DOCSLIB.ORG

Open a Townsend Thesis for Submission.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Open a Townsend Thesis for Submission.Pdf The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Department of Geography REVISITING MESOPREDATOR RELEASE: CARNIVORE DYNAMICS ALONG A GRADIENT OF LANDSCAPE DISTURBANCE A Thesis in Geography by Andrew T. Townsend 2014 Andrew T. Townsend Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science August 2014 The thesis of Andrew T. Townsend was reviewed and approved* by the following: Robert P. Brooks Professor of Geography and Ecology Thesis Advisor Joseph A. Bishop Instructor in Geography, Research Associate for Riparia Thomas L. Serfass Professor of Biology at Frostburg State University Cynthia A. Brewer Professor of Geography Head of the Department of Geography *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT Human induced habitat loss and predator persecution caused severe declines in apex carnivores throughout the North American continent. Removal of apex predators allowed smaller, lower rank predators from the Order Carnivora to become prominent. These "mesopredators" flourished, destabilizing ecosystems by driving many prey species toward extinction. However, some suggest that mesopredators still benefit from contemporary vegetation changes and fragmentation by thriving in disturbed areas. Many worry the versatility of these mesopredators could further threaten their prey species by leading to increased predation in anthropogenically- disturbed areas. This study seasonally sampled predator distributions along land cover gradients in forested, riparian corridors in Appalachia to identify whether landscape modification results in changes in carnivore community structure in the region. The study area consisted of randomly generated sites along streams in central Pennsylvania. I gathered data from camera traps and field surveys to catalogue the spatial ecology of mesopredators. I analyzed these data with landscape metrics to test the hypothesis that as forest contiguity decreases, both the abundance and richness of the predator community increases, possibly adding pressure on vulnerable prey populations. Through the analysis of these habitat metrics and carnivore occurrence data, this study found that carnivore species richness and abundance do generally increase with human disturbance in rural settings. However, this pattern is not due to the behavior of every species as many mesopredators are present across these rural landscapes and exhibit different responses to disturbance. Nevertheless, a few important generalists, namely the canids and raccoons, do show preferences toward more human disturbed areas and thus, are most accountable for this observed pattern. Keywords: spatial ecology, mesopredator, predation, forest decline, landscape gradients, riparian corridors, Appalachia, ecological cascades, landscape ecology iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1 The Rise of the Mesopredator ................................................................................ 1 Mesopredators and Landscape Disturbance.................................................................... 4 The Newfound Mesopredator Community ..................................................................... 6 A Search for Solutions ................................................................................................... 8 Significance and Further Study ...................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2 The Mesopredators of Central Pennsylvania ......................................................... 12 Coyote (Canis latrans) ................................................................................................... 16 Opossum (Didelphis virginia) ........................................................................................ 18 Bobcat (Lynx rufus) ........................................................................................................ 19 Fisher (Martes pennanti) ................................................................................................ 21 Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) ................................................................................. 22 Mink (Neovison vison) ................................................................................................... 24 Raccoons (Procyon lotor) .............................................................................................. 25 Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) ........................................................................... 27 Black Bear (Ursus americanus) ..................................................................................... 28 Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)................................................................................................. 30 Chapter 3 Case Study: Mesopredator Community Dynamics along a Gradient of Landscape Disturbance in Central Pennsylvania ............................................................ 32 Landscape Change and Corridors ................................................................................... 32 Study Objectives ............................................................................................................ 37 Study Area ..................................................................................................................... 40 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 42 Results ............................................................................................................................ 62 Chapter 4 Implications, Discussion, and Conclusions ............................................................ 96 Appendix A Study Tables ............................................................................................. 105 Appendix B Survey and Assessment Forms .................................................................. 112 Literature Cited .............................................................................................................. 114 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1. A representation of the mesopredator community food web. .............................. 15 Figure 2-2. Canis latrans at a nonforested, heavily disturbed site. ......................................... 16 Figure 2-3. Didelphis virginia at a moderately disturbed site. ................................................ 18 Figure 2-4. Lynx rufus at a less disturbed, interior forest site. ................................................ 19 Figure 2-5. Martes pennanti at a less disturbed, interior forest site. ....................................... 21 Figure 2-6. Mephitis mephitis at a highly disturbed, agricultural site. .................................... 22 Figure 2-7. Neovison vison at a less disturbed, interior forest site. ......................................... 24 Figure 2-8. Procyon lotor at a less disturbed, interior forest site. ........................................... 25 Figure 2-9. Urocyon cinereoargenteus at a highly disturbed site. .......................................... 27 Figure 2-10. Ursus americanus at a moderately disturbed, forest-edge site. .......................... 28 Figure 2-11. Vulpes vulpes at a highly disturbed, agricultural site. ........................................ 30 Figure 3-1. Map of riparian study sites (n = 23) in the Ridge and Valley Province of central Pennsylvania. ...................................................................................................... 42 Figure 3-2. Example sites for forested (left) and nonforested (right) riparian zones. ............. 43 Figure 3-4. Example site buffers (1 km radius) with land cover. ........................................... 51 Figure 3-5. The approximate relative abundance of species in the predator community. ....... 63 Figure 3-6. Example scatterplots of several important metrics and species richness with best fitting regression lines. ............................................................................................ 67 Figure 3-7. A graph denoting site abundance in the predator community by season.. ............ 71 Figure 3-8. A scatterplot with a regression line showing predator abundance by edge density. ........................................................................................................................... 73 Figure 3-9. A scatterplot with a regression line showing opossum site abundance by edge density. ........................................................................................................................... 74 Figure 3-10. A scatterplot with a regression line showing carnivore site abundance by edge density, this time without opossums or raccoons. .................................................. 75 Figure 3-11. Percent Nonforest and the occupancy of both fox species. ................................ 78 vi Figure 3-12. Locations of red and gray fox occurrences in the study landscape..................... 79 Figure 3-13. Coyote occurrence locations detected by camera traps across study landscape. ......................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Predators As Agents of Selection and Diversification
    diversity Review Predators as Agents of Selection and Diversification Jerald B. Johnson * and Mark C. Belk Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-801-422-4502 Received: 6 October 2020; Accepted: 29 October 2020; Published: 31 October 2020 Abstract: Predation is ubiquitous in nature and can be an important component of both ecological and evolutionary interactions. One of the most striking features of predators is how often they cause evolutionary diversification in natural systems. Here, we review several ways that this can occur, exploring empirical evidence and suggesting promising areas for future work. We also introduce several papers recently accepted in Diversity that demonstrate just how important and varied predation can be as an agent of natural selection. We conclude that there is still much to be done in this field, especially in areas where multiple predator species prey upon common prey, in certain taxonomic groups where we still know very little, and in an overall effort to actually quantify mortality rates and the strength of natural selection in the wild. Keywords: adaptation; mortality rates; natural selection; predation; prey 1. Introduction In the history of life, a key evolutionary innovation was the ability of some organisms to acquire energy and nutrients by killing and consuming other organisms [1–3]. This phenomenon of predation has evolved independently, multiple times across all known major lineages of life, both extinct and extant [1,2,4]. Quite simply, predators are ubiquitous agents of natural selection. Not surprisingly, prey species have evolved a variety of traits to avoid predation, including traits to avoid detection [4–6], to escape from predators [4,7], to withstand harm from attack [4], to deter predators [4,8], and to confuse or deceive predators [4,8].
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Livestock Protection Dogs on Mesocarnivore
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Texas A&M Repository THE INFLUENCE OF LIVESTOCK PROTECTION DOGS ON MESOCARNIVORE ACTIVITY IN THE EDWARDS PLATEAU OF TEXAS A Thesis by NICHOLAS A. BROMEN Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Chair of Committee: John M. Tomeček Co-Chair of Committee: Nova J. Silvy Committee Member: Fred E. Smeins Head of Department: Michael P. Masser December 2017 Major Subject: Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Copyright 2017 Nick Bromen ABSTRACT The use of livestock protection dogs (LPDs; Canis lupus familiaris) to deter predators from preying upon sheep and goat herds continues to increase across the United States. Most research regarding the efficacy of LPDs has been based on queries of rancher satisfaction with their performance, yet little is known regarding whether LPDs actually displace the predators they are commissioned to protect livestock from. Here, I examined whether the presence of LPDs amid livestock resulted in fewer observable detections of carnivores in pastures they occupied throughout 1 year on a ranch in central Texas. To detect and quantify the presence of carnivores across the ranch, a remote camera grid and scat transects were simultaneously surveyed to compare results produced between each method. Four LPDs were fitted with GPS collars to collect their positions and evaluate their occupancy across the ranch over time. These GPS collars also collected proximity data on a random sample of UHF collared sheep (n = 40) and goats (n = 20) to gauge the frequency to which the LPDs were near livestock.
    [Show full text]
  • Top Predators Constrain Mesopredator Distributions
    Top predators constrain mesopredator distributions Citation: Newsome, Thomas M., Greenville, Aaron C., Ćirović, Dusko, Dickman, Christopher R., Johnson, Chris N., Krofel, Miha, Letnic, Mike, Ripple, William J., Ritchie, Euan G., Stoyanov, Stoyan and Wirsing, Aaron J. 2017, Top predators constrain mesopredator distributions, Nature communications, vol. 8, Article number: 15469, pp. 1-7. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15469 © 2017, The Authors Reproduced by Deakin University under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence Downloaded from DRO: http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30098987 DRO Deakin Research Online, Deakin University’s Research Repository Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B ARTICLE Received 15 Dec 2016 | Accepted 29 Mar 2017 | Published 23 May 2017 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15469 OPEN Top predators constrain mesopredator distributions Thomas M. Newsome1,2,3,4, Aaron C. Greenville2,5, Dusˇko C´irovic´6, Christopher R. Dickman2,5, Chris N. Johnson7, Miha Krofel8, Mike Letnic9, William J. Ripple3, Euan G. Ritchie1, Stoyan Stoyanov10 & Aaron J. Wirsing4 Top predators can suppress mesopredators by killing them, competing for resources and instilling fear, but it is unclear how suppression of mesopredators varies with the distribution and abundance of top predators at large spatial scales and among different ecological contexts. We suggest that suppression of mesopredators will be strongest where top predators occur at high densities over large areas. These conditions are more likely to occur in the core than on the margins of top predator ranges. We propose the Enemy Constraint Hypothesis, which predicts weakened top-down effects on mesopredators towards the edge of top predators’ ranges. Using bounty data from North America, Europe and Australia we show that the effects of top predators on mesopredators increase from the margin towards the core of their ranges, as predicted.
    [Show full text]
  • Controlling Mesopredators: Importance of Behavioural Interactions in Trophic Cascades
    ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Palacios Otero, Maria del Mar (2017) Controlling mesopredators: importance of behavioural interactions in trophic cascades. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/49909/ The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] and quote http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/49909/ Controlling Mesopredators: importance of behavioural interactions in trophic cascades Thesis submitted by Maria del Mar Palacios Otero, BSc January 2017 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Biology ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Dedicated to the ones I love … To my amazing mom, dad and brother who infused my childhood with science, oceans, travel and. To my beloved partner for all his emotional and scientific support. II Acknowledgements I owe a debt of gratitude to many people who have contributed to the success of this PhD thesis and who have made this one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor Mark McCormick for embarking with me on this ‘mesopredator’ journey. I greatly appreciate all his expertise, insight, knowledge and guidance. My gratitude is extended to all my co-authors, Donald Warren, Shaun Killen, Lauren Nadler, and Martino Malerba who committed to my projects and shared with me their knowledge, skills and time.
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Reef Mesopredator Trophodynamics in Response to Reef Condition
    ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following work: Hempson, Tessa N. (2017) Coral reef mesopredator trophodynamics in response to reef condition. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: https://doi.org/10.4225/28/5acbfc72a2f27 Copyright © 2017 Tessa N. Hempson. The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please email [email protected] Thesis submitted by Tessa N. Hempson, BSc. (Hons), MSc. In April 2017 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville, Queensland, Australia i Acknowledgements It is difficult to even begin expressing the depth of gratitude I feel towards all the people in my life who have contributed to bringing me to this point. What a journey it has been! I was born into the magical savannas of South Africa – a great blessing. But, for many born at the same time, this meant a life without the privilege of education or even literacy. I have been privileged beyond measure in my education, much of which would not have been imaginable without the immense generosity of my ‘fairy godparents’. Thank you, Joan and Ernest Pieterse. You have given me opportunities that have changed the course of my life, and made my greatest dreams and aspirations a reality. Few PhD students have the privilege of the support and guidance of a remarkable team of supervisors such as mine.
    [Show full text]
  • Response of Skunks to a Simulated Increase in Coyote Activity
    Journal of Mammalogy, 88(4):1040–1049, 2007 RESPONSE OF SKUNKS TO A SIMULATED INCREASE IN COYOTE ACTIVITY SUZANNE PRANGE* AND STANLEY D. GEHRT Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, P.O. Box 9, Dundee, IL 60118, USA (SP, SDG) The Ohio State University, School of Natural Resources, 210 Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA (SP, SDG) Present address of SP: Ohio Division of Wildlife, 360 E State Street, Athens, OH 45701, USA An implicit assumption of the mesopredator release hypothesis (MRH) is that competition is occurring between the larger and smaller predator. When significant competition exists, the MRH predicts that larger species should affect population size, through direct predation or the elicitation of avoidance behavior, of smaller predators. However, there have been few manipulations designed to test these predictions, particularly regarding avoidance. To test whether striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) avoid coyotes (Canis latrans), we intensively monitored 21 radiocollared skunks in a natural area in northeastern Illinois. We identified 2 spatially distinct groups and recorded 1,943 locations from September to November 2003. For each group, testing periods consisted of 4 weeks (2 weeks pretreatment, 1 week treatment, and 1 week posttreatment). We simulated coyote activity during the treatment week by playing taped recordings of coyote howls at 1-h intervals at 5 locations. Additionally, we liberally applied coyote urine to several areas within 20 randomly selected 100 Â 100-m grid cells, and used the grid to classify cells as urine-treated, howling-treated, or control. We determined changes in home-range size and location, and intensity of cell use in response to treatment.
    [Show full text]
  • Spatio-Temporal Coexistence of Sympatric Mesocarnivores with a Single Apex Carnivore in a fine-Scale Landscape
    Global Ecology and Conservation 21 (2020) e00897 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Global Ecology and Conservation journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/gecco Original Research Article Spatio-temporal coexistence of sympatric mesocarnivores with a single apex carnivore in a fine-scale landscape Guojing Zhao a, b, c, d, e, 1, Haitao Yang a, b, c, d, e, 1, Bing Xie a, b, c, d, e, * Yinan Gong a, b, c, d, e, Jianping Ge a, b, c, d, e, Limin Feng a, b, c, d, e, a Northeast Tiger and Leopard Biodiversity National Observation and Research Station, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China b National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory for Conservation Ecology of Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China c National Forestry and Grassland Administration Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard Monitoring and Research Center, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China d Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Engineering, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China e College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China article info abstract Article history: Mesocarnivores uniquely and profoundly impact ecosystem function, structure, and dy- Received 23 July 2019 namics. Sympatric species tend to spatially and temporally partition limited resources to Received in revised form 22 December 2019 facilitate coexistence. We investigated the seasonal spatial and temporal cooccurrences Accepted 22 December 2019 among six mesocarnivores, the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Asian badger (Meles leucurus), Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica), masked palm Keywords: civet (Paguma larvata) and yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula), as well as a single Camera trap apex predator (Northern Chinese leopard, Panthera pardus japonensis).
    [Show full text]
  • Widespread Mesopredator Effects After Wolf Extirpation Biological
    Biological Conservation 160 (2013) 70–79 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Biological Conservation journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biocon Perspective Widespread mesopredator effects after wolf extirpation ⇑ William J. Ripple a, , Aaron J. Wirsing b, Christopher C. Wilmers c, Mike Letnic d a Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA b School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA c Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA d Australian Rivers, Wetlands and Landscapes Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia article info abstract Article history: Herein, we posit a link between the ecological extinction of wolves in the American West and the expan- Received 17 August 2012 sion in distribution, increased abundance, and inflated ecological influence of coyotes. We investigate the Received in revised form 21 December 2012 hypothesis that the release of this mesopredator from wolf suppression across much of the American Accepted 29 December 2012 West is affecting, via predation and competition, a wide range of faunal elements including mammals, birds, and reptiles. We document various cases of coyote predation on or killing of threatened and endan- gered species or species of conservation concern with the potential to alter community structure. The Keywords: apparent long-term decline of leporids in the American West, for instance, might be linked to increased Wolves coyote predation. The coyote effects we discuss could be context dependent and may also be influenced Coyotes Mesopredator release by varying bottom-up factors in systems without wolves.
    [Show full text]
  • Urban Biodiversity: Patterns and Mechanisms
    Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. ISSN 0077-8923 ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Issue: The Year in Ecology and Conservation Biology Urban biodiversity: patterns and mechanisms Stanley H. Faeth,1 Christofer Bang,2 and Susanna Saari1 1Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina. 2School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona Address for correspondence: Stanley H. Faeth, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170. [email protected] The patterns of biodiversity changes in cities are now fairly well established, although diversity changes in temperate cities are much better studied than cities in other climate zones. Generally, plant species richness often increases in cities due to importation of exotic species, whereas animal species richness declines. Abundances of some groups, especially birds and arthropods, often increase in urban areas despite declines in species richness. Although several models have been proposed for biodiversity change, the processes underlying the patterns of biodiversity in cities are poorly understood. We argue that humans directly control plants but relatively few animals and microbes— the remaining biological community is determined by this plant “template” upon which natural ecological and evolutionary processes act. As a result, conserving or reconstructing natural habitats defined by vegetation within urban areas is no guarantee that other components of the biological community will follow suit. Understanding the human-controlled and natural processes that alter biodiversity is essential for conserving urban biodiversity. This urban biodiversity will comprise a growing fraction of the world’s repository of biodiversity in the future. Keywords: urbanization; biodiversity; species interactions Introduction of cities and associated human activities4)effectson abundance, diversity, and species richness of terres- As the world’s population increasingly inhabits trial animals.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Super Predator' Reduces Feeding Time in Large Carnivores
    Downloaded from http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/ on July 24, 2017 Fear of the human ‘super predator’ rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org reduces feeding time in large carnivores Justine A. Smith1, Justin P. Suraci1,2, Michael Clinchy2, Ayana Crawford1, Devin Roberts2, Liana Y. Zanette2,† and Christopher C. Wilmers1,† Research 1Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA Cite this article: Smith JA, Suraci JP, Clinchy 2Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7 M, Crawford A, Roberts D, Zanette LY, Wilmers JAS, 0000-0001-8753-4061; JPS, 0000-0001-5952-2186; MC, 0000-0003-4691-3879; CC. 2017 Fear of the human ‘super predator’ LYZ, 0000-0003-2574-3452; CCW, 0000-0003-2063-1478 reduces feeding time in large carnivores. Proc. R. Soc. B 284: 20170433. Large carnivores’ fear of the human ‘super predator’ has the potential to alter their feeding behaviour and result in human-induced trophic cascades. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.0433 However, it has yet to be experimentally tested if large carnivores perceive humans as predators and react strongly enough to have cascading effects on their prey. We conducted a predator playback experiment exposing pumas to predator (human) and non-predator control (frog) sounds at puma feeding Received: 28 February 2017 sites to measure immediate fear responses to humans and the subsequent Accepted: 19 May 2017 impacts on feeding. We found that pumas fled more frequently, took longer to return, and reduced their overall feeding time by more than half in response to hearing the human ‘super predator’.
    [Show full text]
  • Edna Metabarcoding for Biodiversity Assessment, Generalist Predators
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN eDNA metabarcoding for biodiversity assessment, generalist predators as sampling assistants Louise Nørgaard1,2*, Carsten Riis Olesen3, Kristian Trøjelsgaard1, Cino Pertoldi1,4, Jeppe Lund Nielsen1, Pierre Taberlet5,6, Aritz Ruiz‑González7,8, Marta De Barba5,10 & Laura Iacolina1,4,9,10 With an accelerating negative impact of anthropogenic actions on natural ecosystems, non‑invasive biodiversity assessments are becoming increasingly crucial. As a consequence, the interest in the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) survey techniques has increased. The use of eDNA extracted from faeces from generalist predators, have recently been described as “biodiversity capsules” and suggested as a complementary tool for improving current biodiversity assessments. In this study, using faecal samples from two generalist omnivore species, the Eurasian badger and the red fox, we evaluated the applicability of eDNA metabarcoding in determining dietary composition, compared to macroscopic diet identifcation techniques. Subsequently, we used the dietary information obtained to assess its contribution to biodiversity assessments. Compared to classic macroscopic techniques, we found that eDNA metabarcoding detected more taxa, at higher taxonomic resolution, and proved to be an important technique to verify the species identifcation of the predator from feld collected faeces. Furthermore, we showed how dietary analyses complemented feld observations in describing biodiversity by identifying consumed fora and fauna that went unnoticed during feld observations. While diet analysis approaches could not substitute feld observations entirely, we suggest that their integration with other methods might overcome intrinsic limitations of single techniques in future biodiversity surveys. Anthropogenic infuences on ecosystems are currently causing devastating changes and we are now observing increased rates of species extinction, loss of biodiversity and, as a consequence, loss of ecosystem functioning 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparison of Noninvasive Survey Methods For
    University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Forestry and Natural Resources Resources 2012 A COMPARISON OF NONINVASIVE SURVEY METHODS FOR MONITORING MESOCARNIVORE POPULATIONS IN KENTUCKY Bryan Matthew omT University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits oy u. Recommended Citation Tom, Bryan Matthew, "A COMPARISON OF NONINVASIVE SURVEY METHODS FOR MONITORING MESOCARNIVORE POPULATIONS IN KENTUCKY" (2012). Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources. 10. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/forestry_etds/10 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Forestry and Natural Resources at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained and attached hereto needed written permission statements(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine). I hereby grant to The nivU ersity of Kentucky and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless a preapproved embargo applies.
    [Show full text]