• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • UAF Graduate School
    • Biological Sciences
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • UAF Graduate School
    • Biological Sciences
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Scholarworks@UACommunitiesPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsTypeThis CollectionPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsType

    My Account

    Login

    First Time Submitters, Register Here

    Register

    Statistics

    Display statistics

    Postbreeding Ecology Of Shorebirds On The Arctic Coastal Plain Of Alaska

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    Taylor_A_2011.pdf
    Size:
    3.411Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    Download
    Author
    Taylor, Audrey R.
    Chair
    Powell, Abby N.
    Lanctot, R. B.
    Committee
    Huettmann, F.
    Kitaysky, A. S.
    Williams, T. D.
    Keyword
    Wildlife conservation
    Ecology
    Conservation biology
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11122/9092
    Abstract
    Previous research on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of Alaska has shown that postbreeding shorebirds congregate at coastal sites prior to fall migration. Relatively little has been done to compare distribution, community characteristics, or behavior broadly across the ACP landscape, but this information is necessary to set the context for interpreting population demographics and setting conservation priorities. I collected data on distribution, species composition, phenology, and habitat use of postbreeding shorebirds in 2005--2007. I found that distribution of shorebirds across the ACP was not uniform: I identified persistent "hotspots" at Peard Bay, Pt. Barrow/Elson Lagoon, Cape Simpson, Smith Bay to Cape Halkett, and at the Sagavanirktok and Kongakut Deltas. Staging phenology varied by species and location, and differed than that reported in previous studies for several species. Three foraging habitat guilds existed with birds favoring gravel beach, mudflat, or salt marsh/pond edge habitats. Using VHF telemetry. I examined how shorebirds moved from tundra breeding sites to and between coastal postbreeding sites. I found that most species exhibited a variable direction of movement compared to their ultimate migration direction; this may be related to each species' overall length of stay on the ACP. I also found species-specific patterns of movements and residence time that were indicative of differing life history strategies. Lastly, I examined the use of physiological tools (triglyceride and corticosterone levels) to assess function and quality of foraging sites for postbreeding shorebirds, taking into account varying molt strategies. I determined that molt strategies affected physiological profiles and physiologic metrics varied through space and time. However, my hypotheses for variation in physiological patterns for shorebirds employing different molt strategies and using sites of varying quality were not completely upheld. I suggest that assessments of site quality for postbreeding shorebirds should consider species-specific life history strategies, and use multiple species and physiological metrics as indicators. Given suspected declines in North American shorebird populations, and accelerated rates of environmental change in northern Alaska, this contextual information regarding postbreeding distribution, population characteristics, behavior, and physiology may help interpret changes in shorebird populations or behavior and establish strategies to protect important habitat.
    Description
    Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2011
    Date
    2011
    Type
    Dissertation
    Collections
    Biological Sciences
    Theses supervised by AKCFWRU

    entitlement

     
    ABOUT US|HELP|BROWSE|ADVANCED SEARCH

    The University of Alaska Fairbanks is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution and is a part of the University of Alaska system.

    ©UAF 2013 - 2023 | Questions? ua-scholarworks@alaska.edu | Last modified: September 25, 2019

    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.