The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) has suffered significant population declines across its entire geographic range and the mechanisms associated with this decline are poorly understood. Although much of the Rusty Blackbird breeding habitat in Alaska has remained relatively unaltered by anthropogenic activities, this species continues to decline by an estimated...
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...
Research conducted on humpback whitefish Coregonus pidschian in the Copper River Delta, Alaska has revealed a complex life history involving seasonal migrations and the occupation of a variety of freshwater and marine habitats including lacustrine, riverine, estuarine, and marine. Forty-five whitefish were tagged with radio transmitters in 2006 and 2007,...
Ungulates comprise some of the most well researched and intensely managed wildlife populations on earth. As such, they are recognized as ideal study subjects for developing and modifying management tools or theories (Danell et al. 1994, Shipley 2010). An introduced moose (Alces alces gigas) population on the Copper River Delta...
Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) face numerous challenges associated with climate change. Most research has emphasized the potential effects of elevated summer water temperatures; however, climatic changes are also projected to significantly alter incubation and rearing habitats during the late autumn, winter, and spring months ("the incubation period"). Along the southern...
Hyporheic Exchange Flow (HEF) is driven by head gradients defined by the hydro-topography of the stream surface, which is controlled by the particular geomorphology of the stream. We quantified the impact of large wood, which typically exerts a strong control on stream morphology, on HEF in a second order, low...