1. Species-of-the-Day Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

2. Brink of Extinction By early 1900’s, culminative effects of: 1) wetland drainage (ag. expansion) 2) deforestation 3) overhunting

3. Habitat Wooded swamps & river bottomlands Natural tree cavities for nesting (cypress, sycamore, silver maple, black ash) Home range changes with flooding events

6. Food * In water <18”, feed on: - seeds of trees (e.g., acorns) - also field grains * Young = aquatic insects

7. Reproduction Pairing in late Oct into spring (Mar-July nest) Clutch size = 6-10 eggs Behavior -Dump nests (up to 30+ eggs in 1 nest) = “egg dumping” behavior = intraspecific brood parasitism -may decrease hatch rates to 10%

8. Factors Determining Patterns of Habitat Use Competition Predation

9. Concept of Habitat Selection Wildlife perceiving correct configuration of habitat needed for survival – differences based on age/experience/chance? – hierarchy to decision process Niche concept (time/place/functional role) & habitat selection For example, in open habitats, bats use low- frequency / long-distance calls (ultrasound) while foraging Whereas, bats in closed canopy settings = constant/high frequency = detect wing beats

10. Hutchison’s n-dimensional hypervolume

11. Concept of Habitat Selection Hutchison = n-dimensional hypervolume as explanation of the niche Fundamental vs. Realized Niche Species 1 Species 2

12. Testing the Hutchinsonian Niche Concept of Habitat Selection James – work with birds in Arkansas…quantified habitat relationships How do birds select habitat? niche gestalt : each species has characteristic perceptual world…responds to that world as organized whole … search image concept How do we (as wildlife biologists) “see” through the eyes of wildlife species?

13. Wildlife Habitat Ecology & Mgt Habitat from an evolutionary perspective Species distribution relative to habitat dist’n Climatic events Pleistocene Epoch & dist’n of modern species

15. habitat interspersion – Leopold’s Law of Interspersion

16. Habitat Fragmentation 1) gap formation 2) decrease patch size 3) increase isolation 4) increase edge 5) conversion of matrix

17. Concepts Habitat = species-specific resources available (relative quality) Habitat Use = manner in which species use resources Habitat Selection = hierarchical decision process (innate & learned) of what habitats to use Habitat Preference = based on selection of habitat, which are used more than others (preferred vs. avoided)

18. Concepts Habitat Availability = accessibility of resources Habitat Quality = positive relation with fitness (not just density) Critical Habitat = resources essential to the species….ESA designation….How is it determined?

19. Scale Dependence of Habitat Selection 1 st Order 2 nd Order 3 rd Order 4 th Order Macrohabitat vs. Microhabitat 1 st order – innate? 2 nd order –decisions 3 rd &4 th order –decisions

20. Need for Multiscale Analysis e.g., Australian leadbeater’s possum landscape vs. local scales

21. Constraints (significance) Level of Focus (level of interest) Components (explanation) Hierarchy Theory

22. Constraints Why do long-tailed weasels select forest patches and fencerows in fragmented landscapes? Components Population Community Individual

23. Guild Concept guild = group of species that exploit the same class of resources in similar way community guild = no taxonomic restrictions; guild members chosen based on investigator-defined resources assemblage guild = guild members based on taxonomic relations

24. Models of Habitat Relationships Model (assess) habitat for wildlife species, e.g., USFWS Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models -include top 3 environmental variables related to a species’ presence, distribution, & abundance HSI = (V 1 x V 2 x V 3 ) 1/3 = 0 to 1

25. Yellow Warbler HSI for different forest conditions

26. HSI models useful for representing possible major habitat factors true value as hypotheses Do not provide information on: -population size or trend -behavioral responses single-species approach

27. Species-of-the-Day Kirtland’s warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)

28. Habitat NE Michigan jack pine forests -Nesting habitat = 2-6 m (~5-20 ft) tall young jack pines (<15 yrs) = very dense stands -Large forest stands = 100+ ha (200+ A)

32. 2001 = 1,085 singing males = highest count since 1951

33. Food Insectivores & herbivores

34. Reproduction ~May, late May = 5 eggs i.p. = 13-16 days Behavior -Migrate to Bahamas -Return to MI early to mid May (males 1 st ) -Influence of brown- headed cowbirds (nest parasitism)

35. ecotones, coverts, edges The “Edge Effect”

36. Core Areas – Interior Habitat “Not all habitat patches are the same” habitat-interior species Area-sensitive species

38. Countering Edge Effects & Habitat Fragmentation Increase edge complexity

40. Countering Edge Effects & Habitat Fragmentation Develop connective corridors Increase edge complexity

42. Linking Core Areas & Refuges

44. Multiple-Use Module (MUM) Network Refuges (nodes) connected by corridors

46. Roads: Formation of Barriers in Landscapes

52. Species-of-the-Day grizzly bear (Ursus arctos)

55. Habitat Mississippi R to Pacific (plains, forests, mountains, wetlands, beaches)… Today, (US, lower 48) Montana Wyoming Idaho Washington

56. 1985 – Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee

57. Food Omnivores – up to 90% plant matter * Seasonality

58. Reproduction ~mid May to early July litter size = up to 2 *delayed implantation Behavior Hibernation (Oct-May)