Index Catalog // ScholarsArchive@OSU

White-breasted nuthatch density and nesting ecology in oak woodlands of the Willamette Valley, Oregon

Creator:: Viste-Sparkman, Karen
Abstract:: Habitat loss causes a reduction in available resources for wildlife, alters the configuration of remaining habitat, and may isolate wildlife populations. White-breasted nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) are experiencing long-term population declines in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where they are historically associated with oak woodlands. As secondary cavity-nesters, white-breasted nuthatches may...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Vegetation response to prescribed fire in mountain big sagebrush ecosystems at Lava Beds National Monument, California

Creator:: Ellsworth, Lisa M.
Abstract:: Anthropogenic land use alterations such as livestock grazing and fire suppression have greatly altered sagebrush grasslands of the Great Basin, facilitating invasion of exotic annuals, increases in woody species, and losses of native species. Much of the current research surrounding wildland and prescribed fire in sagebrush dominated ecosystems has focused...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Validating songbird habitat relationship models

Creator:: Wilson, Dorothy G.
Abstract:: Models are commonly used to assess and predict wildlife response to management practices. Model validation is essential if managers are to use them with confidence. Fifteen forest bird-habitat relationship models were developed by biologists using data collected from private forestland in southwest Washington. These models predict species' probability of occurring...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Using auklets to monitor the effects of global warming on the Bering Sea ecosystem : Detecting change in auklet food supply, productivity, and populations

Creator:: Sheffield, Lisa M.
Abstract:: Global warming is progressing more rapidly in polar-regions, and its effects are more pronounced at high latitudes than in other parts of the globe. Changing ocean conditions due to climate change are predicted to have dramatic impacts on marine foodwebs. Seabirds, as upper trophic-level consumers, provide a highly visible and...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Use of extractable lipofuscin as an age biomarker to determine age structure of ghost shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis) populations in west coast estuaries

Creator:: Cassidy, Katelyn M.
Abstract:: Determining age in crustaceans is inherently imprecise because they molt periodically and do not retain hard structures throughout their lifespan. Morphological measurements, such as carapace length, are often used to estimate age because methods for direct ageing do not exist. However, variability in individual growth rate and molt frequency can...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Transmission of the chewing louse, Damalinia (Cervicola) sp., from Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) to Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) and its role in deer hair-loss syndrome.

Creator:: Robison, Jason A.
Abstract:: The potential for Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) to host exotic chewing lice (Damalinia (Cervicola) sp.) believed to cause deer hair loss syndrome in Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), was investigated in captive deer held in pens at E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area, Corvallis, Oregon from March 2004...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Transferability of models to predict selection of cover by coastal cutthroat trout in small streams in western Oregon, USA

Creator:: Andersen, Heidi V.
Abstract:: We assessed use and selection of cover by coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) in six headwater streams in three watersheds in western Oregon, USA during the summer low flow period from 1 August and September 30, 2007. We tagged 1037 coastal cutthroat trout (>100 mm) with passive integrated transponder...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The role of food limitation and predation on reproductive success of burrowing owls in southern California

Creator:: Haley, Katherin L
Abstract:: The temporal and spatial variation in reproductive success exhibited by burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) facilitates the testing of mechanisms influencing this parameter. I predicted that food supplementation would increase reproductive success through one of two means: (1) directly, through increasing food availability and decreasing the effects of brood reduction,...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The range expansion of the northern barred owl : an evaluation of the impact on spotted owls

Creator:: Kelly, Elizabeth G.
Abstract:: Since their range expansion into the Pacific Northwest, anecdotal evidence suggests that northern barred owls (Strix varia varia) may be displacing northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina). My objectives were to characterize barred owl distribution and population increase in Oregon, investigate spotted owl territory performance before and after barred owl...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The influence of fall-spawning salmon on growth and production of juvenile coho salmon rearing in beaver ponds on the Copper River Delta, Alaska

Creator:: Lang, Dirk W.
Abstract:: This thesis examined the influence of fall-spawning coho salmon on the density, growth rate, body condition, and survival to outmigration of juvenile coho salmon rearing in beaver ponds on the Copper River Delta, Alaska. During the fall of 1999 and 2000 fish rearing in ponds that received spawning salmon were...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The influence of canopy type and seasons on adult aquatic insect emergence and riparian spiders in the Oregon Coast Range

Creator:: Premdas, Sharmila
Abstract:: The objective of my study was to examine differences in riparian tree and shrub composition associated with adult aquatic emergence and implications for terrestrial spiders in these sites. Seasonal abundance and biomass of adult emergent aquatic insects, riparian arthropod abundances and spider densities were compared between conifer- and hardwood-dominated sites...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The effects of water withdrawals on the emergence timing, adult body mass, and total emerging biomass of aquatic insects from two northeast Oregon rivers

Creator:: Brown, Phil D.
Abstract:: Small low-head diversion dams are capable of removing much of the flow of a river, often resulting in increased water temperatures and habitat loss. Warmer temperatures have been shown to accelerate aquatic invertebrate growth and development, and discharge reductions can reduce instream habitat, suggesting that water withdrawals may alter both...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The effects of elevated temperature and stress on immune function in juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Creator:: Harrahy, Laura Nicole Martini
Abstract:: Stress, including extreme or rapidly changing temperatures, are known to have deleterious effects on fish health and physiology. This thesis examines the combined effects of elevated acclimation temperature and acute handling stress on the number of antibody producing cells, plasma lysozyme concentrations, and the number of pronephric leukocytes in juvenile...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The effect of landscape topography and in-stream habitat on the distribution, growth, and survival of Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi) in a high desert watershed

Creator:: Boxall, George D.
Abstract:: Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi) are currently limited in their distribution to a patchwork of small isolated populations, the result of habitat degradation and natural variation in landscape and in-stream conditions. The objectives of this study were to determine how landscape level topographic features influence LCT distribution patterns....
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The effect of chronic exposure of chinook salmon to benzo(a)pyrene and cortisol of CYP1A1 induction and susceptibility to a microsporidian parasite, Loma salmonae

Creator:: Marie, Amarisa
Abstract:: Wild populations of fish are faced with a multitude of stressors, which may include human interaction, toxins, and disease. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a known carcinogen and immunotoxin, has been reported in the stomach contents of juvenile chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, in urban waterways. We investigated the impact of chronic dietary exposure...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Temporal changes in the feeding habits of bullfrogs from three different habitat types in the Willamette Valley, Oregon

Creator:: Bouska, Cassie K.
Abstract:: Bullfrogs were introduced into Oregon in the early 1900s and have become widespread members of many wetland communities. Little is known of their ecology outside their native range, although they may play a role in the current declines observed in native herpetofauna. I analyzed the diets of 401 bullfrogs from...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Susceptibility of juvenile salmonids to avian predation : Are Caspian terns and double-crested cormorants only taking the sick and injured?

Creator:: Hostetter, Nathan J.
Abstract:: The ability to non-destructively assess fish condition and subsequently track fish behavior and survival can be vital in understanding natural and anthropogenic stressors and sources of mortality, especially in populations of fish listed as threatened or endangered. I investigated the use of a quick, non-lethal, external examination technique to assess...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Survival, movements and habitat selection of pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) on the Great Basin of southeastern Oregon and northwestern Nevada

Creator:: Crawford, Justin A.
Abstract:: I investigated survival, movements, home range sizes, and habitat selection of pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) in southeastern Oregon and northwestern Nevada from June 2005 to June 2007. I trapped 298 rabbits on four sites and fitted each with radio transmitters. More than 13,000 locations of telemetered rabbits were recorded. I...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Survival and nest site characteristics of translocated mountain quail on Steens Mountain, Oregon

Creator:: Nelson, Jamie N.
Abstract:: Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) populations have declined in the eastern portion of their range during the last century. However, few studies have investigated the nesting habitat and survival of Mountain Quail translocated into an area from which they have been extirpated. We translocated 217 wild Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) from...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Supplemental feeding influences reproductive success of the Hawaiian goose (Branta sandvicensis) at Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawai'i

Creator:: Tamayose, Joy
Abstract:: Low reproductive success has been typical of high elevation populations of the Hawaiian goose (Branta sandvicensis) or nēnē. Researchers identified predation and inadequate nutrition as limiting factors. Reproductive success remained low in most years despite on-going predator control programs. I used a supplemental feeding program over two breeding seasons in...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

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