Index Catalog // ScholarsArchive@OSU

Spatio-temporal Patterns and Ecological Drivers of Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) off the Central Oregon Coast, USA

Creator:: Holdman, Amanda
Abstract:: The marine environment is under increasing pressure from human activities worldwide, particularly in coastal waters, creating a need to better understand fine-scale distributions of highly mobile species that occur in the area, as they are frequently most threatened. Harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) occur frequently in Oregon’s nearshore habitat, but due...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: . Abstract approved: ______________________________________________________ Leigh G. Torres The marine

Body Condition and Hormone Assessment of Eastern North Pacific Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) and Associations with Ambient Noise

Creator:: Lemos, Leila S.
Abstract:: Anthropogenic activities have posed many threats to the oceans and marine life. Understanding how individuals are affected and physiologically respond to these threats is crucial and allows for management and conservation applications. I evaluated the overall health condition of a subpopulation of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) along the Oregon coast,...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: and easier once I adopted you. CONTRIBUTION OF AUTHORS Leigh Torres

An Investigation into the Distribution, Residency Patterns, Population Connectivity, and Abundance of Blue Whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in New Zealand

Creator:: Barlow, Dawn R.
Abstract:: Species conservation depends on robust population assessment. Data on population abundance, distribution, and connectivity are critical for effective management, especially as baseline information for newly documented populations. I describe a pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) population in New Zealand waters with year-round presence that overlaps with industrial activities. This...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: Abstract approved: ______________________________________________________ Leigh G. Torres

Tonight’s Specials Include Mysids, Amphipods, and More: An Examination of the Zooplankton Prey of Oregon Gray Whales and its Impact on Foraging Choices and Prey Selection

Creator:: Hildebrand, Lisa
Abstract:: 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...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: : ______________________________________________________ Leigh G. Torres Understanding prey quality and prey selection by predators is

Fine scale foraging behavior of gray whales in relation to prey fields and vessel disturbance along the Oregon Coast

Creator:: Sullivan, Florence A.
Abstract:: The desire to understand the spatial and temporal drivers of animal behavior and distribution relative to scale is central to movement ecology. Optimal foraging theory states that a predator should continue exploiting a patch until it is no longer profitable to do so. As human developments increasingly encroach on the...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: . I would like to express my deep appreciation for my advisor, Leigh Torres. Her dedication to the

A sense of scale : Foraging cetaceans’ use of scale-dependent multimodal sensory systems

Creator:: Torres, Leigh G.
Abstract:: Research on cetacean foraging ecology is central to our understanding of their spatial and behavioral ecology. Yet, functional mechanisms by which cetaceans detect prey across different scales remain unclear. Here, I postulate that cetaceans utilize a scale-dependent, multimodal sensory system to assess and increase prey encounters. I review the literature...
Resource Type:: Article
Full Text:: ’ use of scale-dependent multimodal sensory systems LEIGH G. TORRES,1 Marine Mammal Institute

Understanding Tolerance: Measuring and Modeling Human-Black Bear Interaction in Oregon

Creator:: Delie, Jackie S.
Abstract:: The social sciences are increasingly used in conservation to describe interactions and relationships between humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. Scientists and policy-makers have concluded that promoting human tolerance for wildlife is critical to the success of conservation efforts. Yet, the concept of tolerance is relatively new in the context of human-wildlife...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State

Foraging Niche Separation of Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Gentoo (P. papua) Penguins During the Breeding Season at Palmer Station, Antarctica

Creator:: Pickett, Erin
Abstract:: Climate-induced range overlap can result in novel interactions between similar species and potentially lead to competitive exclusion. The Western Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth and is experiencing a poleward climate migration. This transition from a polar to sub-polar environment has resulted in a...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: Wildlife Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my

The ecology of Mountain Quail in Oregon

Creator:: Pope, Michael D. (Michael Dickens)
Abstract:: Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) populations have declined in many areas of the western Great Basin during the past century. Yet the life history of this species is little known. From 1997 to 2000, I studied radio-marked Mountain Quail in Hell's Canyon in northeastern Oregon, in the Cascade Mountains of southwestern...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: history of this species is little known. From 1997 to 2000, I studied radio-marked Mountain Quail in

Movement, dive behavior, and habitat-use of common murres (Uria aalge) in the Northern California Current System under variable ocean conditions

Creator:: Loredo, Stephanie A.
Abstract:: Year-round habitat use of marine predators provides knowledge of important marine areas throughout different life stages. Large-scale, environmental variability, both in space and time, causes changes in the behavior and distribution of marine predators that are important to quantify for conservation. In the Northern California Current System (NCCS), common murres...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: environment. I used satellite transmitters on non-breeding common murres captured at the Yaquina Head colony

Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) foraging ecology and predation on juvenile salmonids in San Francisco Bay, California

Creator:: Adrean, Lindsay J.
Abstract:: Brooks Island, located in central San Francisco Bay, California, currently supports the largest breeding colony of Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) in the Bay Area, and is one of several proposed relocation sites for some Caspian terns from the world's largest colony in the Columbia River estuary of Oregon. Juvenile salmonids...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: , so I investigated whether the colony, at its current or an enhanced size, poses a threat to the

Evaluating the fatty acid signature technique for studies of diet composition inpiscivorous waterbirds

Creator:: Myers, Anne Mary
Abstract:: This research was designed to evaluate the Fatty Acid Signature (FAS) technique as a non-lethal alternative to more traditional, and sometimes destructive, methods of studying the diet composition of piscivorous birds. Specifically we tested the technique with Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) which currently nest in large numbers in the Columbia...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: ________________________________________________________________________ Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the

Beyond the Benthos: The effects of stream restoration on habitat complexity and aquatic and riparian macroinvertebrate assemblages

Creator:: Lotz, Kelsey L.
Abstract:: Aquatic and riparian systems in the western United States have been highly modified by anthropogenic impacts since Euro-American settlement. Ecological restoration is a practice that has been widely conducted around the world to mitigate the degradation of these systems. The majority of stream restoration efforts have focused on improving in-stream...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: ______________________________________________________________________________ Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become

The Soundcheck of the Sea : Comparing Marine Soundscapes on a Continental Scale

Creator:: Haver, Samara M.
Abstract:: Monitoring marine ambient sound using standardized methods supports assessments of ocean sound levels across widespread ecosystems. This thesis quantifies differences among coastal and deep-water marine soundscapes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The sources of sound in a soundscape are compartmentalized into three components and compared over time and among...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University

Spatial Association of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and their Prey in the Southern Gulf of Maine, USA

Creator:: Kirchner, Theresa
Abstract:: Efficient foraging strategies result in a predator spatially overlapping with its prey, foraging in the most profitable patches, and minimizing the time transiting between patches. Previous studies investigating baleen whale foraging strategies have generally focused on investigating spatial overlap with prey patches, patch profitability or movement within feeding grounds. The...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis
Full Text:: Head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Dean of the Graduate School I understand

Skin Deep: An Assessment of New Zealand Blue Whale Skin Condition

Creator:: Barlow, Dawn R., Pepper, Acacia L., and Torres, Leigh G.
Abstract:: Skin condition assessment of wildlife can provide insight into individual and population health. Yet, logistics can limit skin condition assessment of large whales. We developed a standardized, quantitative protocol using photographs to assess skin condition of blue whales in New Zealand, and demonstrate the value gained by testing hypotheses, documenting...
Resource Type:: Article
Full Text:: whales was recently documented in New Zealand (Barlow et al., 2018; 52 Torres, 2013). These blue whales

Classification of Animal Movement Behavior through Residence in Space and Time

Creator:: Orben, Rachael A., Thompson, David R., Tolkova, Irina, and Torres, Leigh G.
Abstract:: Identification and classification of behavior states in animal movement data can be complex, temporally biased, time-intensive, scale-dependent, and unstandardized across studies and taxa. Large movement datasets are increasingly common and there is a need for efficient methods of data exploration that adjust to the individual variability of each track. We...
Resource Type:: Article
Full Text:: a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 OPENACCESS Citation: Torres LG, Orben RA, Tolkova I

Drone Up! Quantifying Whale Behavior From a New Perspective Improves Observational Capacity

Creator:: Lemos, Leila, Chandler, Todd E., Torres, Leigh G., and Nieukirk, Sharon L.
Abstract:: During traditional boat-based surveys of marine megafauna, behavioral observations are typically limited to records of animal surfacings obtained from a horizontal perspective. Achieving an aerial perspective has been restricted to brief helicopter or airplane based observations that are costly, noisy, and risky. The emergence of commercial small unmanned aerial systems...
Resource Type:: Article
Full Text:: University of Western Australia, Australia *Correspondence: Leigh G. Torres Leigh.torres@oregonstate.edu

Acoustic monitoring reveals the times and tides of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) distribution off central Oregon, U.S.A.

Creator:: Holdman, Amanda K., Haxel, Joseph H., Klinck, Holger, and Torres, Leigh G.
Abstract:: Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) are commonly observed in Oregon's nearshore marine environment yet knowledge of their ecosystem use and behavior remains limited, generating concerns for potential impacts on this species from future coastal development. Passive acoustic monitoring was used to investigate spatial and temporal variations in the presence and foraging...
Resource Type:: Article
Full Text:: G. TORRES , Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University

Do gray whales count calories? Comparing energetic values of gray whale prey across two different feeding grounds in the eastern North Pacific

Creator:: Hildebrand, Lisa, Bernard, Kim S., and Torres, Leigh G.
Abstract:: Predators must consume enough prey to support costly events, such as reproduction. Meeting high energetic requirements is particularly challenging for migrating baleen whales as their feeding seasons are typically restricted to a limited temporal window and marine prey are notoriously patchy. We assessed the energetic value of the six most...
Resource Type:: Article
Full Text:: July 2021 Citation: Hildebrand L, Bernard KS and Torres LG (2021) Do Gray Whales Count Calories

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