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dc.contributor.authorEisaguirre, Joseph Michael
dc.date.accessioned2020-09-20T19:17:03Z
dc.date.available2020-09-20T19:17:03Z
dc.date.issued2020-05
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11122/11262
dc.descriptionDissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2020en_US
dc.description.abstractGolden eagles Aquila chrysaetos are distributed across the Holarctic; however, in Alaska and other northern areas, many are long-distance migrants. Being soaring birds, golden eagles can use weather and features of the energy landscape to offset the energetic costs of movement and migration. In this dissertation, I investigate how dynamic energy landscapes, in addition to other habitat and anthropogenic features, affect the movement and migration ecology of Alaskan golden eagles; in most cases I did such by developing and applying new, biologically-appropriate statistical methods. First, I identified a single, discrete navigation decision that each eagle made during migration and determined which weather variables are primary factors in driving that decision. I found that wind was the primary correlate to the decision, consistent with eagles likely avoiding poor migration conditions and choosing routes based on favorable wind conditions. Second, I investigated how different forms of flight subsidies, which were orographic uplift, thermal uplift, and wind support, drove behavioral budgets and migratory pacing of eagles. I found a consistent daily rhythm in eagle behavior and migratory pace, seemingly driven by daily development of thermal uplift, with extended periods of slower-paced movements, consistent with periods of opportunistic foraging. Third, I investigated the effects of anthropogenic linear features, such as roads and railroads, on eagle movement during migration. I found that eagles selected for roads during spring migration and were more likely to be near roads when making slower-paced movements, which would be most frequent during times when limited thermal uplift is available. Lastly, I compared how floaters (breeding-age, non-territorial individuals) and territorial eagles used space and selected for resources, specifically interested in how their movements and space use might overlap. I found that floater space use was much more expansive, yet they only selected for habitats and resources slightly differently than territorial eagles. I also found their home ranges overlap substantially, suggesting that floaters play a key role in the population ecology of migratory golden eagles in Alaska.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipAlaska Department of Fish and Game, State Wildlife Grant Program, Calvin J. Lensink Fund, Institute of Arctic Biology, UAF Graduate Schoolen_US
dc.description.tableofcontentsChapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Local meteorological conditions reroute a migration -- Chapter 3: Dynamic-parameter movement models reveal drivers of migratory pace in a soaring bird -- Chapter 4: Novel step selection analyses on energy landscapes reveal how linear features alter migrations of soaring birds -- Chapter 5: Differential resource selection between territorial and floater golden eagles revealed with an Ornstein-Ulhenbeck space use model -- Chapter 6: Conclusion -- Appendix.en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.subjectgolden eagleen_US
dc.subjectmigrationen_US
dc.subjectecologyen_US
dc.subjectAlaskaen_US
dc.titleMovement and migration ecology of Alaskan golden eaglesen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US
dc.type.degreephden_US
dc.identifier.departmentWildlife Biology and Conservation Programen_US
dc.contributor.chairBreed, Greg
dc.contributor.committeeBooms, Travis
dc.contributor.committeeDoak, Pat
dc.contributor.committeeKielland, Knut
dc.contributor.committeeMcIntyre, Carol
refterms.dateFOA2020-09-20T19:17:03Z


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