Habitat

Seasonal variation in food availability is one of the primary limitations to avian populations, particularly during the breeding season. However, the behavioral responses between species may differ based on foraging strategies. I examined the influence of food availability on landscape-level habitat selection, patch-level habitat selection, and movements of two wading bird species with divergent foraging strategies, the Great Egret and White Ibis. On a landscape scale, there appeared to be a relationship among resource availability, the temporal scale of the independent variable, and whether the response was similar or different between species. At the patch level, results demonstrated a relationship between resource availability and the spatial scale of the independent variables selected by birds. Species movements were consistent with the differing strategies. This study is the first to make the link between landscape hydrology patterns, prey availability, and responses in wading bird habitat selection at multiple spatial scales.

A challenge to ensure the health of wading bird populations is to have a better understanding of the altered habitats that we must now consider part of their natural history. Throughout their range endangered Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) have been reported to forage in ditches, a disparate category of linear man-made waterways. In a 52-kmP 2 P study area on the east coast of central Florida, the characteristics of hydrologically diverse ditches were quantified, and their use by Wood Storks documented during their non-breeding season. Logistic regression analyses were carried out using the ditch characteristics as independent variables and Wood Stork presence/absence as the dependent variable. This study confirms the use of these marginal wetlands, and identifies the significance of emergent vegetation on the foraging habitat selection of Wood Storks in the dry season.

The commercially important queen conch, Strombus gigas, has been observed copulating with multiple partners and laying multiple egg masses during a reproductive season (Randall, 1964). While multiple paternity has been confirmed using microsatellite based genetic analysis for a variety of other gastropods, this technique has not been employed for S. gigas. Determining whether or not this species is capable of multiple paternity is important to understanding and maintaining genetic diversity of natural and captive populations. While an assessment of multiple paternity is the ultimate goal of this study, for my thesis, I have completed preliminary work which includes perfecting methods of tissue collection, DNA extraction, and DNA amplification with six non-labeled polymorphic microsatellite molecular markers, using cultured Strombus gigas animals. In addition, I collected tissue and extracted DNA from three wild S. gigas adult females and their egg masses from Pelican Shoal in the Florida Keys.

Habitat fragmentation causes the isolation of groups of individuals within species by producing a new landscape that is uninhabitable for many species, including birds. I surveyed the John D. MacArthur campus of FAU in the Fall of 2005 and Spring of 2006 to assess the use of the campus by birds. Throughout the campus trees are lined in rows along the sidewalks and around buildings, in contrast to the pine flatwoods environment that existed prior to development. The birds observed were found performing various activities on the campus, including foraging, perching, and building nests. Individuals were concentrated around or near buildings with the most diverse vegetation. Through assessing these campus uses I suggest that there are ways we can help increase bird diversity in promoting their use of urban environments. Such solutions can help decrease the number of individuals and species lost to the destructive force of habitat fragmentation.

The construction of Abacoa included an attempt to conserve the wildlife in a Greenway, a set of habitats separated from the residential and commercial areas. All of the wetlandswith in Abacoa represent artificially constructed ponds, canals, and streams first created from 1998-2004. The present study focuses on the anuran (i.e., frog and toad) populations and looks at the number of different species that have naturally colonized six differnet sites around Abacoa. Each of these sites varies in qualities that may affect the probability of breeding in that section. The quality of water is known to be less ideal as the water flows away from the headwaters and mixes with water from other sources. This study aims to determine which anuran species are found at each of these sites after nearly a decade of colonization, and how both anuran diversity and abundance correlates with water and habitat quality.

A crucial aspect of captive animal care is enrichment, ranging from simple additions of flora to complicated foraging puzzles. Enrichments are vital in creating an environment for animals that is similar to their wild habitat and eliciting natural behaviors. Enrichment is also used to inhibit unnatural or harmful behaviors, like pacing. Commonly, enrichment techniques are not scientifically tested, and the universality of enrichments is rarely scrutinized. This study explores the universality of a "Snak'n'Trim", a hollow ball 10 inches in diameter with a 1 inch opening for food items to be inserted into the ball. Four bears, (two male, two female) were observed for ten weeks, five in the summer and five in the winter. Daily observations were made during baseline and enrichment trials. Behavior frequency was calculated and results indicate a significant (p<.01) difference between baseline and enrichment trials, providing evidence for the efficacy of the Snak'n'Trim.

Anecdotal accounts of manatees congregating in the Harbor Branch channel have been reported by staff scientists at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute for over three decades. The main goals of this study were to identify individual manatees using photo-identification techniques and collect baseline data on manatee abundance and environmental parameters. During the primary study period (summer 2009), I identified 31 distinct manatees at Harbor Branch. Four manatees were matched with the statewide Manatee Individual Photo-identification System database. I observed the highest abundance of manatees in the small boats marina, suggesting that this location is preferential manatee habitat. Water temperature at the two deepest depths measured (0.6 m and 1.50 m) were the only two significantly different environmental parameters influencing the number of manatees present. The results of this study provide evidence for the Harbor Branch channel as an important manatee habitat.

Florida's pine flatwoods are pyrogenic ecosystems that require frequent fires to regenerate the herbaceous layer and suppress crowding vegetation. Human development has hindered these natural fires and consequently affected the herpetofauna (amphibian and reptile) species. Anthropogenic encroachment, in addition to fire suppression, has also provided ideal habitats for invasive species within native environments. Exotic species are often found in developed areas around buildings and roads, and it is likely this pattern continues into the park. This eight-month coverboard survey focuses on the effects various fires may have on herpetofauna in the area and explores the level of intrusion exotic species exhibit within the communities. Minimal differences among herpetofauna composition between transects were found. However, a convincing percentage of exotic species were found only within the first ten meters of the transects while all native species were at least 25 meters into a transect.