriaca Laurenti in relation to habitat." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.234378.
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Mrykalo, Robert. "The Florida Burrowing Owl in a Rural Environment: Breeding Habitat, Dispersal, PostBreeding Habitat, Behavior, and Diet." Scholar Commons, 2005. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/779.
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The first observations of Florida burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia floridana) occurred in the 19th century on historical dry prairie habitat in south central Florida. These early observations documented the ecology of burrowing owls in rural environments. Since then the vast majority of research on this subspecies has been undertaken in suburban and urban environments during the breeding period. The research undertaken on burrowing owls in suburban and urban environments includes determining natal dispersal distance, assessing female fecundity, mate fidelity, territory fidelity, date of juvenile and adult dispersal from breeding habitat, date of clutch initiation, nesting success, density of breeding pairs, causes of mortality, prey preference, and minimum annual survival of fledglings, juveniles, and adults. Very little research has been undertaken on burrowing owls in rural environments.
The purpose of this thesis was to elucidate the behavior and ecology of burrowing owls in a rural environment. The topics researched in this thesis include home range in breeding habitat, dispersal distance to post-breeding habitat, location of post-breeding habitat, behavior during the breeding period, diet of rural versus urban owls, and the evaluation of three methods to trap burrowing owls.
The results of this thesis indicate that, during the daytime, juvenile burrowing owls utilized habitat very close to the main and satellite burrows during the breeding period. At night juvenile owls foraged in an extensive saw palmetto patch surrounding the breeding habitat. The predominant prey of both rural and urban burrowing owls during the breeding period was insects. Dispersal of juvenile burrowing owls from breeding habitat coincided with the flooding of the breeding habitat during the rainy season.
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Evans, Andrew David. "Individual differences in foraging behaviour, habitat selection and bill morphology of wintering curlew, Numenius arquata." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/14801.
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Keeling, Jonathan Giles Matthew. "Ecological determinants of muntjac deer Muntiacus reevesi behaviour." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.296650.
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Gauthier, Remi. "A method of quantifying variations in runway utilization by five species of rodents /." Thesis, McGill University, 1986. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=65451.
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Fedy, Bradley Craig. "Population genetics and habitat selection behaviour of Vancouver Island white-tailed ptarmigan." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/30864.
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I examined the habitat selection behaviour arid compared regional variation in population
performance of a threatened alpine grouse subspecies, the Vancouver Island white-tailed
ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura saxatilis). I also examined the genetic population structure and
levels of gene flow among 7 populations of white-tailed ptarmigan on Vancouver Island, British
Columbia. Population performance was compared between 2 distinct mountain areas of
Vancouver Island. The southern region was a more fragmented landscape with smaller isolated
alpine patches compared to the more continuous central region of the island. The habitat
selection modelling revealed that, unlike other white-tailed ptarmigan subspecies, Vancouver
Island white-tailed ptarmigan use a generalist strategy for habitat selection. Individuals
preferred areas with a combination of predator cover, food availability and high moisture. The
analysis of population performance showed that populations in the central region of the island
outperform southern populations. This difference could result from moisture levels which are
lower in the southern portion of the island, but likely is not influenced by food abundance
during the brood rearing period. I presented data on microsatellite primer optimization and
described generalized heterozygote deficiencies and high levels of diversity in Vancouver Island
populations. All 7 populations demonstrated high levels of diversity (mean H[sub E] = 0.78)
combined with high F[sub IS] values (0.22) and significant heterozygote deficiencies. The apparent
paradox of high diversity combined with high F[sub IS] and generalized heterozygote deficiencies are
best explained by two scenarios. First, sampling may have captured a snapshot of a group of
populations progressing towards severe isolation. This scenario suggests that significant
geographic isolation between populations has existed long enough for the increase of inbreeding
but not long enough for drift to result in strong population differentiation and a corresponding
decrease in diversity. The second scenario evokes a pattern of infrequent dispersal between
populations sufficient to maintain high levels of diversity, combined with low densities and
limited mate choice resulting in the relatively quick accumulation of homozygosity levels within
populations. I addressed patterns of dispersal using genetic data and direct measures by
following the inter-seasonal movements of radio-collared birds. The results showed low, but
significant, genetic differentiation between most populations and direct and genetic estimates of
dispersal suggested limited gene flow among populations. Analysis of molecular data also
demonstrated a generally consistent pattern of isolation-by-distance. However, large areas of
unsuitable low elevation habitat might act as barriers to gene flow. The levels of isolation and
lack of gene flow imply serious conservation concern for the most southern population.Forestry, Faculty of
Graduate
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Manley, Irene A. "Behaviour and habitat selection of Marbled Murrelets nesting on the Sunshine Coast." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape7/PQDD_0022/MQ51408.pdf.
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Arlt, Debora. "Habitat selection : demography and individual decisions /." Uppsala : Dept. of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2007. http://epsilon.slu.se/200717.pdf.
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Mrykalo, Robert. "The florida burrowing owl in a rural environment breeding habitat, dispersal, post-breeding habitat, behavior, and diet /." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2005. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0001102.
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Holm, Jessica Lynn. "The ecology of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in deciduous woodlands." Thesis, Royal Holloway, University of London, 1990. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.360992.
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Rowcliffe, J. Marcus. "The population ecology of brent geese and their food plants." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.365866.
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Amidon, Frederick A. "Habitat Relationships and Life History of the Rota Bridled White-eye (Zosterops rotensis)." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/35991.
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The Rota bridled white-eye (Zosterops rotensis)(Aves, Passeriformes) has experienced a severe population decline and range restriction over the last four decades. Little is known about this species and factors involved in the decline and range restriction are unclear. This study examined the potential roles of habitat alteration, introduced black drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus), and introduced rats in the decline and gathered more information on the behavior and breeding biology of this species. New life history data were collected and Rota and Saipan bridled white-eyes were found to differ in nest site characteristics and some behaviors. The importance of habitat alteration was assessed by examining Rota bridled white-eye habitat relationships at the microhabitat, within-range, Sabana-wide, and island-wide levels. Rota bridled white-eyes show a preference for high elevation wet forest but what drives their distribution within their current range was unclear. However, the alteration of this forest type by supertyphoon Roy in 1988 was probably the major factor in the decline of Rota BWEs between 1982 and 1996. Black drongo and Rota bridled white-eye relationships were addressed using current and historical survey data. Black drongos were found to prey on Rota bridled white-eyes but they probably only played at most a partial role in the decline of the Rota bridled white-eye. Introduced rats densities were assessed in Rota bridled white-eye areas and on other areas of the island and no evidence for rat numbers limiting Rota bridled white-eyes to their current range was found.Master of Science
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Schnidrig-Petrig, Reinhard. "Modern Icarus in wildlife habitat : effects of paragliding on behaviour, habitat use and body condition of chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) /." [S.l.] : [s.n.], 1994. http://www.ub.unibe.ch/content/bibliotheken_sammlungen/sondersammlungen/dissen_bestellformular/index_ger.html.
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Coleman, John Samuel. "Home range, habitat use, behavior, and morphology of the Gettysburg vultures." Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/56186.
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I investigated several aspects of black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) ecology in southcentral Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. Black and turkey vultures did not move randomly over the study area but remained within large (X̅ = 15,993 and 62,953 ha respectively) home ranges. Ninety five percent of radioed vulture activity was within 15 km of the location at which the birds were trapped. Although home range size was not different between species, turkey vultures had greater variation in home range size. Within home ranges, while perched or roosting, vultures preferred forests and undeveloped areas and avoided cropland and urban areas. Nesting vultures only used caves within forested diabase rock formations. While feeding, birds preferred pasture and cropland and avoided forest and urban areas. Farm carrion was an important food resource for both species. Black vultures fed more on carrion greater than 15 kg in size than did turkey vultures. In winter vultures fed sooner after sunrise than in summer. Black and turkey vultures began laying eggs in mid-March and mid-April respectively. Nestling growth rates were higher for turkey vultures than for black vultures. Productivity as calculated by the Mayfield method was 0.73 and 0.42 young per active nest for black and turkey vultures respectively. Planned vegetation and road changes on Gettysburg National Military Park could affect the populations. Residential development outside the Park has had and will continue to have detrimental impacts on nesting habitat.Master of Science
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Hastie, Gordon Drummond. "Fine-scale aspects of habitat use and behaviour by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2000. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk/R?func=search-advanced-go&find_code1=WSN&request1=AAIU145531.
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This study explored habitat use and behaviour in a population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) within the Moray Firth, Scotland between 1997 and 1999. The spatial patterns of use and the surface and diving behaviour of dolphins were studied with respect to key habitat variables in an intensively used region within the populations range. This is a relatively small, coastal channel that is topographically variable in relation to surrounding waters. The study describes the development and application of a land-based technique to study the fine-scale spatial distribution of dolphins and showed that their distribution was significantly related to water depth and the gradient of the seabed; dolphins were sighted most frequently in the deepest regions with the steepest seabed slopes. There was a clear monthly pattern in the use of the area between May and September with sighting frequency peaking during July. The presence of dolphins was not, however, significantly related to tidal or diurnal cycles. Using passive acoustic localisation techniques, the diving behaviour of dolphins was studied and showed that, within the deepest regions of the study area, dolphins used the full water column and consistently dived to depths of around 50 metres, close to the seabed. However the majority of their time appeared to be spent within the surface layers of the water column. In addition, by localising calls that have been associated with feeding (Janik, 2000), it appeared that certain forms of feeding behaviour occurred primarily at depths of between 30 and 40 metres.
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Bevier, Landon Shane. "Marijuana Users in Their Own Words: Explaining the Continuation and Cessation of Habitual Marijuana Use." TopSCHOLAR®, 2009. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/73.
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Lopez-Marcano, Sebastian E. "Measuring cross-habitat movements among habitat hotspots of fish with artificial intelligence." Thesis, Griffith University, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/414922.
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Connectivity, defined as the movement of individuals among populations or habitats, is a crucial ecological process that underpins the function of ecosystems. Animal movements promote a wide array of ecological outcomes, from genetic diversity to ecosystem recovery after disturbance. Therefore, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the capabilities, scale, frequency, and locations of animal movements. In aquatic ecosystems, obtaining and analysing movement data is challenging because constantly changing environmental conditions hamper the use of traditional frameworks and methods. The study of animal movement in dynamic aquatic ecosystems also requires large volumes of data because animal movements cover different magnitudes, directions, and spatial levels of ecological organisation. As a result, new data collection and processing technologies are being developed to increase our understanding of this complex ecological process. Among new technologies, computer vision, machine learning and deep learning have received increased attention for their robust capabilities for rapidly processing large volumes of underwater imagery. Computer vision (CV) techniques are particularly suited to animal movement research because they can capture and process large amounts of raw data from underwater imagery. Despite their potential, CV techniques are only now beginning to be assessed in studies of aquatic animal movement, and their integration with appropriate statistical frameworks for behavioural analyses is required. In this thesis, I aim to identify, develop and apply CV techniques to measure animal movement in aquatic ecosystems. The focus is on measuring fish movements in connectivity corridors in estuarine systems. Fish movement research provides fundamental information about fisheries stocks, the status of protected areas, and the impact of habitat loss. Connectivity corridors are hotspots of fish migration, colonisation, feeding and reproduction. Yet much of fish behaviour in aquatic ecosystems remains hard to observe and timeconsuming to document manually. Connectivity corridors are a challenging but useful case study to test novel computer vision techniques for tracking fish. I first explored the current uses of CV techniques in fish movement studies and identified the benefits of CV for fish movement research. While the uptake of CV in fish movement studies has been slow, CV techniques provide two key benefits: 1) rapid, accurate and reliable datasets and 2) complementary information with traditional data collection techniques. Then, I developed a CV pipeline that automatically detects and tracks fish from underwater imagery. The pipeline has an 84% accuracy at detecting and subsequently tracking fish and provides large, raw movement datasets useful for ecological insight. To translate the raw movement data into behavioural events, I developed a new methodology for applying structural equation models to infer latent behavioural states of fish from observations of behavioural indicators. The statistical models accurately predicted behavioural events such as foraging (a slow, sinuous movement near the substrate) and fine-scale migrations (a fast, directional movement near the surface). Finally, I applied the CV pipeline to study the fine-scale movement and predation dynamics of fish at piped weirs in multiple estuaries. I used multi-species occupancy models to characterise fine-scale temporal changes in predator-prey co ccurrence and determined if behavioural differences could be detected at different categories of predator-prey co-occurrences. The fine-scale temporal changes of predator-prey co-occurrence varied among sampling days and locations, but I nevertheless identified that prey exhibited significantly different behaviours that depended on the probability of co-occurring predators. Overall, I bridged the gap between the development and application of new technologies for ecological research. CV can help us improve our understanding of critical interconnections among habitats and help researchers and managers increase data availability into conservation ecology and decision making. CV has the capacity to inform data-driven decisions that directly influence the health and productivity of marine ecosystems.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Environment and Sc
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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Thomas, T. A. "Behaviour and habitat selection of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in Northern Foxe Basin, Nunavut." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape2/PQDD_0023/MQ51810.pdf.
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Davidson-Watts, Ian. "Roost selection, foraging behaviour and habitat use by two cryptic species of pipistrelle bat." Thesis, Open University, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.437798.
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Lingle, Susan Harrison. "Antipredator behaviour, coyote predation and habitat segregation of white-tailed deer and mule deer." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.624840.
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Thomas, T. A. "Behaviour and habitat selection of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in Northern Foxe Basin, Nunavut." Ottawa : National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape2/PQDD%5F0023/MQ51810.pdf.
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