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

Ecology and Distribution of Blue Whales in New Zealand Across Spatial and Temporal Scales

Creator:: Barlow, Dawn R.
Abstract:: The distribution of mobile marine predators often reflects underlying dynamic ecological processes. The geographical focus of this PhD is the South Taranaki Bight (STB) of New Zealand, where wind-driven coastal upwelling generates productivity and prey to support a blue whale foraging ground. The STB is also New Zealand’s most industrial...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: . Abstract approved: _____________________________________________________ Leigh G. Torres The

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

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

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

Rapid endangered species assessment : a novel approach to improve extinction risk assessments in poorly known species

Creator:: Bianchi, Carlos A.
Abstract:: The number of endangered species is rapidly increasing while paucity of adequate information and resources delays establishment of conservation actions. The IUCN’s listing system is insufficient to determine conservation priorities and many species lack information even to be evaluated (i.e., “data deficient”). Here I proposed and tested the Rapid Endangered...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: I proposed and tested the Rapid Endangered Species Assessment approach, combining methods

Spatial Ecology and Species Interactions among Predators and their Prey

Creator:: Ruprecht, Joel S.
Abstract:: Carnivores have disproportionate effects in ecological systems but understanding their exact influences on ecosystems is a matter of great complexity and debate. Predators directly impact prey by killing them, and indirectly by modifying their behavior in response to predation risk. Yet how species interact, both among members of a carnivore...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: as model species, I tested methods to estimate carnivore population densities most efficiently

Improving Projections of Tidal Marsh Persistence under Climate Change with Remote Sensing and Site-Specific Data

Creator:: Buffington, Kevin J.
Abstract:: Tidal marshes are dynamic ecosystems that are threatened by climate change and sea-level rise. To characterize baseline condition and historic climate sensitivities, and improve projections into the future, new methods are required that integrate data from the field and remote sensing platforms. Marsh elevation response models can be calibrated with...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: of the tidal marsh surface. In Chapter 2, I describe the development of a technique to calibrate

Population Genetics of American Pika (Ochotona princeps) : Investigating Gene Flow and Genetic Diversity Across Multiple, Complex Landscapes

Creator:: Castillo, Jessica A.
Abstract:: American pikas (Ochotona princeps) are considered an indicator species of climate change. Adaptations for cold climates and active winters make pikas particularly sensitive to increasing temperatures. This, combined with evidence that multiple historically occupied populations have been extirpated within the past century, contributed to American pikas becoming a focal species...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: resilience. I addressed these questions using population and landscape genetics approaches within nine

Landscape-Level Approaches to Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) Conservation in a Changing Environment

Creator:: Creech, Tyler G.
Abstract:: Landscape characteristics can strongly influence demographic and genetic processes in wildlife populations. Climate change and human land use are causing many landscapes to change rapidly, and the effects on wildlife populations must be understood to properly manage these threats and design effective conservation strategies. In this dissertation, I explored the...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: threats and design effective conservation strategies. In this dissertation, I explored the implications

Using DNA metabarcoding to describe biodiversity and disease dynamics

Creator:: Massey, Aimee L.
Abstract:: Land-use change, particularly in the form of the conversion of primary forest to forest-matrix systems, alters species communities and species interactions. Describing these often complex and nuanced species responses is one of the great challenges in ecology. Another complementary challenge is finding and using the most efficient means for collecting...
Resource Type:: Dissertation
Full Text:: relationships. For my PhD dissertation, I utilized the emerging molecular method of DNA metabarcoding to

Search Constraints

Search Results

Limit your search