Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I used 31 years of Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) population data to assess the effects of vital rates on a local breeding population of plovers in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. I used three similar Bayesian Integrated Population Models (IPMs), with the last a coupled IPM population viability analysis (PVA) approach to predict the impact of changing spring temperatures on… more Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Northern flying squirrels (NFS) are mycophagous specialists (fungi-dominated diet) thatmay be displaced with southern flying squirrel (SFS) range expansion, thereby limiting
fungal dispersal in forest communities. To understand the implications of squirrel
species turnover on mycophagy, we investigated the home ranges of both flying squirrel
species who are living in stable sympatry. We… more Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Blondin, Anne, Thesis advisor (ths): Nol, Erica, Degree committee member (dgc): Drever, Mark, Degree committee member (dgc): Flemming, Scott, Degree committee member (dgc): Burness, Gary, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Many species of shorebirds depend on stopover sites to rest and refuel during their long-distance migrations. To determine how shorebirds use migratory stopover sites, we tracked three species of shorebirds at two stopover sites in British Columbia, Canada from 2018-2021 during northward and southward migration using automated telemetry. Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) stayed longer… more Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Long-term avian population declines, particularly for the avian insectivore guild, are a conservation concern. With widespread and continuing population trends, climate change and its negative effects on avian food resources is a plausible cross-species driver. My goal was to evaluate whether bottom-up trophic effects of climate change could be influencing avian populations. I used a… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Mining and resource development are growing industries in the Arctic, resulting in increased conflict with wildlife. Best practices for mitigation require an understanding of the potential ecological effects. One such effect concerns the flooding of terrestrial bird habitat from dewatering of lakes during mining pit development. I first assessed the efficacy of bird deterrents to… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Similar to other shorebird trends around the world, the Piping Plover population (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) is projected to decline if concerted conservation efforts are relaxed. To date, there is insufficient understanding of the connection between habitat type, prey abundance, and chick behaviour of the Piping Plover breeding population in Ontario. The aim of my thesis was to… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Habitat loss and fragmentation have significantly contributed to amphibian population declines, globally. Evaluating the state of remaining habitat patches can prove to be beneficial in identifying areas to prioritize in conservation efforts. Pelee Island, Ontario is home to a complex of salamanders including small-mouthed salamanders (Ambystoma texanum), blue-spotted salamanders (A.… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Increased mining activity in the Canadian Arctic has resulted in significant changes to the environment that may be influencing some tundra-nesting bird populations. In this thesis I examine the direct and indirect effects of mining on birds nesting in the Canadian Arctic. I first perform a literature review of the effects that mining in the Arctic has on northern environments and… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>190 species of birds are known to breed in Ontario's far north making the region an important nursery for boreal birds. Digital point count data were collected using two different autonomous recording units (ARUs): one model with two standard microphones to detect birds and anurans, and one model with one standard microphone and one ultrasonic microphone for detecting bats. ARUs… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Muir, Gillian, Thesis advisor (ths): Brown, Glen, Degree committee member (dgc): Nol, Erica, Degree committee member (dgc): Metcalfe, Robert, Degree committee member (dgc): Hu, Baoxin, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>The fine-scale controls of active layer dynamics in the subarctic at the southern edge of continuous permafrost are currently poorly understood. The goal of this thesis was to understand how environmental conditions associated with upland tundra heath, open graminoid fen, and palsas/peat plateaus affected active layer thermal regime in a subarctic peatland in northern Canada. Indices of… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I used the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to monitor the fall migration behaviour and assess the underlying drivers of migration strategy in a small shorebird, the Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), breeding at two subarctic sites: Churchill, Manitoba and Burntpoint Creek, Ontario, Canada. Semipalmated Plovers from both sites departed breeding areas between mid-July and early… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The influence of stress exposure on the body temperature of vertebrates has been known for nearly two-thousand years. While the proximate mechanisms supporting this phenomenon are well described, the ultimate mechanisms remain enigmatic. In this thesis, I propose a novel hypothesis which states that changes in body surface temperature (henceforth "surface temperature")… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>As wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) move farther north, informed management decisions are critical to support the sustainability of this reintroduced species. We tracked roost tree selection and patterns of the network of roost trees, for wild turkeys, over 2 years in Peterborough, ON, using GPS and VHF transmitters. Wild turkeys showed preference for taller and larger roost… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Rising populations of Lesser Snow and Ross' geese (hereafter collectively referred to as light geese) breeding in the North American Arctic have caused significant environmental change that may be affecting some populations of nesting shorebirds, which in contrast to geese, have declined dramatically. In this thesis I examine the indirect effects of light geese on sympatric-nesting… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Fromberger, Monica Ann, Thesis advisor (ths): Nol, Erica, Thesis advisor (ths): Campomizzi, Andrew, Degree committee member (dgc): Schaefer, Jim, Degree committee member (dgc): Nocera, Joe, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Populations of grassland birds, including the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), are experiencing steep declines due to losses of breeding habitat, land use changes, and agricultural practices. Understanding the variables affecting reproductive success can aid conservation of grassland species. I investigated 1) whether artificial nest experiments accurately estimate the impacts of cattle… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I examined how shorebirds respond to environmental change at a key subarctic migratory bird stopover site, the southwestern coast of James Bay, Ontario, Canada. First, I investigated if the morphology of sandpipers using James Bay during southbound migration has changed compared to 40 years prior. I found shorter, more convex and maneuverable wings for sandpipers in the present-day… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Detecting relevant and meaningful patterns from the complex, interconnected network of relationships between organisms and their environment is a primary objective of ecology. Ecological patterns occur across multiple scales of space and time. In this dissertation, I examine aspects of environmental structure that influence a species' distribution and are expressed in that species… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): MacDonald, Amelia J., Thesis advisor (ths): Nol, Erica, Thesis advisor (ths): Smith, Paul A, Degree committee member (dgc): Murray, Dennis, Degree committee member (dgc): Bowman, Jeff, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Many shorebirds rely on small numbers of staging sites during long annual migrations. Numerous species are declining and understanding the importance of staging sites is critical to successful conservation. We surveyed endangered rufa Red Knots staging in James Bay, Ontario during southbound migration from 2009 to 2018. We used an integrated population model to estimate passage… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Mackellar, Hannah, Thesis advisor (ths): Nol, Erica, Thesis advisor (ths): Brown, Glen, Degree committee member (dgc): Burness, Gary, Degree committee member (dgc): Smith, Paul, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Understanding breeding and migration habits of Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) in the Hudson Bay Lowlands is important for the conservation of this population. I monitored Whimbrel at two breeding sites: the Churchill region of Manitoba and Burntpoint, Ontario. Annual average nest initiation timing was highly variable and successful nests were initiated significantly earlier than those that… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Recent declines in North American shorebird populations could be linked to habitat loss on the non-breeding grounds. Sea-level rise and increased frequency of coastal storms are causing significant erosion of barrier islands, thereby threatening shorebirds who rely on shoreline habitats for foraging. I conducted shorebird surveys on Bulls Island, South Carolina in the winters of 2018 and… more
