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 Full Text: Movement patterns, food availability, and fungal diets of sympatric flying squirrels in the Kawartha Highlands A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the …
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 Full Text: Thirty Years of Local Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) Population Dynamics in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada: A Long-Term Study on Factors Influencing the Rate of Population Change Over Time A Thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate …
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>AbstractDifferences and similarities in exploration and risk-taking behaviours
of two Myotis bat species.
Laura Michele Scott
Behaviours that are repeatable across circumstances and time determine an individual's personality. Personality and behavioural variation are subject to selective pressures, including risks related to the use of different habitat types. I explored the… more Full Text: Differences and similarities in exploration and risk-taking behaviours of two Myotis bat species. A Thesis Submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts …
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Rapidly changing landscapes introduce challenges for wildlife management, particularly for large mammal populations with long generation times and extensive spatial requirements. Understanding how these populations interact with heterogeneous landscapes aids in predicting responses to further environmental change. In this thesis, I profile American black bears using microsatellite loci… more Full Text: Gene flow directionality and functional genetic variation among Ontario, Canada Ursus americanus populations. A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the …
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Vanderwolf, Karen J, Thesis advisor (ths): Davy, Christina, Thesis advisor (ths): Kyle, Christopher, Degree committee member (dgc): Donaldson, Michael, Degree committee member (dgc): McAlpine, Donald, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a skin disease of bats caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) that damages flight membranes during hibernation and can lead to death. The disease causes mortality of multiple bat species in eastern North America and is spreading into western North America. Future impacts of WNS on naïve bat populations are unknown. Variation in host… more Full Text: THE MYCOBIOME AND SKIN CHEMISTRY OF BAT WINGS IN RELATION TO WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME A dissertation submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the faculty of Arts and …
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Human-wildlife interactions are inevitable and lead to decisions about wildlife. The current research investigated what demographic and psychological factors influence decisions in wildlife management. Also, a new measure, the Tolerance for Wildlife Scale, was developed. A student sample (n = 329) and a community sample (n = 213) completed measures on their nature relatedness,… more Full Text: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN HUMAN TOLERANCE FOR WILDLIFE AND THE ROLE OF NATURE RELATEDNESS A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and …
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Invasive species that alter habitats can have significant impacts on wildlife. The invasive graminoids Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud, hereafter Phragmites, and Typha × glauca Godr. are rapidly spreading into North American wetlands, replacing native vegetation. Invasive Phragmites is considered a potential threat to several species-at-risk (SAR), including some turtle… more Full Text: EFFECTS OF INVASIVE WETLAND MACROPHYTES ON HABITAT SELECTION BY TURTLES A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences TRENT …
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Many rare and elusive species have low detection probabilities, thereby imposing unique challenges to monitoring and conservation. Here, we assess the detection probability of the Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) in contrast to a more common and conspicuous species, the Eastern Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis). We found that patterns of detection probability differed between… more Full Text: A multi-faceted approach to evaluating the detection probability of an elusive snake (Sistrurus catenatus) A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty …
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I assessed how organisms having multiple biotic attributes may have conflicting niche determinants, and whether the realized niche reflects single or multiple attributes. All-female salamanders engage in two biotic states: hybridism and reproductive parasitism. Hybrids should occupy areas transitional to those used by parental species, whereas parasites that engage in competition with… more Full Text: Complex niche determinants in terrestrial salamanders: Does hybridism or reproductive parasitism explain large-scale patterns of distribution? A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree …
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Samkari, Bshayer A, Thesis advisor (ths): Beresford, David, Degree committee member (dgc): Hutchinson, Tom, Degree committee member (dgc): Sager, Eric, Degree committee member (dgc): Davy, Christina, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis looks at the genus Pollenia: historically where they were first introduced into Canada and spatially, where they are found now. This project involved me identifying 2211 files, sorted from the 3 years of field specimens obtained in 2011, 2012, 2013. P. pediculata was the most abundant and widespread, yielding 1272 specimens out of 2211, and it was found in all provinces… more Full Text: DISTRIBUTION OF CLUSTER FLY SPECIES (POLLENIA SPP, DIPTERA: CALLIPHORIDAE) ACROSS CANADA INCLUDING RANGE EXTENSIONS AND FIRST PROVINCIAL RECORDS A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the …