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1
Olfenbuttel, Colleen. "Home range dynamics of black bears in the Alleghany Mountains of western Virginia." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/35199.
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The Cooperative Alleghany Bear Study (CABS) was initiated in 1994 to address concerns over the lack of biological and ecological data for black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in the Alleghany Mountains of western Virginia. I examined home range dynamics of bears during 1994-2002 on 2 study areas that were approximately 160 km apart. I analyzed my data with 3 home range programs (AMA, HRE, and ABODE) and determined the HRE was the least biased and produced the most biologically reasonable home range estimates. I used HRE to generate annual home ranges (fixed-kernel) for 90 bears over 160 bear years; I also generated seasonal home ranges using MCP. Annual and seasonal home ranges of male and female adult bears in the southern study area were larger than that of male and female adult bears in the northern study area, respectively; southern females and northern males had annual home ranges similar in size at the 95% and 75% fixed-kernel contours. In both study areas, most bears did not shift their range when transitioning from spring to summer (North: 63.0%; South: 57.0%) or from summer to fall (North: 67.0%; South: 65.0%), while most bears shifted their seasonal range between spring and fall (North: 67.0%; South: 52.0%). Most female bears in both study areas maintained the same spring and summer home range throughout the duration of the study, while 63% of northern females changed their fall home range and 55% of southern females maintained their fall home range. I found no differences in annual and seasonal home range size among years or among age classes for adult females, but tests for intra-year seasonal difference indicated that fall range was larger than spring and summer in 1997, when western Virginia experienced a poor mast crop. Females with and without COY had similar annual home ranges in either study area. In the north, seasonal home range size did not differ between females with and without COY, while in the south, breeding females (i.e. without COY) had larger spring ranges and smaller fall ranges than females with COY. In both study areas, females with COY had larger fall home ranges than during spring, while seasonal ranges of breeding females did not vary in size during the year.Master of Science
2
Oyekunle, Abiola Taiwo. "Wireless Short Range Communication Technologies for Home Automation." Thesis, Halmstad University, Halmstad Embedded and Intelligent Systems Research (EIS), 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-4017.
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A modern home contains varieties of electronic equipment and systems like: TV, Hi-fi equipment, central heating systems, fire alarm systems, security alarm systems, lighting systems etc. Enabling these devices to communicate is the first step towards the long-predicted smart home, but this requires communication standards to follow. It can be anticipated that the technology must be wireless in order for such network to be feasible. Large set of standards are present for as well wired as wireless communication in between such devices, but today no standard communication interface available.
The goal of this project is to survey available standards for short-range wireless communication, and to evaluate and compare their capabilities to become a general standard for home automation. The evaluation must take such aspects as security, range, network architecture and the heterogeneous set of devices into consideration. Furthermore, this thesis proposes how to interconnect the home network to the external network for remote supervision and control.
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Batts, Gregory K. "An assessment of Quality Deer Management on a private hunt club in the Virginia Piedmont." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32818.
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I examined the efficacy of Quality Deer Management (QDM) on Amelia Springs hunt club in Amelia County, Virginia, during 2003-2006. I examined home range dynamics of male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), deer/hunter interactions, and aspects of population dynamics. I also developed a new rocket net method to capture deer using a remote video system that was more efficient than traditional methods. I monitored 20 deer; 50% died due to hunting and 15% to natural mortality. The emigration rate for juvenile males was 46%, dispersal distance averaged 6.4 km. I used Home Range Extension (HRE) in ArcView to generate annual home ranges (adaptive-kernel) for 16 male deer; I also generated annual and seasonal home ranges using MCP. Annual and seasonal home ranges (MCP) of adult males were larger than those of juveniles. Adult male annual home ranges averaged 2.5 km2 and juveniles 0.9 km2. Seasonal home ranges of adult males were 1.6 km2 and 1.3 km2 during non-hunting and hunting seasons respectively. Juvenile non-hunting and hunting season home ranges were 0.6 km2 and 0.8 km2 respectively. I detected no differences in day/night movements of male deer during the hunting season; however, deer appeared to avoid areas that were hunted based on hunter GPS locations and deer locations during the hunting season. Frequency of deer movement increased during October-November. Population estimates based on remote camera mark-recapture averaged 60 antlered males for the 3-year survey period. Using population reconstruction, the minimum buck:doe ratio was 1:1.8. Estimated density of antlered males was 4.1/km2, in Amelia County, and 5.0/km2 for Amelia Springs. Deer harvested on Amelia Springs, compared to deer harvested on other hunt clubs in Amelia County, were larger. Antler diameters averaged 32.6mm on Amelia Springs versus 26.9mm for other Amelia county hunt clubs, average age at harvest for 2+ males was higher on Amelia Springs (2.4) than other Amelia county hunt clubs (2.2), and dressed body weights averaged 11.2kg heavier (46.2 kg versus 35 kg) on Amelia Springs. QDM on Amelia Springs appears to be successful based on the results. While bigger bucks existed on Amelia Springs, hunters failed to encounter them. Hunters likely would increase buck sightings during the hunting season by becoming more mobile. Expectations of the size of animal (antlers) Amelia Springs can produce should be adjusted to reflect what is possible based on the habitat. The harvest program in place should be continued at the current level for continued success using QDM.Master of Science
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Zeeuw, Maureen L. de 1961. "Home range size and habitat use patterns of the Sanderling (Calidris alba) on the Oregon coast nonbreeding range, and comparison with home range sizes in California and Peru." Thesis, Thesis (M.S.)--University of Oregon, 1990, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/9810.
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Typescript.
Includes vita and abstract.
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-64).During the nonbreeding season I observed the degree of site faithfulness of individual Sanderlings, Calidris alba, on the Pacific coast of southcentral Oregon, and the linear home range size was estimated. Home range size of Oregon birds and range sizes of individuals wintering in coastal areas of California and Peru were compared to determine if annual migration distance from the high arctic breeding ground is positively correlated with home range size. Oregon sanderlings on average remained within a minimum range of 17 kID during the nonbreeding season from October thrcugh April, although spring data are sparse. The Oregon home range is significantly larger than that of birds in Bodega Bay, California, and similar to that of birds in Peru. Therefore home range size is not correlated with distance from the breeding ground.
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De, Solla Shane R. "Home range, autocorrelation, modelling, and limitations of the concept." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ27493.pdf.
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Hyzer, Garrett. "Effects of GPS Error on Animal Home Range Estimates." Scholar Commons, 2012. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4338.
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This study examined how variables related to habitat cover types can affect the positional accuracy of Global Positioning System (GPS) data and, subsequently, how wildlife home range analysis can be influenced when utilizing this inaccurate data. This study focused on measuring GPS accuracy relative to five habitat variables: open canopy, sparse canopy, dense canopy, open water, and building proximity. The study took place in Hillsborough County, in residential areas that contain all of these habitat types. Five GPS devices, designed for wildlife tracking purposes, were used to collect the data needed for this study. GPS data was collected under the aforementioned scenarios in order to induce error into the data sets. Each data set was defined as a 1-hour data collecting period, with a fix rate of 60 seconds, which resulted in 60 points per sample. The samples were analyzed to determine the magnitude of effect the five variables have on the positional accuracy of the data. Thirty samples were collected for each of the following scenarios: (1) open grassland with uninhibited canopy closure, (2) sparse vegetation canopy closure, (3) dense vegetation canopy closure, (4) close proximity to buildings (<2 m), and (5) open water with uninhibited canopy closure. Then, GPS errors (in terms of mean and maximum distance from the mean center of each sample) were calculated for each sample using a geographic information system (GIS). Confidence intervals were calculated for each scenario in order to evaluate and compare the levels of error. Finally, this data was used to assess the effect of positional uncertainty on home range estimation through the use of a minimum convex polygon home range estimation technique. Open grassland and open water cover types were found to introduce the least amount of positional uncertainty into the data sets. The sparse coverage cover type introduces a higher degree of error into data sets, while the dense coverage and building proximity cover types introduce the greatest amount of positional uncertainty into the data sets. When used to create minimum convex polygon home range estimates, these data sets show that the home range estimates are significantly larger when the positional error is unaccounted for as opposed to when it is factored into the home range estimate.
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Laver, Peter Norman. "Cheetah of the Serengeti Plains: A home range analysis." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45981.
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Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) persist under continued conservation threat in small populations mostly in protected areas in an historically reduced geographic range. Home range, a useful trait for threat assessment, species reintroduction, and population estimation, is plastic in cheetah with sizes ranging from 40 km2 to over 1000 km2 depending on location. Previous home range estimates for cheetah used the minimum convex polygon (MCP), assuming asymptotic home ranges and MCP insensitivity to sample size. They reported metrics of home range size and overlap based on only outline methods. I use 6 481 observations of 240 female and 315 male cheetah from > 60 matrilines over 25 years in the Serengeti Plains to investigate lifetime, core, yearly, and seasonal range size with kernel density estimation. I investigate autocorrelation using time to statistical independence of locations. I confront the assumption of asymptotic home ranges by testing the traditional and multiscaled home range predictions and provide a novel method for determining kernel asymptotes. I challenge the notion of Serengeti cheetah as a migratory carnivore with analyses of site fidelity and objectively defined core ranges. I assess year to year and seasonal location shifts, showing that yearly shifting lessens as females age. I provide quantitative evidence for philopatry in female- and juvenile dispersal in male cheetah of the Serengeti Plains. I use simple overlap metrics to show that overlap in lifetime and core ranges is greater in related than unrelated female pairs. I use multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) to show that overlap in unrelated female pairs varies with season. I use correlation of utilization distributions to show that avoidance is apparent only in unrelated pairs of females. My results call into question previous MCP estimates of cheetah home range size, and provide guidance for future sampling of cheetah locations. My home range results will guide management of this imperiled species and my methodological findings may be general and applicable to a wide range of taxa.Master of Science
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McLellan, Christopher Richard. "Statistical modelling of home range and larvae movement data." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/14202.
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In this thesis, we investigate two di erent approaches to animal movement modelling; nite mixture models, and di usion processes. These models are considered in two di erent contexts, rstly for analysis of data obtained in home range studies, and then, on a much smaller scale, modelling the movements of larvae. We consider the application of mixture models to home range movement data, and compare their performance with kernel density estimators commonly used for this purpose. Mixtures of bivariate normal distributions and bivariate t distributions are considered, and the latter are found to be good models for simulated and real movement data. The mixtures of bivariate t distributions are shown to provide a robust parametric approach. Subsequently, we investigate several measures of overlap for assessing site delity in home range data. Di usion processes for home range data are considered to model the tracks of animals. In particular, we apply models based on a bivariate Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process to recorded coyote movements. We then study modelling in a di erent application area involving tracks. Di usion models for the movements of larvae are used to investigate their behaviour when exposed to chemical compounds in a scienti c study. We nd that the tted models represent the movements of the larvae well, and correctly distinguish between the behaviour of larvae exposed to attractant and repellent compounds. Mixtures of di usion processes and Hidden Markov models provide more exible alternatives to single di usion processes, and are found to improve upon them considerably. A Hidden Markov model with 4 states is determined to be optimal, with states accounting for directed movement, localized movement and stationary observations. Models incorporating higherorder dependence are investigated, but are found to be less e ective than the use of multiple states for modelling the larvae movements.
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Steyn, V., and PJ Funston. "Land-use and socio-spatial organization of female leopards in a semi-arid wooded savanna, Botswana." Southern African Wildlife Management Association, 2009. http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1001723.
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Abstract
Leopards (Panthera pardus) are the most widespread large felid, yet comparatively little is
known about their fine-scale movement patterns and how these affect the risks they face.
There has been much debate on the conservation status and management needs for
leopards with much extrapolation from limited data. In order to gather more information on
leopard movements in Botswana’s Northern Tuli Game Reserve, seven leopards were
collared between February 2005 and August 2006. This allowed key aspects that affect
demography, and thus resilience to anthropogenic effects, to be investigated. Generally,
home ranges were typical for breeding females in woodland savanna (32.9 ± 7.3 km²)
with substantial overlap (average 26.0%). Core areas though were independent and
extremely small (1.9 ± 2.2 km²). These were used primarily for young cub rearing, and were
characterized by rugged terrain along riverbeds. This highly localized use places leopards at
potential risk of snaring as snares tend to be concentrated along these landscape features.
Furthermore, hunters can conceal blinds from which to shoot leopards more easily in
these areas. Further risk to adult female survival came from excursions outside the reserve
boundary during which livestock was predated. Three incidences of cannibalism by adult
territorial males on adult females are also reported, suggesting significant intra-specific
competition.
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Adams, Jennifer P. "Home range and behavior of the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)." Huntington, WV : [Marshall University Libraries], 2005. http://www.marshall.edu/etd/descript.asp?ref=605.
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Theses (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2005.Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains vi, 98 p. including col. illustrations and maps. Bibliography: p. 65-70.
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Webster, Janelle T. "Individual identification, disease monitoring and home range of Leiopelma hamiltoni." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Biological Sciences, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1454.
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Amphibian populations are declining on a global scale and although disease outbreaks are a commonly accepted hypothesis they are not the only one. My aims for my thesis were to study the home range of Leiopelma hamiltoni, to determine whether a photographic database could be used to individual identified them and monitor the health status of the population. Habitat loss is a possible cause. For this reason monitoring an animals' home range is a possible method to detect early impacts the population is facing. By tracking 12 L. hamiltoni within a 12 m x 6 m grid on Maud Island, it was shown that the home range size can vary from 0.5 m2 to 25 m2 based on the minimum convex polygon method. However, to track multiple individuals it is important to be able to distinguish among frogs. The commonly used methods of identification, such as toe clipping, pose potentially detrimental effects. Therefore, non-invasive methods based on natural markings need to be established. Through the use of the dark pigmented patterns found on the skin of L. hamiltoni individuals can be identified on recapture with a mean accuracy of 93%. By developing a database to maintain the photographs used for individual identification, the database can also be used to monitor the status of the population. During 2003 numerous L. hamiltoni were observed with denuded patches predominantly on the facial region. By monitoring five individuals within the captive facility at the University of Canterbury it was discovered that frogs appear to be able to cure themselves. Through researching the home range requirements and developing a photographic database to monitor the population status of L. hamiltoni, it will aid in the management of ensuring the long-term survival of this archaic species of frog.
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Zoellick, Bruce William. "KIT FOX MOVEMENTS AND HOME RANGE USE IN WESTERN ARIZONA." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/275279.
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Simms, Karen Maureen 1961. "Home range, habitat use, and movements of reintroduced masked bobwhite." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/277014.
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Home range, habitat use, and movements of reintroduced masked bobwhite (Colinus virginianus ridgewayi) were studied during 1986-88 on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona. Home ranges averaged 10.9 ha (5.2-14.6 ha), and core areas averaged 1.1 ha (0.2-2.7 ha). Core areas had significantly higher visual obstruction by vegetation from 0-1 dm, aerial and basal grass cover, and significantly lower bare ground, litter, half-shrub cover, half shrub density, and visual obstruction by vegetation from 5-20 dm than non-core areas. The majority of the masked bobwhite moved less than 1 km between their release location and the site of first trapping. However, some long distance movements occurred. Once home ranges were established, masked bobwhite seldom left the boundaries. Key habitat components are identified for masked bobwhite on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.
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Miller, Peggy Anderson. "Home Range (?) of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard Phrynosoma mcallii." DigitalCommons@USU, 1999. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/5008.
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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.
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Apel, Mark, and Cori Dolan. "Home-siting for New Rural Residents." College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/146923.
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2 pp.Tips for Arizona's Rural Landowners
The Tips for Arizona's Rural Landowners Fact Sheet Series is intended to educate homeowners who have recently purchased small acreages in Arizona. The purpose of the series is to give homeowners information about living in rural settings. The Land Use Planning Unit includes fact sheets on open range concepts, easements, zoning and permitting, and homesiting.
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Klaussen, Ada Johanne. "Fitness consequences of selection of home range in moose (Alces alces)." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for biologi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-19953.
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Hayes, Robert Clay. "FERAL HOGS IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI: HOME RANGE, HABITAT USE, AND SURVIVAL." MSSTATE, 2007. http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-03232007-105141/.
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I examined home range, habitat use, and survival of 29 feral hogs in central Mississippi using radio telemetry. During the dry season (1 April - 31 October 2005), densely-vegetated habitats were very important in home range placement (2nd-order selection) with selection favoring seasonally-flooded old fields, followed by old fields and managed openings. During the wet season (1 November 2005 - 31 March 2006), old fields were still preferred followed by agricultural fields, but flooded old fields were not preferred. For habitat selection within the home range (3rd-order selection), hogs preferred old fields and managed openings during the dry season. All habitats were used randomly within home ranges during the wet season. Dry and wet season survival rates were 80.8% and 41.4%, respectively. Hunting was the major cause of mortality (80 ? 100%). Seasonal differences in habitat selection may have been caused by flooding of preferred habitats, food availability and hunting.
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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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Soanes, Louise. "The foraging behaviour of seabirds : defining and predicting home range areas." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2013. http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/12453/.
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In recent years, seabird tracking studies have become ever more popular as a means of informing and evaluating the effectiveness of marine protected areas and offshore energy developments as well as in understanding the ecology and behaviour of seabirds. This study uses tracking data collected from the European shag, Black-legged kittiwake, Northern gannet and Brown booby to identify important foraging areas around four seabird colonies located in the UK, Channel Islands and Anguilla and examines the impact of offshore renewable energy developments in the Channel Islands. As well as providing examples of how seabird tracking data can be useful in informing marine spatial planning, this study also considers the impact that sample size and the sample composition may have on the foraging areas predicted for any colony. Small sample sizes are a common feature of tracking studies, often due to logistical and financial constraints, meaning that seabirds are often tracked over short spatial and temporal scales which may not fully represent the important foraging areas and behaviours of the colony or individual. This study therefore provides recommendations to improve the predictions of area use and foraging strategy for future tracking studies to ensure the most representative and useful data is collected and used to inform marine spatial planning issues.
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Quinton, Brendon. "The Effect of Home Range Estimation Techniques on Habitat Use Analysis." Scholar Commons, 2016. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6359.
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The term “home range” refers to the area in which an animal spends most of its time during everyday activities. This study examined the effects of four different home range estimation techniques on the proportions of habitats located therein. The study utilized a point dataset collected for twenty individual Florida Black Bears (Ursus americanus floridanus), occurring in five different areas throughout the state of Florida. Each dataset was used to create home ranges using the following techniques: (1) Minimum Convex Polygon, (2) Kernel Density Estimation, (3) Characteristic Hull Polygon, and (4) Time-Geographic Density Estimation, a new home range estimator which has not been thoroughly tested prior to this study. A dataset of land cover types was clipped with each home range and the areas of habitats were recalculated. The proportion of each land cover type was evaluated and the results compared first within each dataset, then between all datasets used. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether the four home range estimation techniques produced significantly different areas and proportions of each habitat type. These results were then evaluated to determine whether the method of home range estimation has an effect on which land cover types are most utilized by a species and, therefore, which habitats are considered preferable. While the choice of home range estimation did not have an effect on which habitats were determined to be most frequently visited, it did affect the amount of each habitat found within each home range. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant change in the amount of developed areas, specifically between the characteristic hull polygon and kernel density estimation methods. These results suggest the choice of home range estimator affects habitat analysis and that researchers should use the method best suited for the dataset.
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Higgins, Jennifer C. "Survival, Home Range and Spatial Relationships of Virginia's Exploited Black Bear Population." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/36765.
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Eighty-three (21M, 62F) of 194 black bears captured during 1994-1996 were equipped with radio collars. Annual survival rates estimated with Kaplain-Meier staggered entry approach for radio collared adult females, adult males, subadult females, and subadult males were 95.3, 100.0, 90.4 and 50.0% respectively. Hunting, handling, vehicle collisions, and natural causes accounted for 81.0, 11.1, 3.2, and 1.6% of mortality. Twenty, 9.8, and 70.6 % of bears harvested were harvested in the deer firearm season, the deer archery season, and the bear firearm season, respectively.
Twenty-three cubs were equipped with expandable radio collars (11M,10F) or transmitters implanted subcutaneously (2M,0F) in 1995-1996. Six cubs (4M, 2F) died, 6 (3M,3F) survived their first year, and the status of 11 cubs (6M, 5F) was unknown. Survival rates (date marked until 4 December) estimated with Kaplain-Meier and Heisey-Fuller were 64.3 and 64.7% respectively. Interval survival rates were 71% (15 March to 31 May), 100% (1 June to 31 July), 92% (1 August to 31 August), and 100% (1 September to 4 December). Intraspecific aggression (33.3%), starvation (16.7%), unknown causes (16.7%) and predation (16.7%) were the causes of mortality.
Total home range size for males and adult, subadult, and transitional age females were 7.2, 5.5, 5.6 and 7.2 km2 (95% MCP) and 11.2, 6.8, 9.0, and 10.0 km2 (95% normal kernel). Females with cubs had larger fall ranges than spring and summer ranges. Seasonal ranges of solitary females did not differ when estimated with MCP. Bears exhibited home range overlap among and within sex classes.Master of Science
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Anderson, James Howard. "A Spatially Explicit Agent Based Model of Muscovy Duck Home Range Behavior." Scholar Commons, 2012. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3950.
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ABSTRACT
Research in GIScience has identified agent-based simulation methodologies as effective in the study of complex adaptive spatial systems (CASS). CASS are characterized by the emergent nature of their spatial expressions and by the changing relationships between their constituent variables and how those variables act on the system's spatial expression over time. Here, emergence refers to a CASS property where small-scale, individual action results in macroscopic or system-level patterns over time. This research develops and executes a spatially-explicit agent based model of Muscovy Duck home range behavior. Muscovy duck home range behavior is regarded as a complex adaptive spatial system for this research, where this process can be explained and studied with simulation techniques.
The general animal movement model framework presented in this research explicitly considers spatial characteristics of the landscape in its formulation, as well as provides for spatial cognition in the behavior of its agents. Specification of the model followed a three-phase framework, including: behavioral data collection in the field, construction of a model substrate depicting land cover features found in the study area, and the informing of model agents with products derived from field observations.
This framework was applied in the construction of a spatially-explicit agent-based model (SE-ABM) of Muscovy Duck home range behavior. The model was run 30 times to simulate point location distributions of an individual duck's daily activity. These simulated datasets were collected, and home ranges were constructed using Characteristic Hull Polygon (CHP) and Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) techniques. Descriptive statistics of the CHP and MCP polygons were calculated to characterize the home ranges produced and establish internal model validity. As a theoretical framework for the construction of animal movement SE-ABM's, and as a demonstration of the potential of geosimulation methodologies in support of animal home range estimator validation, the model represents an original contribution to the literature. Implications of model utility as a validation tool for home range extents as derived from GPS or radio telemetry positioning data are discussed.
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Rauch, Steven E. "Home range characteristics of the male eastern wild turkey in West Virginia." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10450/10734.
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Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 339 p. : ill. (some col.), col. maps. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.
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Delahunt, Kenneth Scott. "Nesting Ecology, Survival, and Home Range of Wild Turkeys in an Agricultural Landscape." OpenSIUC, 2011. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/621.
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Most research on Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) has occurred in extensively forested habitats atypical of midwestern landscapes. I studied the ecology of female wild turkeys in a portion of southern Illinois consisting of an agricultural matrix interspersed with forest, and grassland cover types. I quantified causes of hen and nest mortality, nesting habitat variables, nesting rates, nest success, clutch and brood sizes, and incubation length. I also examined daily nest and weekly hen survival rates, and hen and brood home ranges and habitat selection. Sixty-four hens were radiomarked during 2008-10. Predation was the primary cause of nest mortality (80.5%) and hen mortality (100.0%). Coyotes (Canis latrans) were responsible for 40.3% of nest mortalities and 42.8% of hen mortalities, whereas bobcats (Lynx rufus) caused 42.8% of hen mortalities. Weekly survival rates were 98.7 and 98.6% for adult and juvenile hens, respectively. Seasonal survival rates for adult hens varied from 68.7% during breeding to 88.9% during winter. Most hens (98.5%) made a first nest attempt, 75.6% of hens attempted a second nest, and 8.0% of hens attempted a third nest. Mean clutch size was 12.4 ± 0.4 (SE throughout) during the first nesting attempt and 9.6 ± 0.6 during the second nesting attempt. The mean incubation length of successful nests was 31.1 ± 0.8 days. Mean nest success was 19.8%, producing 11.3 ± 3.3 poults/per
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Markle, Tricia M. "Range limitations and phylogeography of stream salamanders in Quebec and Labrador." Thesis, McGill University, 2006. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=101621.
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Physical barriers are known to limit species' ranges, but, in the absence of physical barriers, what prevents adaptation and expansion at the periphery? Genetic influence from central populations may prevent adaptation to ecological barriers by swamping peripheral populations with suboptimal genes. If this is the case, then isolation may enable local adaptation and further range expansion. Barriers such as rivers provide ideal tests of the influence of gene flow and may explain differences in range sizes. This study investigates northern range limitations and phylogeography of the Northern Two-lined ( Eurycea bislineata) and Northern Dusky (Desmognathus fuscus ) stream salamanders. Phylogeographic patterns of populations throughout Quebec and Labrador were investigated by sequencing portions of cytochrome b and 12S rRNA mitochondrial DNA genes. Interpopulation divergence was low for both species, however, unique genetic haplotypes and morphological variation on the north shore of the St. Lawrence indicate that the river is acting as a barrier to gene flow.
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Frost, Nancy. "San Joaquin kit fox home range, habitat use, and movements in urban Bakersfield /." California : Humboldt State University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2148/36.
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Cobb, McCrea Andrew. "Home range characteristics of sympatric moose and white-tailed deer in Northern Minnesota." Thesis, Montana State University, 2004. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2004/cobb/CobbM04.pdf.
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Moose (Alces alces) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population numbers in northern Minnesota have fluctuated recently, possibly due to habitat changes, interspecific competition, and meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis). Little is known currently about the relative distribution and home range characteristics of sympatric moose and white-tailed deer in this area. Surveys were conducted during the winters of 1989 and 1991 to determine the relative distributions of moose and whitetailed deer pellet groups in Voyageurs National Park (VNP). Moose and white-tailed deer home ranges were determined using an adaptive kernel technique and applied to aerial radio telemetry relocations from 1989 to 1991. I examined the habitat selections of moose and white-tailed deer through compositional analysis at the home-range and corearea scales. Pellet transect data revealed a low abundance of moose and a high abundance of white-tailed deer and provided evidence of some spatial separation between moose and deer ranges in VNP. This evidence was supported by little interspecific home range overlap between radio collared moose and white-tailed deer. Moose home ranges in VNP were larger than any previously reported in the contiguous United States, and white-tailed deer home ranges were larger than any previously reported for the region. There was no apparent difference in home range sizes between the sexes for moose and white-tailed deer, although small sample sizes precluded precise statistical testing. Compositional analysis did not detect any habitat preference at the core-area scale for either moose or white-tailed deer. Both moose and white-tailed deer exhibited a significant preference for spruce/balsam fir habitats at the home-range scale. Canopy density and height preferences differed between moose and white-tailed deer at the homerange scale. Differential habitat preferences between moose and white-tailed deer in VNP might be related to the differences between these species' abilities to cope with northern mid-continent climates. The apparent spatial separation and different habitat preferences between moose and white-tailed deer might provide a refuge for moose from meningeal worm-infected white-tailed deer in VNP and could be a factor in the coexistence of the species.
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Jackson, Rodney Malcolm. "Home range and the habitat use of snow leopard (Uncia uncia) in Nepal." Thesis, University of London, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.362776.
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Barr, Michael. "The Influence of the Projected Coordinate System on Animal Home Range Estimation Area." Scholar Commons, 2014. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5343.
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Animal home range estimations are important for conservation planning and protecting the habitat of threatened species. The accuracy of home range calculations is influenced by the map projection chosen in a geographic information system (GIS) for data analysis. Different methods of projection will distort spatial data in different ways, so it is important to choose a projection that meets the needs of the research. The large number of projections in use today and the lack of distortion comparison between the various types make selecting the most appropriate projection a difficult decision. The purpose of this study is to quantify and compare the amount of area distortion in animal home range estimations when projected into a number of projected coordinate systems in order to understand how the chosen projection influences analysis. The objectives of this research are accomplished by analyzing the tracking data of four species from different regions in North and South America. The home range of each individual from the four species datasets is calculated using the Characteristic Hull Polygon method for home range estimation and then projected into eight projected coordinate systems of various scales and projection type, including equal area, conformal, equidistant, and compromise projections. A continental Albers Equal Area projection is then used as a baseline area for the calculation of a distortion measurement ratio and magnitude of distortion statistic. The distortion measurement ratio and magnitude calculations provide a measurement of the quantity of area distortion caused by a projection. Results show the amount distortion associated with each type of projection method and how the amount of distortion changes for a projection based on geographic location. These findings show how the choice of map projection can have a large influence on data analysis and illustrate the importance of using an appropriate PCS for the needs of a given study. Distorted perceptions can influence decision-making, so it is important to recognize how a map projection can influence the analysis and interpretation of spatial data.
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Brough, April M. "Summer Home Range Fidelity in Adult Female Elk (Cervus elaphus) in Northwestern Colorado." DigitalCommons@USU, 2009. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/492.
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Understanding the degree of spatial fidelity of individuals within a species increases our ability to manage appropriately. Elk (Cervus elaphus) is a highly managed species in the Intermountain West, but there is little research evaluating summer home range fidelity of individual elk. We evaluated fidelity of 72 adult female elk to individual summer-fall home ranges in the White River study area in northwestern Colorado during two consecutive summers. Based on individual kernel-estimated utilization distributions, we used (1) the Volume of Intersection (VI) statistic and (2) interannual distances between centers of mass to compare summer range overlap and distribution. We also examined the role of landcover in summer habitat selection by elk from three distinct perspectives: landscape, individual, and philopatric. While many previous habitat studies included landscape analysis, few incorporate individual analysis and none contain a philopatric assessment, to our knowledge. We found adult female elk in the White River Study area exhibit fidelity to individual home ranges. VI values indicated that 93% of the elk showed some home range overlap, with a median value of 0.42 (SE = 0.02, n = 72). Between-year center-of-mass distances ranged from 183 m to 34,170 m (x = 3819, SE = 619, n = 72), while within-year maximum distances between location points ranged from 4,320 m to 31,680 m (x = 13,958, SE = 628, n = 72). Our landcover results indicated elk can be characterized as both generalists and specialists. While elk occurred across a very diverse landscape, we found a preference for Aspen-Mixed Conifer, Aspen, and Dry-Mesic Spruce-Fir landcover types, and a general avoidance of Agriculture, Sagebrush Steppe, Subalpine Meadow, and Grassland. We also found a high degree of similarity in landcover composition between years for individual elk. Elk home range fidelity could impact habitat management, specifically with respect to browsing and successful aspen (Populus tremuloides) regeneration. Incorporation of the philopatric perspective into future elk behavior and habitat selection studies could make results more rigorous and expand understanding of landscape-level results.
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Drake, Elizabeth Marie. "Home Range and Habitat Use of Santa Rosa Island Foxes (Urocyon littoralis santarosae)." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2013. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/954.
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Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) are currently listed as federally endangered on four of the six Channel Islands to which they are endemic. The Santa Rosa Island (SRI) population declined by 99% during the 1990’s due to non-native golden eagle (Aguila chrysaetos) predation and is currently the lowest fox population (~280) and density (0.86 foxes/km2) of any of the Channel Islands. The goals of this study were to assess new miniaturized GPS technology and to quantify home range and habitat use of the SRI population. This is only the second use of Global Positioning System (GPS) collars on Channel Island foxes and provides essential baseline data for the recovering population. These results can be used to guide management decisions and future habitat restoration efforts after the recent removal of non-native ungulates.
In fall 2009, 14 GPS collars were deployed on male foxes on the east side of SRI. Nine collars and three remote download datasets were recovered in 2010. The collars’ battery life was 40% lower than expected at an average (±SE) of 16.5 ± 1.7 weeks but had high performance in precision and fix rate. Collars yielded an average of 347 ± 33 locations with a fix rate of 82.3% ± 2.1% and 88% of locations categorized as high precision.
From these data, 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) home ranges and 95% kernel density isopleth (KDI) home ranges were created. The average 95% MCP home range size was 3.39 ± 0.59km2 and the area of overlap with adjacent home ranges had a median of 5.3%. The average 95% KDI home range size was 3.82 ± 0.68km2 with a median overlap of 6.0%. These home range sizes are almost triple the size reported in other island fox studies, likely due to the low fox densities in the recovering SRI population.
Habitat analysis was performed using KDI home ranges and a Euclidian distance analysis (EDA) method to assess habitat selection within the study area, the home range and the core area. Results showed selection for lupine within the study area, which no previous studies have documented. There was no significant habitat selection within the home ranges or core areas. Foxes selected for valley bottom topography and for bare and grassland habitat at night. One shortcoming of EDA is that its reliance on random points for determining second order selection can lead to unused areas being identified as selected habitat. The lack of significant selection within home ranges and core areas may be attributed to small sample sizes, use of male foxes only and the timing of the study in relation to fox reproductive biology.
I recommend further investigation in the use of lupine habitat and associated resources through prey inventory studies to further assess these findings. When densities reach historic levels of 4 foxes/km2, follow up studies should be conducted to reassess home range size, overlap and habitat use to determine if home range sizes have decreased and overlap has increased. Future studies should incorporate spring and summer seasons and females to determine if foxes select a particular habitat within the core area during denning and pupping periods.
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Grigg, Jamin Lyle. "Gradients of predation risk affect distribution and migration of a large herbivore." Thesis, Montana State University, 2007. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2007/grigg/GriggJ1207.pdf.
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Bowden, Timothy Scott. "Mexican Spotted Owl reproduction, home range, and habitat associations in Grand Canyon National Park." Thesis, Montana State University, 2008. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2008/bowden/BowdenT0508.pdf.
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Mexican spotted owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) are nocturnal avian predators that are widely distributed in the southwest U.S. and northern Mexico. In 1993, the lucida subspecies was listed as threatened in response to concern over the loss of forest habitats to which the owl is widely associated. However, in the northwestern corner of their range spotted owls primarily inhabit steep-walled rocky canyons. Owl populations inhabiting this region have received less attention than populations using forests, although, canyon populations are important to the persistence of the subspecies, and are subject to different environmental pressures. I investigated the breeding ecology and home range characteristics of Mexican spotted owls within Grand Canyon which supports both forest and rocky canyon habitat. During the study from 2004 - 2006, female fecundity (mean = 0.86), calculated as the number of female fledglings per paired female, was relatively high compared to values reported previously for Mexican spotted owls. Five adult male owls were radio-tracked during the breeding season. I used minimum convex polygons and fixed kernel estimates to describe home range size (mean = 356 ha and 372 ha, respectively) and generated adaptive kernels to describe areas of concentrated use within home ranges. I used GIS to describe vegetation and geology cover types associated with owl use areas. This information was used to determine if spotted owls used landscape cover types disproportionately to their availability. At a landscape level, spotted owl telemetry locations were positively correlated with piñyon-juniper vegetation that occurred within canyons as well as with the Redwall and Muav geologic layers (p
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Friebel, Bradford A. "Home range and habitat use of feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in Congaree National Park." Connect to this title online, 2007. http://etd.lib.clemson.edu/documents/1202409224/.
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Newton, Henry L., and Gary L. Bones. "A NEW HOME FOR WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE TELEMETRY DATA IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM." International Foundation for Telemetering, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/606825.
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International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, NevadaThe White Sands Telemetry Data Center (TDC) is moving to a new home. The TDC, along with various range functions, is moving to the new J. W. Cox Range Control Center (CRCC). The CRCC is under construction and will replace the present control center. Construction of the new CRCC and the resulting move was prompted by the presence of asbestos in the present Range Control Center (RCC). The CRCC construction will be completed in September 1999 at which time the communications backbone will be installed. (Estimated time to complete the installation is nine months.) In early 2000, White Sands will begin transition of the TDC and other commodity functions to the CRCC. The transition must not interrupt normal support to range customers and will result in the consolidation of all range control functions. The new CRCC was designed to meet current and future mission requirements and will contain the latest in backbone network design and functionality for the range customer. The CRCC is the single point of control for all missions conducted on the 3700 square mile range. The Telemetry Data Center will be moved in two parts into the new CRCC. This will allow us to run parallel operations with the old RCC until the CRCC is proven reliable and minimize overall downtime. Associated telemetry fiber optics, microwave communications and field data relay sites will be upgraded and moved at the same time. Since the TDC is so tightly dependent upon data input from both fiber optics and microwave communications inputs, a cohesive move is critical to the overall success of the transition. This paper also provides an overview of the CRCC design, commodity transition, and lessons learned.
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Dillon, Adam. "Ocelot Density and Home Range in Belize, Central America: Camera-Trapping and Radio Telemetry." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/36269.
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Historically, ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) were hunted in large numbers for their fur, causing declines in population abundance across their range. In recent decades protection measures (e.g. CITES) and decreased public demand for ocelot fur resulted in declines in hunting pressure. Do to their elusive nature there is little known about ocelot population size, structure or general ecology. This lack of information hampers our ability to provide protection for this endangered species.
Remote cameras were deployed in 7 grids across the landscape to estimate the density of ocelots in 2 habitat types; the broadleaf rainforest and pine forest of western Belize. Camera trapping combined with mark-recapture statistics resulted in densities of 18.91 - 20.75 ocelots per 100 km2 in the rainforest and 2.31 0 3.81 ocelots per 100 km2 in the pine forest habitat. This study examined the issues of camera spacing and animals with zero distance moved and their effect on density estimation. Increased camera spacing resulted in larger buffer sizes (increasing the effective trap area) and decreased density estimates. Inclusion of zero distance animals decreased buffer sizes and increased density estimates. Regardless of these effects, ocelot density was higher in the broadleaf rainforest than the pine forest. The ocelot density estimates in Belizean forests were lower than those in other portions of their range. The camera trapping technique demonstrated ocelots to be mostly active at night, with peaks of activity after sunset and before sunrise, and to travel low-use roads in the wet season and high-use roads in the dry season.
Radio telemetry was used in this study to estimate the home range size and density of ocelots in the broadleaf rainforest of western Belize. Six collared ocelots (3 male, 3 female) were collared and tracked from September 2003 - August 2004. Male ocelots had an average home range size of 33.01 km2 (95% fixed kernel) and 29.00 km2 (100% MCP), and female ocelots had an average home range size of 21.05 km2 (95% fixed kernel) and 29.58 km2 (100% MCP). Most ocelots had larger home ranges in the dry season than the wet season. Ocelots showed a large amount of same sex home range overlap; with male-male overlap averaging 25% (100% MCP) and female-female overlap averaging 16% (100% MCP). Ocelot density determined using radio telemetry was 7.79 - 10.91 ocelots per 100 km2. The radio telemetry ocelot densities were lower and their home ranges larger in the Belizean broadleaf rainforests than those in other portions of their range.
The camera trapping and radio telemetry techniques were compared against one another and combined in order to test which technique may be more successful in studying certain aspects of feline behavior. Activity budgets and density estimates determined from camera trapping were superior to radio telemetry, whereas camera trapping home ranges showed higher variation and lower resolution than radio telemetry. However, home range estimates determined from camera trapping captured long distance movements, a larger percent of territory overlap, and displayed potential for estimating an animal's core use area. When radio telemetry data were used to create a buffer around camera traps based on the average radius of an ocelots' home range size, the resulting density estimates were smaller than those determined using the current camera trapping methodology.
This study provided much needed baseline information on ocelot abundance, home range size, activity patterns, and trail use. While sample sizes were small, this study had the largest number of ocelots captured in Central America to date. Although camera trapping is already a useful tool in felid research, this study highlights the importance of further standardization of the camera trapping methodology, increasing its potential for monitoring and conservation across habitats and study sites.Master of Science
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Gary, Meagan. "Home Range and Habitat Use of Juvenile Green Turtles in a Shallow Tidal Environment." Thesis, Florida Atlantic University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10610505.
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The home range can be further understood by examining: (1) environmental factors that are responsible for its selection, and (2) habitat use. Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) home ranges are characterized by their food abundance, distribution, and quality. The shallow water habitats of The Bahamas are important foraging sites for juvenile green turtle. The goal of this study was to determine how turtles use their home range at a tidal foraging site. I tracked turtle home range using acoustic telemetry. I conducted esophageal lavage on tracked turtles and mapped the vegetation coverage. Turtle home ranges were small, and often overlapping areas (mean ± SD= 0.64 ± 0.24 km2). Turtles consumed primarily seagrass (Thalassia testudinum), which was concentrated inside the tidal creek. This study documented the smallest recorded home ranges of juvenile green turtles and examines the combination of the effects of tide, temperature, and vegetation on green turtle home range.
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Hamilton, Christopher M. "Home range size and habitat selection of timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) in southwestern Wisconsin /." Link to full text, 2009. http://epapers.uwsp.edu/thesis/2009/Hamilton.pdf.
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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point.Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree Master of Science in Natural Resources (Wildlife), College of Natural Resources.
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Hatten, Inger Suzanne. "The effects of urbanization on raccoon population demographics, home range, and spatial distribution patterns /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2000. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p9999295.
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Halterman, Mary Murrelet. "Sexual dimorphism, detection probability, home range, and parental care in the yellow-billed cuckoo." abstract and full text PDF (UNR users only), 2009. http://0-gateway.proquest.com.innopac.library.unr.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3355584.
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Anderson, Jennifer L. "Home homo on the range : male intimacy and the figure of the cowboy in Owen Wister and Charles Badger Clark /." Available to subscribers only, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1456294781&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Thesis (M.A.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2007."Department of English." First word of title appears with an intential strike through. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-140). Also available online.
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Kordosky, Jennifer R. "Landscape of Stress: Does Drought Prevail Over Anthropogenic Activity in Influencing Cortisol Levels and Fitness in the Pacific Fisher?" DigitalCommons@USU, 2019. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7439.
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Fishers (Pekania pennanti) are a species of concern in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone released to mobilize energy in response to stress and has been used as an indication of an individual’s physiological response to its environment. By collecting samples of fisher hair and measuring an individual’s cortisol, we examined the physiological stress response of the animals to human disturbances (housing density, road density, habitat type, and silvicultural treatements) and drought (tree mortality) in their home ranges. Using AICc model selection, we found that levels of tree mortality within a fisher’s home range significantly influenced cortisol levels. Various human disturbances had a smaller effect on cortisol levels. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between cortisol and fitness through the metrics of body condition, female kit counts, and survival. We found that females with low cortisol had significantly higher survival rates than females with medium and high cortisol. With the recent drought, bark beetle infestation and subsequent tree mortality being >80% in some areas of our study, cortisol levels could continue to increase, potentially leading to further decreased fitness within this fisher population. We also examined the difference in habitat selection between the core and entirety of the home ranges and found that fishers prefer late-successional forest in the core of their home ranges.
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McDonald, Kenneth P. "Survival, home range, movements, habitat use, and feeding habits of reintroduced river otters in Ohio." Connect to resource, 1989. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1125079007.
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Fearer, Todd Matthew. "Relationship of Ruffed Grouse Home Range Size and Movement to Landscape Characteristics in Southwestern Virginia." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33489.
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I addressed the effects of landscape characteristics on ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) home range size and movement, and examined grouse selection for specific landscape characteristics and cover types. Grouse home ranges and movement patterns derived from telemetry data gathered from fall 1996 through fall 1998 were overlaid onto a GIS database of Clinch Mtn. Wildlife Management Area, VA. This database was developed from GPS data and LANDSAT thematic mapping imagery (30 m pixel scale) and was composed of 22 cover types. Landscape metrics were calculated using FRAGSTATS/ARC, and multiple regression was used to relate changes in home range size and movement to these metrics. I used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to compare the values of landscape metrics calculated for each home range to those calculated for the area encompassed by the home range plus a surrounding 300 m buffer. I used Wilcoxon rank-sum tests to compare the values of landscape metrics for the home ranges to the metrics calculated for 50 33 ha random plots. I used compositional analysis to test for preferential use of cover types.
I developed 2 regression models (P < 0.01) relating changes in home range size to landscape characteristics, 1 model (P = 0.09) relating the distance between seasonal home range centers to landscape characteristics, and 1 model (P = 0.03) relating average daily movement to landscape characteristics. Grouse home range size increased as patch shape became more irregular and patch size and the number of different cover types per hectare increased, and decreased as the amount of high contrast edge in the landscape increased. The distance between seasonal home range centers increased as Shannon's diversity index and the average distance between patches of similar cover types increased, and decreased as the amount of high contrast edge increased. Average daily movement increased as the average distance between patches of the same cover type increased and as the percent cover of a full (~75%) rhododendron and/or laurel understory within a grouse's home range increased, and decreased as the amount of high contrast edge in a bird's home range increased.
Ruffed grouse were selecting areas with high densities of smaller than average patches that were of uniform size and regular shape and contained higher than average amounts of high contrast edge. Areas containing a greater diversity of cover types than what was available in the study area also were preferred. Within these areas, clearcuts and mesic deciduous stands with a rhododendron/laurel understory were the most preferred cover types.
Creating and maintaining a landscape with high densities of small patches that are of uniform size and regular (square) shape would provide the highest quality ruffed grouse habitat in this region. Several of these patches should be early successional cover to provide an abundance of high contrast edge. Rhododendron and/or laurel thickets also may be beneficial as supplemental winter cover, and mesic stands of mature hardwoods should be well interspersed with these cover types to provide supplemental food sources.Master of Science
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Bozek, Clare K. "Influence of urbanization on home range size and habitat selection of raccoons in northeastern Illinois." Connect to resource, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1811/6555.
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Thesis (Honors)--Ohio State University, 2006.Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages: contains 33 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 14-17). Available online via Ohio State University's Knowledge Bank.
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Koen, Erin Leanne. "Home range, population density, habitat preference, and survival of fishers (Martes pennanti) in eastern Ontario." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/27145.
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By the 1940s, fishers (Mustelidae, Martes pennanti) were extirpated in Ontario south of the French and Mattawa Rivers, probably as a result of overharvesting and habitat loss. However, during the last several decades fishers have recolonized much of their former range in Ontario. This recolonization, combined with (for the most part) conservative harvest management, has led to increases in abundance. Perhaps inevitably, these increases have resulted in requests by fur harvesters to increase fisher quotas. The question then arises as to what the effect of the current quota system is on fisher populations in eastern Ontario. Unfortunately, very little is known about fisher demographics in eastern Ontario; as a result, the current management system is based almost exclusively on information and data on well-studied fisher populations from other regions, notably Algonquin Park. The extent to which these data---and the inferences regarding effective management therefrom---reflect fisher population characteristics in eastern Ontario is unknown.
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Llerandi-Román, Iván C. "Red-tailed Hawk home range, habitat use, and activity patterns in north-central Puerto Rico." MSSTATE, 2006. http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-01162006-100154/.
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I determined abundance, movement and activity patterns of the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis jamaicensis, RTHA) in Río Abajo Forest, Puerto Rico and surrounding lands during 2003-2004. Captive-reared Puerto Rican Parrots (Amazona vittata, PRPA) are scheduled for release in Rio Abajo Forest in 2006. Annual density of RTHAs (0.90 RTHAs/km2) was similar to the Caribbean National Forest (CNF; 1.29 RTHAs/ km2). RTHAs annual survival was high (0.89), and birds maintained compressed territories around the Rio Abajo Forest. Home ranges were 91% smaller than estimates reported for CNF, yet similar to those in North America. Approximately 98.3% of RTHA locations occurred outside the Río Abajo Forest boundaries. RTHAs exhibited random macrohabitat use patterns in north-central Puerto Rico. However, within their home ranges, RTHAs selected fragmented habitats with high patch and edge density, and avoided large tracts of dense closed canopy forest. Encounters between RTHAs and PRPAs may increase as parrots venture beyond the boundaries of Rio Abajo Forest.
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Llerandi-Román, Iván C. "Red-tailed Hawk home range, habitat use, and activity patterns in north-central Puerto Rico." Master's thesis, Mississippi State : Mississippi State University, 2006. http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/ETD-browse/browse.
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O'Connell, Bronwyn Anne. "Home range dynamics of spotted grunter, pomadasys commersonnii, in a South African intermittently open estuary." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2008. http://eprints.ru.ac.za/1289/.
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Ulrey, Wade Allen. "HOME RANGE, HABITAT USE, AND FOOD HABITS OF THE BLACK BEAR IN SOUTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA." UKnowledge, 2008. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/524.
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I studied a small, enigmatic, and imperiled black bear population in south-central Florida from 2004 - 2006. Annual home ranges of males (96.0 km2) were larger than those of females (32.2 km2). Female home ranges were smaller in winter than in summer or fall. At the landscape scale, bears selected forests, scrub, and citrus, but avoided urban areas. At the home range scale, bears selected bay swamp and hardwood hammock, but avoided urban areas and grassland. Bears selected bay swamp in winter, forests and scrub in summer, and forests, scrub, and marsh in fall. The bear’s diverse diet included citrus fruit. Important foods were acorn, saw palmetto fruit, and Florida carpenter ant. The local landscape is dominated by agriculture on private lands, as opposed to large contiguous forests on public land elsewhere in Florida black bear range. Mean patch size of forests was smaller, while edge density, diversity, and evenness were higher in south-central Florida than elsewhere in the state. Diversity of forest habitat may partially account for the persistence of the black bear in this fragmented landscape. Managers should encourage private landowners to adopt practices that promote bear habitat, and focus on habitat diversity, road crossings, and statewide metapopulation structure.