Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item The ecology and biology of the American kestrel in central Missouri(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1983) Toland, Brian R."Introduction: Although the American Kestrel has been extensively observed and studied in both the laboratory and in the field, nearly all studies have dealt with life histories, captive breeding, or effects of pesticides. Of 58 papers and "lore than 50 notes found in literature, only a few have touched on management-oriented topics dealing with kestrels in the wild. Surprisingly, no kestrel studies have been published from Missouri, and few from the Midwest. This study focused on several ecological and environmental questions regarding the status of the American Kestrel in Missouri, and the Midwest, in hopes of learning what factors are limiting their papulations and what management techniques may be devised to alleviate these. Kestrel numbers seem to be decreasing or fluactuating, and their sex ratios seem unbalanced or skewed. Kestrels are seemingly less abundant and/or more difficult to observe during the breeding season than in winter. This may be a result of the limited habitat surveyed or an actual decrease in population. Whether this is due to habitat deterioration or not will be studied by describing kestrel habitat requirements and seasonal movements."--Introduction.Item Blue-winged teal migration phenology and habitat selection during the nonbreeding season(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Leach, Brett Anthony; Webb, Lisa[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] The nonbreeding season is a crucial period throughout the annual cycle of waterfowl, where the quality of available habitat directly influences energy reserves and body condition, with the potential to affect subsequent reproductive success. However, substantial knowledge gaps persist for many species, including blue-winged teal (Spatula discors). To address this, we tracked 176 adult female blue-winged teal with GPS/GSM transmitters (2019–2022) to quantify migration chronology and habitat selection across the Mississippi and Central Flyways. Our analysis quantified precise migration chronology, identified crucial stopover regions and noted differences in stopover frequency and duration between spring and autumn migration. Furthermore, by evaluating habitat selection across autumn, winter, and spring, we quantified the area-of and proximity-to four habitat types. Our results demonstrate the selection for locations characterized by emergent herbaceous wetlands, open water, and cultivated crop. These findings provide foundational, large-scale spatial and temporal insights into the nonbreeding ecology of the blue-winged teal, offering crucial information to inform management and conservation strategies across the Mississippi and Central Flyways.Item Of bison and birds : multi-faceted responses to tallgrass prairie restoration(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Chávez Treviño, Alejandro; Byrne, Michael E.; Lerman, Susannah B.Tallgrass prairies in North America suffered from extensive human transformations throughout history. The extermination of bison (Bison bison) and expansion of agriculture have impacted cycles of disturbances that previously maintained this ecosystem. Similarly, populations of grassland bird species show alarming declines as a response to low habitat availability and quality. Tallgrass prairie restoration efforts may help re-create habitat for grassland birds and mitigate such declines. However, local and specific research is necessary to design successful restoration efforts. In this dissertation, I investigated the effects of diverse land management strategies for restoration on bison and birds from multiple perspectives in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and the interaction between grazing intensity and breeding ecology of grassland birds. To accomplish this, an experiment was set in the study site where three management treatments (prescribed fire, mowing, and herbicide) were applied in two contiguous pastures each with two different grazing regimes (year-round bison grazing and no grazing). Each pasture retained an area with no management as control. In Chapter 1 I summarize the historical and ecological context of the tallgrass prairie conservation crisis and the state of grassland bird populations, highlighting the relevance of ecological restoration and research. In Chapter 2, I investigated the concept of habitat specialization and designed a methodology to quantify avian specialization for tallgrass prairie and compare the level of tallgrass prairie specialization of the bird community between bison grazing regimes. In Chapter 3 I explored the response of bison space-use in an experimental pasture with three land management treatments (fire, mowing, herbicide) and an unmanaged control. In Chapter 4, I investigated nest-site selection and nesting success of three species of grassland-obligate, and one grassland facultative bird, and their relationship with vegetation features and bison space-use intensity. Finally, in Chapter 5, I compared home range sizes of breeding Eastern Meadowlarks (Sturnella magna) between bison grazed and ungrazed pastures and described the migratory journey and wintering home range of one individual. I found greater bird community-level tallgrass prairie specialization in bison and cattle grazed areas in comparison to ungrazed and restored areas. In the experimental plots, bison showed greater selection for recently disturbed areas in comparison to control areas during the growing season but then avoided these areas during the winter months. Grassland bird nest-site selection and success responded differently to the resulting vegetation structure in the different treatments and grazing regimes. Grassland-obligate species such as Eastern Meadowlarks showed positive effects for moderate bison space-use intensity, while Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were impacted negatively by bison. Lastly, Eastern Meadowlarks demonstrated higher territoriality and smaller home ranges in the bison grazed pasture in comparison to the ungrazed pasture. The results of this dissertation may be used to guide land managers to use small herds of bison to enhance tallgrass prairie habitat for diverse communities of grassland birds.Item The nutritional quality of selected rowcrop and moist-soil seeds for Canada geese(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1989) Buckley, Chad E.; Fredrickson, Leigh H."Introduction: The nutritional quality of foods produced for waterfowl is an important consideration in wetland management programs. Understanding how nutrition affects waterfowl is essential in providing for their needs throughout the annual cycle. Because habitat and food use by Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in fall and winter appear to be related to availability of these resources (Austin 1988, Eggeman et al. In preparation), it is important that foods produced and made available for geese meet the energy and nutrient demands of the birds (Kendeigh et al. 1977, Williams and Kendeigh 1982, Joyner et al. 1987). If the only foods available for use by geese have poor nutritional quality, the immediate physiological condition and later reproductive performance of the birds could be adversely affected (Ankney and MacInnes 1978, Raveling 1979, Joyner et al. 1984). Likewise, rates of fat and protein deposition for migrating, egg-laying, incubation and molting are determined in part by the content and availability of energy and protein in foods (King 1972, Raveling 1979). Thus, effective management should attempt to provide the optimal combination of food types that meet the seasonal energy and nutrient requirements of target species. Management practices for migrating and wintering Canada geese focus on producing a mixture of agricultural and native foods (Vaught and Kirsch 1966, Arthur 1968, Fredrickson and Taylor 1982, Eggeman et al. In preparation). Geese feed on a combination of seeds, tubers and green vegetation that contribute the necessary nutrients and energy for maintenance and survival (Korschgen 1955, Kear 1966, Reed 1976, Bellrose 1980, Craven 1984a, b, Sedinger 1984, Sedinger and Raveling 1984, McKenzie 1987). Unfortunately, little is known about the nutrient and energy content of foods commonly consumed by Canada geese or how efficiently geese utilize the nutrients and energy in these foods (Burton et al. 1979, Thomas and Prevett 1980, Sedinger 1984, Sedinger and Raveling 1984, Buchsbaum et al. 1986, Joyner et al. 1987). Environmental conditions also influence the quality and availability of waterfowl foods. Because foods are often shallowly flooded to enhance attractiveness and availability for waterfowl, an understanding of how different foods are affected by these conditions will facilitate more timely manipulations to attract and hold waterfowl (Neely 1956, McGinn and Glasgow 1963, Shearer et al. 1969). Objectives: The objectives of this study were: 1) To determine energy and nutrient content of selected rowcrop and moist-soil seeds regularly consumed by wintering Canada geese in Missouri and to assess the variability in energy and nutrient content of seeds from four locations in northcentral, northeast and southeast Missouri. 2) To evaluate how efficiently Canada geese utilize the energy contained in selected seeds by means of true metabolizable energy determinations. 3) To assess the effects of flooding on energy content of seeds and the rate of seed deterioration."--Page 1.Item Investigating factors influencing blue-winged teal movements and habitat selection during the nonbreeding season(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Edwards, Jeffrey; Webb, Lisa; Fowler, Drew[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2026] Migration is an important life history strategy used by waterfowl to access seasonally available resources. However, migratory events in both autumn and spring are energetically demanding and migration strategies that minimize energy expenditure could offer opportunities for increased fitness. Although waterfowl may initiate seasonal migrations based on a range of favorable environmental factors that minimize energy expenditure, risk of mortality, and maintain or improve body condition, most studies have investigated these relationships at the population level using abundance and occupancy metrics. In this study, we used data from individual GPS/GSM-tracked blue-winged teal (Spatula discors) to evaluate the environmental drivers of autumn and spring migration phenology during 2020 -- 2023 (n = 321 migratory movements) at a continental scale. We modeled departure probabilities of blue-winged teal using logistic exposure models to evaluate how environmental factors influence autumn and spring migration initiation dates as well as subsequent departures from migration stopover sites. We developed candidate models to predict probability of departure, conditional on environmental covariates (e.g., photoperiod, wind bearing and speed, atmospheric pressure, precipitation, visibility, temperature, soil temperature, and low cloud cover) measured at a 32 km2 resolution. Additionally, we evaluated models that included a binary harvest season covariate in our autumn migration analyses to test if departure probabilities were conditional on hunting season (e.g., open vs closed). Departure probabilities in spring and autumn were most influenced by photoperiod although the effect was greatest for spring migration initiation movements. Departure probabilities increased with favorable wind conditions (i.e., tailwinds); however, the effect was greatest for subsequent migratory movements in spring. Autumn departure probabilities of subsequent migratory movements increased with accumulated precipitation, suggesting that blue-winged teal may respond rapidly to proximate wetland conditions. Blue-winged teal are likely to initiate migratory movements based on photoperiod, but may use proximate, local environmental cues (e.g., favorable wind conditions) to time subsequent migratory movements. Importantly, our results indicated hunting season was not associated with autumn migration departure probabilities. Our findings provide some of the first insights into the individual responses of blue-winged teal to environmental factors during autumn and spring migrations which may help inform management decisions from both a harvest and habitat management perspective.