The present thesis deals with the related themes of mortality and growth in coral reef fishes. In the first chapter, a nine-year dataset from Bermuda is used to quantify how reef fish populations respond to the introduction of a trap-fishing ban, finding that herbivores exhibit …
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The problem of changing scale in models of a system is relevant in many different fields. In this thesis we investigate the problem in models of biological systems, particularly infectious disease spread and population dynamics. We investigate this problem using the process alge…
Bottlenose dolphins of the Kvarnerić (NE Adriatic Sea) live in an area of increasing human impact, through tourism and small-scale fisheries. This thesis aimed to assess the status of the local population and to inform managers on factors affecting their distribution and abundan…
Conservation biologists have used reintroduction as a method to reestablish extirpated species in their native habitat. Three important aspects of a successful reintroduction effort include: (1) a habitat suitability study of the reintroduction area, including effects of migrati…
Reproductive success can be highly variable within wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) populations, and success in some regions appears to be primarily associated with annual fluctuations in nest or poult survival. Identification of factors causing variation in these pa…
The site of Hierakonpolis is considered to have played an important role in the development of the Egyptian state, which formed at end of the fourth millennium BC. Archaeological evidence suggests that, for the Middle and Late Predynastic periods (ca. 3900-3200 BC), Hierakonpoli…
Reproductive output and survival are expected to be balanced through a tradeoff between current success and future potential, in response to environmental conditions that vary on spatial and temporal scales. Long-term datasets that follow uniquely marked animals through time are…
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (BCT) Oncorhynchus clarkii utah is one of fourteen subspecies of Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii and is a species of high ecological and social importance. Bonneville Cutthroat Trout is a species of conservation concern in the states of Idaho and …
Negative interactions with nonnative species are a concern for many species including Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (YCT) Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri . In many YCT fisheries, managers are tasked with balancing angler satisfaction and fish conservation. Trying to balance these ne…
Investigating individual-based habitat settlement and space use decisions (i.e., how individuals distribute themselves across a landscape) is a central theme in ecology, with potential consequences for fitness (e.g., survival, reproduction). Among mammals, habitat selection and …
The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is a pest of field corn, Zea mays L., across the United States (U.S.) Corn Belt. Transgenic corn expressing two or more insecticidal proteins (‘pyramid’) derived from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) is…
Population collapse in forage fish occurs both naturally and due to overfishing, and is a challenge to sustainable fisheries management. Sustained low abundance can result in prolonged fishery closures and impact the abundance of other species via predation or competition. The t…
Ecological phenomena act on various spatial and temporal scales. To understand what causes animal populations to build and decline depends heavily on abiotic and biotic conditions which vary spatiotemporally throughout the biosphere. One excellent example of animal populations d…
Populations comprising humans or agents following simple rules offer a varied landscape of dynamic behaviors and configurations. This dissertation presents three articles that follow an interdisciplinary approach where mathematical and statistical techniques are adapted from the…
Large carnivores are re-colonizing their historical range globally, following decades of systematic eradication. The subsequent expansion of large carnivore populations is creating complex predator-prey interactions by trophically upgrading previously simpler food webs. Overlap …
Dispersal is a critical life-stage with consequences not only for the individual, but for population dynamics and thus the fate of the whole species. The creation of dispersal coalitions can lead to complex outcomes and affect how changes in abundance occur on the landscape. I e…
Parasitoids are excellent model systems in addressing fundamental aspects of biology and ecology while offering a high degree of economic and ecological value in regulating the population densities of their host species in both natural and agroecological settings. The single mos…
The ability of animal populations to compensate for harvest mortality provides the basis for sustainable harvesting. Coyote populations are resilient to exploitation, but the underlying mechanisms of compensation and how they inter-relate are not fully understood. Moreover, defi…