DOCSLIB.ORG

Tailed Deer in the Southern

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Tailed Deer in the Southern White-Tailed Deer in the Southern. Forest Habitat ProceedZzg~of n Symposiam at Nacogdoches, Texas March 25-26, 1969 Southern Forest Experiment Station Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture in coope~ationwith the Forest Game Committee of the southeaster^^ Section of the Wildlife Society and the School of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University White-tailed deer were once nearly exterminated in the South. In the past several decades, however, improvements in game management and changes in land use patterns have enabled populations to recover. The deer today are more numerous than at any time since white men settled the country. Deer are highly valued by the public. They are heavily hunted by sportsmen, admired by nature enthusiasts, and desired by some land- owners as a possible source of additional income. Yet to many persons the deer are less than a blessing. They some- times severely damage farm crops and young trees. They are possible transmitters of disease. They often compete with other wild animals or livestock for food. They create difficulties in resource allocation and management. These problems become more complicated as human popu- lations expand and as competition for land use intensifies. The potential values of deer, however, outweigh the undesirable characteristics, but enlightened management is necessary if these values are to be achieved fully. The symposium was organized to consolidate known information and to offer a means of expressing new ideas and philosophy pertinent to management of white-tailed deer in southern forests. Persons from Federal agencies, State conservation departments, universities, and private industry were asked to contribute their knowl- edge and viewpoints. Speakers emphasized the background, characteris- tics, and management of deer and their habitat. Of special importance were papers concerning the outlook for deer as influenced by sociological, economic, and political factors. It is believed that the information presented here represents the most complete compendium now available on the southern white-tailed deer. Lowell K. Halls WILDLIFEHABITAT AND SILVICULTURELABORATORY SOUTHERNFOREST EXPERIMENT STATION NACOGDOCHES,TEXAS Contents Page History of deer and their habitat in the South- John D. Newsom Population dynamics of whlte-talled deer- Walter V. Robertson . 5 Foods and feeding hablts of white-tailed deer- Daniel W. Lay 8 Physiology and nutrition of deer in southern upland forests- Henry L. Short 14 Seasonal changes in movements of white-tailed deer- Robert L. Downing, Burd S. McGinnes, Ralph L. Petcher, and Joshua L. Sandt 19 Deer predation In North Carolma and other southeastern States- Frank B. Barzck 25 Some considerations for diseases and parasites of white-tailed deer in the southeastern United States- Frank A. Hayes and Annie K. Prestwoocl 32 Critical factors In habitat appra~sal- William D. Zeedyk Deer habitat quality of major forest types in the South- J. J. Stransky 42 Agricultural clearings as sources of supplemental food and habitat diversity for white-tailed deer- Joseph S. Larson 46 Philosophy of deerherd management- Jack A. Crockford 51 Hunting methods, limits, and regulations- Dean A. Murphy 54 Managed hunts by State agencies- A. Gordon Spratt 59 Effects of timber harvest and regeneration on deerfood and cover- V. E. Carter and S A. Dow 62 How size and distribution of cutting units affect food and cover of deer- Burd S. McGinnes ................................................................................. 66 Short and long rotations in relation to deer management in southern forests- Phil D. Goodrum ........................................................................... 71 Timber stand density influences food and cover- Robert M. Blair .......................................................................... 74 Effects of hardwood control on food and cover- E. B. Chamberlain, Jr. .......................................... The effects of prescribed burning on deerfood and cover- Paul A. Shrauder and Howard A. Miller ...................................... _.. 81 The goals of the southern National forests in white-tailed deer management- Donald D. Strode and Wayne J. Cloward ........................................ 85 The goals of State conservation agencies in deerherd management- Frank P. Nelson .......................................................................... 88 The goals of private forest holdings in deer management- Raymond D. Moody .......................................................................... 90 Prevention and control of damage to trees- D. C. Denton, E. H. Hodil, and D. H. Arner ..................................... 93 Measuring habitat productivity- Richard F. Harlow and James D. WheEan ..................................... 98 Evaluating food use-new methods and techniques- H. S. Crawford ............................................................................ 109 Problems in censusing the while-tailed deer- James H. Jenkins and R. Larry Marchinton .................................... 115 The use of models in resource management- Don W. Hayne ................................................................................... 119 Sociological and economic considerations in management of white- tailed deer- E. L. Cheatum, Lonnie L. Williamson, and A. Sydney Johnson .... 123 Regulatory legislation and public attitude on white-tailed deer man- agement- Leslie L. Glasgow ............................................................................... 127 History of Deer and Their Habitat in the South John D. Newsom ' Louisiana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife U. S. Department of the Interior Baton Rouge, Louisiana The history of deer and their habitat in the South bama) was 250,000 pounds of hides The annual export is separated into four periods: Precolonial, Exploi- from Charles Town i South Carolina) between 1739 and tation, Recovery, and Today. 1762 was from 131,000 pounds to 355,000 pounds and In the Precolonial Period deer populations and from Georgia between 1765 and 1773 was more than their habitat remained relatively stable over long 200,000 pounds " George Barnard is reported to have periods of time even thoz~glrdeer were widely used shipped not less than 75,000 deerskins from near the for food, clothing, and tools by the Indians. present site of Waco, Texas, between 1844 and 1853, and at his death in 1883 was one of the wealthiest men Exploitation through settlement and clearing of in Texas, having gained h~swealth from trade in deer land, market hunting for meat and hides and hunt- and other animal sklns (Strecker 1927) ing without restrictions throughout the year reduced deer populations to an alltime low in the South Most of these records refer to the middle and late 18th aboz~t1920. century. I have not been able to establish the precise Recovery was initiated by the establishment of period during which a general decline in deer popula- National Forest Preserves in the early 1900's. It tions occurred throughout the South. It is assumed that progressed through the establishment and enforce- the initial decline in numbers occurred first in the east- ment of hunting regulations, reversion of farmland ern seaboard States and progressed westward with colon- to forests and Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration ization and subsequent exploitation. This pattern of restocking programs. decline is probably reflected by the dates when game laws were first established by the various States: Vir- Currently, approximately 90 percent of the land ginia, 1699; Maryland, 1730; North Carolina, 1730; South area in the South is open to deer hunting, and the Carolina, 1755; Georgia, 1790; Mississippi, 1803; Ala- annual kill exceeds 300,000 deer. bama, 1822; Florida, 1828; Louisiana, 1857; Texas, 1860; Kentucky, 1861; Tennessee, 1870; and Arkansas, 1875. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The South was obviously a land of plenty, insofar as I am indebted to the following persons for providing decr were concerned, until the middle of the 19th cen- some of the information used in this paper: Charles tury. Kelley, Alabama; Gene Rush, Arkansas: Gordon Spratt, The chronology of evolution of deer and their habitat Florida; Hubert Handy, Georgia; Fred Hardy, Kentucky; in the South can best be described in stages. For my Bill Turcotte, Mississippi; Frank Barick, North Carolina; discussion, I will utilize the following: Stage I-The Frank Nelson, South Carolina; Roy Anderson, Tennes- Precolonial Period; Stage 11-Exploitatiol?; Stage 111- see; and Dick Cross, Virginia. Recovery; and Stage IV--Today. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus ?~irginianus)is the big game animal in the Southern United States. .. THE PRECOLONIAL PERIOD Writings of early travelers through the South are replete with accounts of the abundance of deer iDu- When we think of wildlife habitat in the South at the Pratz 1774; Bartram 1792). The dependence of early time of discovery and initial settlement by white men, settlers on the white-tailed deer for food and clothing we are prone to visualize a pristine wilderness. Obvi- is well known. During certain times the settlers depend- ously, most of the forested areas of the South were virgin ed heavily on the meat and skins of deer as itenis of trade. wilderness, characterized by mature forests with rc!a- Through some of these records we are able to obtain lively clean floors and little understory of value to deer. information on the relative abulidance of deer during I-Iou7evcr, even at that early
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Spring 2018 | Vol
    INSIDE The Promise of Electronic Health Records 18 Outback Visionaries 24 A demographic shift is underway, driven by women who decide that delaying motherhood is Worth the Wait Spring 2018 | Vol. 20, No. 2 Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images TIME CAPSULE The Pew Memorial Foundation was incorporated on Feb. 6, 1948, by two sons and two daughters of Sun Oil Co. founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary Anderson Pew. The first grant was to the American Red Cross for $30,000— when adjusted for inflation, it would be approximately $300,000 today. Other recipients that year included the Institute for Cancer Research, now part of the Fox Chase Cancer Center; and Grove City College. Over the next seven decades, the foundation would evolve into The Pew Charitable Trusts. But constant from that time to now have been the guiding principles of innovation, entrepreneurship, and excellence in Pew’s pursuit of advancing the public good. CONTENTS 2 Notes From the President: A Lively, Constructive Discontent 4 The Big Picture: How to Catch a Swordfish 6 Noteworthy: Gains for Sharks; More Parents Living With Adult Children; Tennessee Leverages Data to Install Change; Consumers Struggle With Bank Overdrafts; In Philadelphia, Job Shifts Drive Poverty 10 Jackie Molloy 10 More Moms They’re waiting longer, but more women are having children. By Carol Kaufmann 18 The Puzzle—and the Promise—of Electronic Health Records Computerized patient information can revolutionize health care, but some puzzles need to be solved first. By Rob Waters 24 Outback Visionaries 18 Ann Cutting Ecotourism in Australia’s Outback helps protect the plants, wildlife, and landscapes that visitors come to see.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ethical Consistency of Animal Equality
    1 The ethical consistency of animal equality Stijn Bruers, Sept 2013, DRAFT 2 Contents 0. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................ 5 0.1 SUMMARY: TOWARDS A COHERENT THEORY OF ANIMAL EQUALITY ........................................................................ 9 1. PART ONE: ETHICAL CONSISTENCY ......................................................................................................... 18 1.1 THE BASIC ELEMENTS ................................................................................................................................. 18 a) The input data: moral intuitions .......................................................................................................... 18 b) The method: rule universalism............................................................................................................. 20 1.2 THE GOAL: CONSISTENCY AND COHERENCE ..................................................................................................... 27 1.3 THE PROBLEM: MORAL ILLUSIONS ................................................................................................................ 30 a) Optical illusions .................................................................................................................................... 30 b) Moral illusions ....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Microcebus Murinus)
    Sex-specific differences in dispersal propensities and their consequences for grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) D i s s e r t a t i o n zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Mathematisch‐Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultäten der Georg‐August‐Universität zu Göttingen vorgelegt von Susanne Schliehe‐Diecks aus Glandorf Göttingen 2012 Referent: Prof. Dr. Peter M. Kappeler Korreferent: Prof. Dr. Eckhard W. Heymann Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 16.07.2012 Grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), nocturnal, solitary active primates CONTENTS CONTENTS GENERAL INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1: DISPERSAL MOVEMENTS Walk the line – Dispersal movements of gray mouse lemurs………..............................11 with Manfred Eberle and Peter M. Kappeler Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology (2012): in press CHAPTER 2: PROXIMATE MECHANISMS OF NATAL DISPERSAL Ready to go? On the relationship between natal dispersal and body mass in gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus)...............................................................37 with Manfred Eberle and Peter M. Kappeler Behavioral Ecology: submitted CHAPTER 3: SEX‐SPECIFIC BEHAVIOURAL DIFFERENCES On the application of mixed hidden Markov models to multiple behavioural time series....................................................................................................................57 with Peter M. Kappeler and Roland Langrock Interface Focus (2012) 2: 180‐189 CHAPTER 4: CONSEQUENCES OF NATAL DISPERSAL The
    [Show full text]
  • When Should a Territory Resident Attack?
    ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 2001, 62, 749–759 doi:10.1006/anbe.2001.1799, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on When should a territory resident attack? PAUL V. SWITZER*, JUDY A. STAMPS† & MARC MANGEL‡ *Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University †Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis ‡Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz (Received 10 August 2000; initial acceptance 2 October 2000; final acceptance 15 March 2001; MS. number: A8855) Models of territorial defence tend to omit two characteristics of many territorial systems: repeated intrusions by the same individual and the learning processes of residents and intruders. Here we present state-dependent, dynamic models of feeding territories, designed to investigate temporal patterns of resident aggression towards intruders that are capable of spatial learning. We compare two types of models: (1) a nomadic intruder model, in which intruders never visit the same territory twice, and (2) a single, repeat intruder model, in which an intruder may repeatedly intrude into a given territory but is less likely to do so after being attacked. These two models produce qualitatively and quantitatively different patterns of aggression by residents. For instance, residents with intruders that may repeatedly intrude have high initial attack rates, regardless of initial probability of intrusion, but their attack rates decline over time. In contrast, residents in the nomadic intruder model do not attack intruders if intrusion rates are moderately high, and their attack rates are constant and high for most of the period of territory tenure. In addition, residents of both nomadic and repeat intruder scenarios stopped attacking intruders for a short period before voluntarily abandoning their feeding territories.
    [Show full text]
  • White-Tailed Deer Scientific Name: Odocoileus Virginianus
    ODNR Division of Wildlife Life History Notes White-tailed Deer Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus Publication 101 (R503) Introduction with heavy, long guard hairs and a thick under- The white-tailed deer, commonly referred to coat that provides excellent insulation. White as the whitetail, is perhaps Ohio’s best-known patches are found around the eyes, on the wildlife species. It is seen in the state’s wildlife throat, belly, tail (underside), and insides of the areas, parks, and nature preserves as well as in legs. When in flight, the large white tail or flag, the backyards of rural and suburban residents. flipped up in the air can be the easiest way to The state’s only big game animal, it has pro- spot the deer. vided table fare for generations of the state’s Whitetails, especially in Ohio, are also well inhabitants from Native Americans to thou- known for their antlers. The whitetail buck grows sands of sportsmen and women today. its first set of antlers when it is a year old. Each However, the white-tailed deer hasn’t always year, a buck’s antlers begin growing in the been as abundant in the state as it is today. early spring. The developing antler is covered As a matter of fact, there was a period of time with a thick velvety skin rich with blood vessels (1904 to 1923) when the deer was absent in the and nerves. Decreasing day length in the late state. As Ohio was settled, habitat was eliminat- summer and early fall triggers many physical ed and hunting was unregulated.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Ecology Progress Series 570:233
    Vol. 570: 233–246, 2017 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published April 27 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12073 Mar Ecol Prog Ser OPEN ACCESS Visitor noise at a nesting colony alters the behavior of a coastal seabird Rachel T. Buxton1,*, Reina Galvan1, Megan F. McKenna2, Cecilia L. White1, Victoria Seher3 1Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1474, USA 2Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, USA 3Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California 94123, USA ABSTRACT: Exposure to park visitors can disrupt animal behavior. Management strategies often aim to eliminate direct human disturbance; however, elevated visitor noise levels may remain. Coastal seabird colonies frequently overlap with scenic locations, resulting in high visitor noise and potentially altered behavior, habitat use, and fitness. We examine the impact of visitor noise on Brandt’s cormorants Phalacrocorax penicillatus at Alcatraz Island, an important nesting site and one of California’s most visited attractions. We used paired acoustic and video recorders to investigate the relationship between visitor noise levels and the behavior and relative abundance of cormorants in colonies adjacent to and far from a heavily visited building. Visitors were not visible from the cormorant colonies. At cormorant colonies adjacent to the visited building, distur- bance-related behaviors increased with visitor noise. Conversely, there was no relationship be - tween behavior and visitor noise in colonies far from the visited building. Cormorant disturbance behavior increased and abundance decreased when gulls were present at colonies adjacent to the visited building, whereas there was no relationship between gulls and behavior or abundance at colonies far from the visited building.
    [Show full text]
  • Managing Your Woodland for White-Tailed Deer St
    MANAGING YOUR WOODLAND FOR Managing Your Woodland for White-tailed Deer St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 Paul, St. Road 500 Lafayette SectionWildlife of Department of Natural Resources White-tailed deer are Minnesota’s most abundant Behavior and Home Range and popular big game animal with a population of White-tailed deer make seasonal changes in the White-tailed approximately one million. Through the early to mid- use and size of their home range in response to 2000’s, deer populations were at historic high levels and changing weather, food availability and cover needs. In have only recently been reduced through liberal hunting Minnesota’s northern forests an adult doe’s seasonal Deer regulations. They are found throughout Minnesota and home range is between 120-900 acres. Yearling does thrive in many diverse landscapes across the state’s more establish home ranges near their mother, while yearling than 79,000 square miles. Deer are very adaptable and bucks are more likely to establish home ranges some can be found in agricultural areas near river bottoms distance from their mother’s home range. In late and in farm woodlots, in open grass and brushland summer, adult does, fawns, and yearlings gather in landscapes, and in northern forests. An important aspect social groups, staying together through the winter and of maintaining desirable deer populations is employing spring. a hunting season harvest strategy that targets antlerless deer, and by providing the proper habitat, or food, cover, Adult bucks occupy 300-1,300 acre home ranges water, and space. By learning about the basics habitat and expand their home ranges during the fall rutting needs of deer, and through active habitat and hunting season.
    [Show full text]
  • The Core Argument for Veganism
    Philosophia (2015) 43:271–290 DOI 10.1007/s11406-015-9595-5 The Core Argument for Veganism Stijn Bruers1 Received: 11 November 2014 /Revised: 16 March 2015 /Accepted: 23 March 2015 / Published online: 4 April 2015 # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015 Abstract This article presents an argument for veganism, using a formal-axiomatic approach: a list of twenty axioms (basic definitions, normative assumptions and empirical facts) are explicitly stated. These axioms are all necessary conditions to derive the conclusion that veganism is a moral duty. The presented argument is a minimalist or core argument for veganism, because it is as parsimonious as possible, using the weakest conditions, the narrowest definitions, the most reliable empirical facts and the minimal assumptions necessary to reach the conclusion. If someone does not accept the conclu- sion, logical consistency requires that s/he should be able to point at axiom(s) on which s/ he disagrees. The argument exposes hidden assumptions and provides a framework for an overview of the philosophical literature on animal rights and vegetarianism / veganism. Keywords Veganism . Speciesism . Animal ethics . Sentience Is veganism a moral duty? This article is an attempt to present a most logical argument for veganism,1 using a formal-axiomatic approach: all axioms (premises such as basic definitions, normative assumptions and empirical facts), as well as the logical steps from those axioms to the conclusions, will be stated as explicitly as possible. This axiomatic approach has three advantages. First, it allows us to directly and efficiently study the question: if people want to continue eating animal products, which of the assumptions do they reject? Everyone who wants to justify the consumption of animal products should be able to indicate at least one of the axioms that s/he rejects.
    [Show full text]
  • Reducing the Effects of Predation on Threatened and Endangered Birds in the State of Maine
    ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REDUCING THE EFFECTS OF PREDATION ON THREATENED AND ENDANGERED BIRDS IN THE STATE OF MAINE Prepared by: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE WILDLIFE SERVICES In Cooperation With: United States Department of the Interior United States Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Program Region 5 United States Department of the Interior United States Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Region 5 United States Department of the Interior United States Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services Region 5 Maine Field Office November 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS .............................................................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION 1.1 PURPOSE ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 NEED FOR ACTION ...................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 SCOPE OF THIS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ............................................................... 7 1.4 RELATIONSHIP OF THIS DOCUMENT TO OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS . 12 1.5 AUTHORITY OF FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES ........................................................... 14 1.6 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND STATUTES ....................................................................... 15 1.7 DECISIONS
    [Show full text]
  • Born Free and Equal? on the Ethical Consistency of Animal Equality
    Born free and equal? On the ethical consistency of animal equality Stijn Bruers Proefschrift voorgelegd tot het bekomen van de graad van Doctor in de Moraalwetenschappen Promotor: Prof. dr. Johan Braeckman Promotor Prof. dr. Johan Braeckman Vakgroep Wijsbegeerte en Moraalwetenschap Decaan Prof. dr. Marc Boone Rector Prof. dr. Anne De Paepe Nederlandse vertaling: Vrij en gelijk geboren? Over ethische consistentie en dierenrechten Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte Stijn Bruers Born free and equal? On the ethical consistency of animal equality Proefschrift voorgelegd tot het behalen van de graad van Doctor in de moraalwetenschappen 2014 Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Dr. Johan Braeckman. He allowed me to explore many new paths in ethics and philosophy and he took time to guide me through the research. His assistance and advice were precious. Second, I owe gratitude to Prof. Dr. Tom Claes and Tim De Smet for comments and Dianne Scatrine and Scott Bell for proofreading. Thanks to Gitte for helping me with the lay-out and cover. Thanks to the University of Ghent for giving opportunities, knowledge and assistance. From all philosophers I know, perhaps Floris van den Berg has ethical ideas closest to mine. I enjoyed our collaboration and meetings with him. Also the many discussions with animal rights activists of Bite Back, with the participants at the International Animal Rights Conferences and Gatherings and with the many meat eaters I encountered during the years allowed me to refine my theories. Furthermore, I am grateful to anonymous reviewers for some useful comments on my research papers.
    [Show full text]
  • Predation Management Fact Sheet
    Predation Management Fact Sheet Developed by the Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Predation Management Fact Sheet Predation is a huge issue for the lamb industry. It Coyotes may be seen with livestock as they will never be eliminated entirely so producers must move through their territory and not be problem learn to manage predation as best as they can. animals. Predation requires a comprehensive approach as A coyote’s primary method of kill is to attack there isn’t a single solution. Education and sheep by the throat and cause death by prevention must be a part of the management suffocation. approach to predation. Coyote dens are usually located within 400 m of water, often on a south-facing slope. Understanding Coyote Behavior Coyote’s may dig their own den or use an Not all coyotes are killers. abandoned badger den. Coyotes are opportunists looking for the easiest Dens are typically concealed by shrubbery. food source; studies have shown that rotting flesh from dead animals (carrion) provides 2/3 of the Reduce the Risk coyotes winter diet. Proper dead stock management. Coyotes are territorial; territories are generally Removal of specific problem coyotes. about 3 sq miles in size and may overlap slightly into the next territory. Use of guardian animals. Territorial pairs are most implicated in predation Use of predation fencing. incidences, particularly while feeding pups. Night penning. If coyotes or select problem animals are removed Use of scare or noise deterrents such as scare from an area, it is only a matter of time before crows, cannons, radios, or lights.
    [Show full text]
  • Factors Affecting Breeding Territory Size and Placement of the Florida Grasshoper Sparrow (Ammodramus Savannarum Floridanus)
    University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2009 Factors Affecting Breeding Territory Size And Placement Of The Florida Grasshoper Sparrow (ammodramus Savannarum Floridanus) Jill Aldredge University of Central Florida Part of the Biology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Aldredge, Jill, "Factors Affecting Breeding Territory Size And Placement Of The Florida Grasshoper Sparrow (ammodramus Savannarum Floridanus)" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 4042. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/4042 FACTORS AFFECTING BREEDING TERRITORY SIZE AND PLACEMENT OF THE FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROW (AMMODRAMUS SAVANNARUM FLORIDANUS) by JILL NICOLE ALDREDGE B.S. University of Kansas, 2000 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Biology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2009 ABSTRACT For most taxa, maximizing fitness depends on maintaining access to adequate resources. Territories provide exclusive use of resources for an individual or a family group, thus facilitating successful reproduction. The economic defensibility of a territory depends on the quality, abundance, and distribution of its resources as well as the amount of competition that an individual must endure to maintain exclusive access. The benefits of defense must outweigh the costs for territoriality to be profitable.
    [Show full text]