The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina; spotted owl) is of conservation concern and endemic to mature forests of the Pacific Northwest. Adult survival has a strong effect on population growth rate, but juvenile survival and recruitment are also important components of population change. Despite the importance of this life...
This report is an attempt to address some critical information gaps regarding the effects of dikes and tide gates on coastal ecosystems and fisheries resources. The authors have identified the information needs during their work with landowners, community organizations, and resource management agencies and through a compilation and summary of...
The life history traits of polygamous, non-territorial shorebirds like the Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) can make it challenging to assess their population status. There are two general approaches to statistical inference used to understand shorebird (Order: Charadriiformes) population change: design-based inference, which implements an a-priori sampling scheme with known selection...
Rivers support some of Earth’s richest biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services to society, but they are often fragmented by barriers to free flow. In Europe, attempts to quantify river connectivity have been hampered by the absence of a harmonized barrier database. Here we show that there are at least...
Baleen whale fecal samples have high potential for endocrine monitoring, which can be used as a non-invasive tool to identify the physiological response to disturbance events and describe population health and vital rates. In this study, we used commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to validate and quantify fecal steroid (progestins, androgens...
Baleen whales store energy gained on foraging grounds to support reproduction and other metabolic needs while fasting for long periods during migration. Whale body condition can be used to monitor foraging success, and thus better understand and anticipate individual‐ and population‐level trends in reproduction and survival. We assessed the body...
Passive acoustic monitoring is a valuable tool for observing the status of marine environments. Comparisons of underwater soundscapes over temporal and spatial scales can provide data to inform marine conservation efforts, including protection of threatened and endangered species. This dissertation utilizes passive acoustic data collected via a broadly spaced array...
Understanding prey quality and prey selection by predators is critical for management efforts aimed at identification and protection of essential habitats and prey. Marine predators must make daily foraging choices in a heterogenous and dynamic environment in order to meet the high energetic demands of migration, reproduction and foraging. With...
Livestock grazing occurs worldwide, spanning over 25% of land globally. Effective conservation of biodiversity relies upon understanding the interactions of agricultural management practices and increasingly variable weather associated with climate change. I evaluated grazing, weather and predator-prey interactions within a grazing experiment in the sagebrush ecosystem of southeastern Oregon. I...