DETERMINING THE STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE EASTERN BLACK RAIL (LATERALLUS JAMAICENSIS) IN COASTAL TEXAS by Amanda A. Haverland, M.S. A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Council of Texas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Aquatic Resources and Integrative Biology August 2019 Committee Members: Floyd Weckerly, Co-Chair M. Clay Green, Co-Chair Thom B. Hardy Christopher J. Butler Paul L. Leberg COPYRIGHT by Amanda A. Haverland 2019 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work I, Amanda A. Haverland, authorize duplication of this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am greatly indebted to my co-advisors: Floyd “Butch” W. Weckerly and M. Clay Green for allowing me to take on this amazing project, which in turn took me to amazing places, both geographically and emotionally. I am deeply grateful for the unending support, guidance, encouragement, and most of all friendship of Jennifer K. Wilson and Jarret “Woody” O. Woodrow, Jr. Without the two of you, I would have been wandering aimlessly through the marsh. I thank my committee members, Thom B. Hardy, Christopher J. Butler, and Paul L. Leberg, for guidance and support. I am also grateful to Todd Swannack and Adam Duarte for help and advice. To James D. M. Tolliver, thank you for your hard work, help and comradery. To my San Bernard NWR friends, Curtis Jones and Roland Davis: thank you for the hospitality, the office space, the reverse osmosis water, the television antenna, your unwavering willingness to help, and trusting me with the master key. Rebekah Rylander, thank you for love and support, letting me vent, and always making me laugh. To all the stellar field technicians and volunteers who braved the mud, sweat, mosquitos, alligators, and venomous snakes: Christina Farrell, Tara Hohman, Heather Erickson, Bryan Baird, Cameron Caldwell, Madison Torres, Joe Hohman, Matt Milholland, Joey Martinez, Bradford Westrich, Rebecca Bracken, Sarah Durham, Ali Cappadonna, Jacob Rogers, Shelby Stanley, and Matt Boone, thank you – you rock. I am also grateful to many others who helped me and contributed to this project in one way or another along the way including Laurie Hall, Steven Goertz, the late iv Patrick Walther, Charlie Brower, and Nathaniel Dede-Bamfo. On a more personal note: Matthew Haverland, your love and support throughout this journey helped me keep sight of the shore when I was drifting… words are not enough to express my gratitude, but thank you, my love. And to Mom and Pappy: I wouldn’t be here without you – all of my love. This research was financially supported by the Texas Comptroller’s Office. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................................1 Population Size and Abundance. .................................................................3 Species Distributions ...................................................................................5 Resiliency and Redundancy .........................................................................6 Literature Cited ..........................................................................................10 2. SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODEL FOR THE EASTERN BLACK RAIL IN COASTAL TEXAS ...........................................................................................17 Abstract ......................................................................................................17 Introduction ................................................................................................18 Different methods for modeling species distributions ...................19 Imperfect detection ........................................................................21 Methods......................................................................................................22 Study area.......................................................................................22 Species occurrence data .................................................................24 Detectability and occupancy ..........................................................25 Results ........................................................................................................31 Discussion ..................................................................................................40 Literature cited ...........................................................................................48 vi 3. BLACK RAIL HOME RANGE AND HABITAT SELECTION IN LATE WINTER AND EARLY BREEDING SEASON IN COASTAL TEXAS .......57 Abstract ......................................................................................................57 Introduction ................................................................................................57 Methods......................................................................................................60 Study site ........................................................................................60 Capture and radio marking.............................................................61 Radio telemetry ..............................................................................63 Home range ....................................................................................64 Habitat selection.............................................................................65 Results ........................................................................................................67 Home range ....................................................................................67 Habitat selection.............................................................................68 Discussion ..................................................................................................69 Supplementary Material .............................................................................76 Black rail nest ................................................................................76 Literature Cited ..........................................................................................78 4. WINTER INTERSPECIFIC DENSITY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BLACK RAILS AND YELLOW RAILS IN THE CONTEXT OF FIRE IN COASTAL TEXAS ..............................................................................85 Abstract ......................................................................................................85 Introduction ................................................................................................86 Methods......................................................................................................90 Study area.......................................................................................90 Survey methods ..............................................................................92 Statistical analysis ..........................................................................93 Results ........................................................................................................95 Bird captures ..................................................................................95 Habitat assessment .........................................................................97 Model selection ..............................................................................99 Discussion ................................................................................................100 Literature Cited ........................................................................................108 5. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................117 APPENDIX SECTION ....................................................................................................120 vii LITERATURE CITED ....................................................................................................150 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 2-1 Number of surveys conducted within each vegetation type and number of black rail detections within each vegetation type from the Ecological Mapping System of Texas ......................................................................................................................28 2-2 Descriptions (partial) from Elliott of vegetation types used as habitat covariates in occupancy models ..................................................................................................29 2-3 Results from black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) call play-back surveys conducted at 375