Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Environment and Natural Resources

The killing of nonhuman animals is a routine and widespread practice in many contemporary human societies. In the context of wildlife specifically, this practice can occur under legal circumstances, such as through the authorized application of lethal control or illegally through the killing of wildlife in violation of state, federal, or international law (i.e., poaching). Regardless of legal status, the decision to support or engage in any action that results in the intentional death of a wild animal is influenced by a range of cognitive, social, and cultural factors. Thus, this dissertation draws upon theoretical frameworks established within the fields of sociology and psychology to advance, and refine, the application of social science concepts to better understand factors that influence individual judgments and decisions about the appropriateness of killing wild animals. Specifically, Chapter 2 assesses unexplained support for the lethal (and legal) management (i.e., punishment) of both human and nonhuman (wild) animals accused of violating social expectations or rules, via the application of capital punishment and lethal control respectively. Demonstrating that certain individuals report greater support for punishment irrespective of species or circumstance (i.e., experimental condition), results suggest that heuristic processing in the absence of detailed information upon which one could deliberate leads to significant consequences for the punishment of others. Exploring the ways in which perceptions of the illegal killing of wildlife are shaped by one's social landscape, Chapter 3 engages social norms theory to examine normative beliefs regarding the frequency, acceptability, and accountability one may expect if choosing to engage in wildlife-related noncompliance. Revealing the perceived power of informal sanctioning via one's community, results indicate that while increasingly punitive “tough on crime” anti-poaching policies may be widespread, learning and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alia Dietsch PhD (Committee Chair); Jeremy Bruskotter PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Linda Lobao PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Conservation; Environmental Studies; Psychology; Sociology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

Anthropogenic activity has been documented to have negative impacts on wildlife that include altered behaviors, lower body mass, and decreased reproductive success. Although wildlife viewing provides support for conservation efforts, it is also one of many human recreational activities that pose a threat to wildlife. The painted dog (Lycaon pictus) is a popular species for viewing by tourists, and one of Africa's most endangered carnivores. Anthropogenic-based actions such as persecution, snaring, diseases transmitted via domestic dogs, and habitat fragmentation contribute to their decline, and human disturbance at den sites, primarily via tourism, is an emergent threat for this species. I explored the potential effects of direct and indirect human activity on painted dogs during their denning season using a mixed method approach for free-ranging and captive populations. This included: (a) identifying areas where humans visited painted dog dens using social media posts and content analysis, (b) developing and testing a noninvasive measurement tool (belly score) to assess the body condition of painted dogs via images, (c) comparing carnivore and herbivore activity on human-modified game trails and unmodified game trails using camera traps, and (d) comparing feeding regimens and morphometric measurements between two captive painted dog litters. Results from this study showed that (a) painted dog dens have been visited by humans in at least seven of the 14 countries where painted dogs are known to exist, with the majority of visits reported in South Africa, (b) belly score means differed significantly between two populations of painted dogs (Hwange National Park and Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe) while seasonal variations were similar for both populations; demonstrating how this tool may be used to assess body condition, foraging success, and fitness between and among individuals and populations, (c) carnivores were observed on human-modified trails more frequentl (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lisabeth Willey Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Beth Kaplin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Gregory Rasmussen Ph.D. (Committee Member); Anthony Giordano Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African Studies; Animals; Biology; Conservation; Ecology; Environmental Studies; Natural Resource Management; Recreation; Sub Saharan Africa Studies; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management; Zoology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Biological Sciences

As human-modified landscape and climate changes proliferate, maintaining biodiversity and understanding the function and quality of available habitat is imperative. Anurans (frogs/toads) can be indicator species of habitat quality and ecosystem productivity, due to their permeable skin, small body size and ectothermy. We explored the relationship between Anurans and habitat quality by assessing the effects of spatial and temporal heterogeneity on the presence of Anurans. Across the Toledo Metropolitan Area (TMA), including the biodiversity hotspot Oak Openings Region (OOR), we surveyed across three years, 67 different wetland sites (N=1800). There was a difference in community assemblage between rural and suburban/urban habitats driven by factors related to human-modification (impervious surface), composition (landcover type) and productivity (e.g., NDVI). Areas with more impervious surface, lower amounts of swamp forest, and lower NDVI had fewer species. The differences in spatial structure but lack of differences in temporal variables among sites suggest spatial factors dominated. We also developed spatial models for predicting species richness across the region to evaluate spatial variables driving community composition and ecosystem productivity. The amount of cropland best predicted species richness, followed by amount of swamp forest. Among individual species, the most important variables differed; cropland (Acris blanchardi, Lithobates catesbeianus, Anaxyrus americanus, Anaxyrus fowleri and Hyla versicolor), floodplain forest (Lithobates clamitans), wet prairie (Lithobates pipiens), and swamp forest (Pseudacris crucifer, Pseudacris triseriata, Lithobates sylvaticus) were leading influences. Finally, we surveyed 304 local residents to assess their views on topics from support of new parks/preserves to fees to utilize parks, before a 25-minute presentation on Anurans, and resurveying them. There was strong support for many conservation-oriented questions, but (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Root Ph.D. (Advisor); Paul Moore Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ashley Ajemigbitse Ph.D. (Other); Jeffrey Miner Ph.D. (Committee Member); Helen Michaels Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Conservation; Ecology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, Biological Sciences (Arts and Sciences)

Terrestrial carnivores are some of the most imperiled species today due to their large home range requirements, high metabolic demands, sensitivity to habitat fragmentation, and persecution by humans. Carnivores play a vital role in shaping community dynamics through top-down regulation, and changes in their abundance, distribution, or intraguild interactions can alter such top-down influences. As such, the recovery of carnivores as a conservation tool to restore ecosystem functions (termed: trophic rewilding) has become increasingly popular. Additionally, many carnivores readily expand their range or reestablish in human-dominated landscapes and coexist with humans. Therefore, carnivore conservation, management, and the use of terrestrial carnivore species for trophic rewilding efforts require not only an understanding of their ecological interactions within the carnivore guild, but also the broader context of these interactions, including the effects of human activities on and predator-prey and competitive interactions. My doctoral research addresses these questions using community and species- level approaches with carnivores in two human-dominated systems: one that harbors the full complement of carnivore species and did not experience species extirpation (brown bear, wolf, lynx, wildcat, red fox, badgers– Romanian Carpathians, RO), and one depauperate, dominated by native and non-native mesocarnivores and witnessing a dynamic recovery of native species (e.g., coyote, bobcat, red fox, gray fox, black bear, raccoon–Ohio, OH). Specifically, in the Romanian system, I used camera trap data coupled with community ecology models to 1) understand seasonal drivers of spatial patterns of apex and mesocarnivore species occurrence and 2) determine the relative importance of top-down versus bottom-up processes in shaping community dynamics of carnivores and prey. In the Ohio system, I used multiple data sources paired with population-level models to 3) evaluate the viab (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Viorel Popescu (Advisor); Diego Alvarado-Serrano (Committee Member); Susan Williams (Committee Member); Stephen Spear (Committee Member); Sabrina Curran (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Conservation; Ecology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Master of Science, Miami University, 2022, Biology

As habitat loss and degradation continually threaten biodiversity, understanding the habitat requirements of species is as important as ever for wildlife management and conservation. All species require certain habitat features to persist, whether that be at the microhabitat scale or the landscape scale. Here I aimed to determine habitat features important for spotted salamanders, a cryptic species with a complex life cycle. My central hypothesis is that microhabitat features and landscape-level features will both impact spotted salamander individuals and populations. I used an experimental study to assess impacts on individuals and a field survey to assess populations. Overall, I found that larval density and pond cover both impact captive reared spotted salamander metamorphosis, and that leaf litter impacts the recapture of individuals after overwintering. Finally, I found that the prevalence and abundance of wild spotted salamanders are associated with the amount of leaf litter, the amount of shrub/scrub habitat surrounding breeding ponds, and the distance of the breeding pond to the nearest pond. This research demonstrates the importance of studying habitat features at various scales to accurately study species occupancy and manage natural areas in a way that best accommodates wildlife.

Committee: Michelle Boone (Advisor); Tereza Jezkova (Committee Member); Nancy Solomon (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Conservation; Ecology; Freshwater Ecology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management; Zoology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Environmental Science

Tropical savannas support globally important biological diversity and provide a variety of cultural and economic ecosystem-services to humans. As mosaic landscapes, they are characterized by the coexistence of woody and grassy habitats which are strongly regulated by abiotic gradients (e.g., soils, climate) and local disturbance regimes (e.g., fire, flooding and grazing). Consequentially, savannas are inherently dynamic over a variety of scales and provide an array of temporal and spatial ecological niches for wildlife. However, tropical savannas and their ecological functions have been widely degraded by intensifying human land-use and are threatened by impending climate change. Unfortunately, our scientific understanding of savanna ecology is currently limited, impeding development of appropriate conservation approaches. This is especially true of Neotropical systems. This dissertation provides new research, carried out within the Beni, a seasonally flooded Neotropical savanna in Bolivia, that aims to address critical knowledge gaps in savanna ecology. This research will contribute to developing sustainable land management and restoration initiatives to secure and protect savanna ecosystems for people and wildlife. The overarching aim was to understand how ecological (flooding) and agricultural (managed fire and cattle grazing) disturbance influences habitats and wildlife in Beni. To achieve this, three specific objectives were identified: 1) understand how restoration, through cessation of long-term cattle grazing impacts (i) regeneration, (ii) understory structure and composition, and (iii) abundance and diversity of large mammals and nocturnal birds, within the regions' naturally patchy gallery forests; 2) examine how compounded disturbance from flooding and fire shapes the distribution of woody plants and habitats across a savanna-grassland mosaic; and 3) determine functional responses of avian biodiversity to livestock removal across a savanna-grassland ec (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: G. Matt Davies (Advisor); Christopher Tonra (Advisor); Stephen Matthews (Committee Member); Kaiguang Zhao (Committee Member) Subjects: Conservation; Ecology; Environmental Science; Range Management; Wildlife Conservation

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2021, Biology (Ecology)

Conserving and managing migratory species is inherently complicated due largely to their reliance on multiple landscapes at different stages of their annual cycle. The combination and degree to which each life stage (e.g., nascence through independence from adult care), geographical location (e.g., a large estuarine stopover site), or portion of the annual cycle (e.g., the nonbreeding period) influences a population is often unknown. Thus, resulting conservation strategies are often built with information representing a limited portion of a migratory species' annual range. This trend is concerning as recent studies demonstrate the influence of poorly studied life stages (e.g., the post-fledging period) and carryover effects (e.g., habitat quality and food availability influencing subsequent productivity) on population dynamics of migratory species. Previous research suggests that, like other migratory taxa, global populations of many migratory birds are declining at alarming rates, presenting an important and time-sensitive opportunity to develop full life-cycle conservation strategies and identify and mitigate key factors driving population declines in migratory species. This dissertation investigates the migratory ecology of Vermivora warblers and synthesizes findings in ecological, evolutionary, and conservation frameworks. Vermivora warblers are a species complex composed of two extant species of obligate Nearctic-Neotropical migrant warblers that are extremely closely related. Golden-winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) and blue-winged warblers (Vermivora cyanoptera) breed and migrate throughout deciduous forests of eastern North America and occur throughout Central America, with golden-winged warblers also occurring in northern South America during the nonbreeding period. On the breeding grounds, golden-winged warblers and blue-winged warblers have overlapping distributions and regularly hybridize to produce viable young. Recent genomic evidence suggests (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Henry Streby (Advisor); David Andersen (Committee Member); Petra Wood (Committee Member); David Buehler (Committee Member); Jon Bossenbroek (Committee Member) Subjects: Animals; Biology; Ecology; Environmental Science; Wildlife Conservation; Zoology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Environment and Natural Resources

Wildlife value orientations (WVOs) reflect sets of beliefs about preferred modes of treating wildlife and have been found to explain attitudes toward wildlife management interventions. Much research in the academic field of “human dimensions of wildlife" has examined the effects of WVOs on attitudes towards particular management actions, or a handful of particular species. Consequentially, past research has not isolated the effects of species attributes on attitudes. In the current work, I test whether the effects of WVOs on acceptability of lethal removal and risk perceptions about wildlife-related threats differ as a function of the following species attributes: endangered status, taxonomic order (i.e., Herbivora or Carnivora), and whether the species poses a threat. I distributed a self-administered online survey to a panel of 987 individuals using Prolific Academic to measure acceptability of lethal removal and risk perceptions of a species, WVOs (domination and mutualism), and experience with negative human-wildlife interactions in the past year. Moderated linear regression analyses revealed that the effects of the WVOs on acceptability of lethal removal and risk perceptions differed significantly between the experimental treatments. The results indicate that contextual cues about a species can dampen or strengthen the influence of WVOs when people make wildlife-related decisions. When explaining acceptability of lethal removal by a wildlife professional, domination increased acceptability of lethal removal to a greater extent when a species was described as posing a threat or was a carnivore, and to a lesser extent when a species was listed as endangered. When explaining risk perceptions, the relationships between WVOs and taxonomic order and threat treatments were more complex, as 3-way interactions were detected. However, the effects of WVOs on risk perceptions neither increased nor decreased as a function or whether a species was listed as endangered or no (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alia Dietsch PhD (Advisor); Jeremy Bruskotter PhD (Committee Member); Robyn Wilson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Psychology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2018, History (Arts and Sciences)

In 1938, the colonial office in Bathurst appointed a forestry management committee to design and implement an aggressive reforestation plan. The committee planted imported tree species and conserved [native] wild bamboo and rhun palm trees. It also created forest and wildlife parks in the colony of Gambia. During this time, the administration&'s Department of Agriculture initiated several projects: rice and other food grain cultivation for food sufficiency; peanut cultivation to develop a viable cash crop; and exploitation of forest timber products and huntable exotic game. The outcome of this contradiction was stringent conservation policies often with severe consequences for the African residents of the colony. This thesis offers new sources that demonstrate how agricultural activities and resource exploitation undermined conservation, and the colonial conservation policies neglected the local ways of forest and wildlife conservation in the Gambia. It hopes to contribute to the growing environmental scholarship of West Africa most of which neglect conservation. This is a study of forest and wildlife conservation in the Gambia, examining the colonial conservation policies, and how agricultural policies and activities, particularly the introduction of animal drawn-plow, mechanized rice farming, and exportation of wild animal species undermined conservation.

Committee: Assan Sarr Dr (Advisor) Subjects: History

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2018, Biological Sciences

The goal of my thesis is to: 1) provide baseline information of where Ohio bats are foraging in Wright State University's (WSU) campus woods in relation to forest age and habitat (Chapter 1), 2) determine potential roost availability for local bats (Chapter 1), and 3) examine changes in state-wide species composition following the introduction of White-nose Syndrome (WNS; Chapter 2). In Chapter 1, I created walking bat acoustic routes and used generalized linear models to determine what forest ages and habitats had the greatest bat activity in the WSU campus woods. I conducted habitat transects throughout all forest ages to estimate and contrast their available bat roost tree densities. My results supported species-specific trends in foraging habitat selection, and could further be explained by bat flight morphology. Selection of edge habitats in primary and secondary forests was consistent among species, while variation was large among interior and riparian habitats. Further, larger bodied species preferred edge habitats for foraging while midsized and small bodied species had intraspecific variation in foraging habitat selection. Primary forests and secondary 65 year forests had the greatest availability of potential foliage roost densities compared to degraded primary and secondary 85 year forests. Additionally, secondary 65 year forest had the greatest availability of potential cavity roost densities compared to all other ages. Taken together, the WSU campus woods has habitats that sustain bat foraging and likely summer roosting. In Chapter 2, I used mobile bat acoustic data from Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODOW) to model trends in species composition over time following WNS. I created linear mixed effects models with summary acoustic detection data. To determine impacts on relative bat abundance, I created 61 formulas with varying fixed effects including species, species wintering behavior, species summer roosting behavior, year, and ODOW wildlife distri (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Volker Bahn Ph.D. (Advisor); Tom Rooney Ph.D. (Committee Member); Megan Rua Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Diseases; Animals; Biology; Ecology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2018, Environment and Natural Resources

Human intolerance of wildlife is often associated with negative interactions (i.e., conflict) between humans and wildlife. While many studies of these conflicts focus on which species are involved and the extent of damage caused, few studies focus on understanding the psychological factors that shape how people talk about or “frame” such negative interactions. This investigation seeks to understand how situational-specific factors (e.g., the nature, extent, and frequency of previous interactions) and underlying psychological factors, such as wildlife value orientations, impact an individual's framing of reported problems with wildlife. Using data from a survey of residents living in Washington state, we performed a mixed-methods analysis of 1,837 responses to an open-ended question asking participants to describe the problems they have experienced with wildlife near their homes. Environmental context (place of residence) played a role in the types of species and interactions that an individual identifies. Additionally, there is evidence that demographic (e.g., sex, age) and psychological factors impact what interactions may be the most salient to an individual. These results also indicate nuisance interactions, such as yard or structural damage, may be the most commonly experienced across groups. Other studies have found that nuisance interactions have greatest potential for social conflict over appropriate management decisions and acceptability of lethal control. Experience and engagement in attempts to mitigate problems with wildlife may explain some of this variability. Finally, recognizing the needs of both humans and wildlife was positively associated with describing a mitigation strategy, suggesting acceptance of “problems with wildlife” may be dependent on the ability of the individual to identify effective mitigation strategies.

Committee: Alia Dietsch PhD (Advisor); Robyn Wilson PhD (Committee Member); Jeremy Bruskotter PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2018, Sociology (Arts and Sciences)

According to the Wildlife Land Trust (2015) more than one million animals are illegally killed each year. This criminal activity, known as poaching, threatens the survival of targeted species, as well as the biodiversity of the ecosystems to which they belong, the livelihood of local communities, and even national security. Considering the unprecedented rates across the globe, the urgency to find solutions has intensified. Although efforts have been predominately led by wildlife conservationists and biologists, given the anthropocentric nature of poaching, in this paper I call for an interdisciplinary approach incorporating an environmental sociological perspective and analysis. Grounded in social conflict theory and green criminology, I explore various forms of inequality to examine the ecological, economic, and social contexts in which poaching occur. Furthermore, I utilize symbolic interactionism to investigate how the construction of these factors may influence the participation in and perpetuation of this illegal activity. While there are countless species affected by poaching, I specifically analyze the poaching of one of the most emotive megafauna and largest living land animal, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana and Loxodonta cyclotic) (Blanc, 2008). Using a mixed methods approach comprised of multiple regression analysis and textual content analysis, I evaluate secondary data from the thirty-seven African countries in which these species inhabit. Findings reveal that agricultural land proportion, gross domestic product, female literacy, democracy, and male unemployment are significant predictors of poaching. The results of this research seek to inform national anti-poaching policy and practice, as well as international collaboration and activism to comprehensively address this complex criminal offense whose consequences transcend species, boundaries, and time.

Committee: Stephen Scanlan (Committee Chair) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Biological Sciences

Bat species face multiple threats. One such threat, white-nose syndrome (WNS) has drastically reduced many bat populations. Also, habitat loss and fragmentation often forces bats to concentrate in remnant natural areas, or utilize habitats that are not as suitable. Both of these threats, while threaten bats in a general sense, also affect species differentially. The Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio is a biodiversity hotspot with a landscape composed of remnant natural areas within a matrix of agriculture and urban areas. This area, which provides crucial summer foraging habitat, has experienced declines in bat activity, shifts in bat assemblages, and some in diversity, in recent years, especially since WNS introduction. To study bats in this diverse landscape, we sampled bats acoustically from May – August 2016. We sampled mobile transects along roads along with stationary sites within the Oak Openings Preserve within the region. We identified calls to species and ran analyses investigating total bat activity, species-specific activity and presence, and bat diversity compared to. We compared bats to environmental, vegetation, road, and landcover parameters. Our results show that certain parameters influence bats as a whole, while others only affect one or a few species. We found that savanna stationary sites had more species-specific activity and bat diversity than forested sites (Rank Sums, p<0.05). Parameters that affected most bat species most prevalently were temperature and forest cover, both reflecting positive relationships with total bat activity and diversity (Chi-square; Rank Sums, p<0.05). When looking at species specific relationships, we focused on the least active species, as they may be more in need of management than more active species. Parameters that most influenced our least active species were humidity and open/savanna vs. forested sampling areas. Humidity had positive relationships with the likelihood of presence of our rarer species, whil (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Root PhD (Advisor); Kevin McCluney PhD (Committee Member); Verner Bingman PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Sciences; Animals; Biology; Conservation; Ecology; Environmental Management; Natural Resource Management; Organismal Biology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management; Zoology

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2017, Environmental Sciences

The following report summarizes my internship with Brukner Nature Center (BNC) in Troy, Ohio from January through May, 2016. This internship served as partial fulfillment of the Master of Environmental Science degree from the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability at Miami University. I actively assisted with wildlife conservation practices in the disciplines of preservation, education, and rehabilitation. My responsibilities regarding preservation included trail maintenance, wildlife food and shelter supplementation, invasive species control to improve habitat and wildlife diversity, and participation in research projects. My responsibilities involving education included teaching of natural history to multiple age and social groups as well as caring for and handling resident wildlife ambassadors used for educational purposes. My rehabilitation duties included lawful intake procedures and care of injured and/or orphaned wildlife for eventual release back into the wild. In addition, my project was to assist in the development of BNC's breeding bird banding station through the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship program, which included siting, mapping, assessing, constructing, and preparing the station.

Committee: David Russell PhD (Advisor); Hand Vincent PhD (Committee Member); Cummins Hays PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Conservation; Environmental Science; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1987, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1952, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Agriculture

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Comparative and Veterinary Medicine

Surveillance for wildlife diseases is critical to our understanding of the emergence, transmission, persistence and control of infectious diseases at the interface of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife populations. Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite capable of infecting a wide range of canid and ungulate species. The importance of the disease relates to economic losses, mainly derived from endemic or epidemic abortions in cattle. In the United States, coyotes and dogs are believed to be the main definitive hosts and white-tailed deer and cows are the main intermediate hosts. Our overall aim was to better understand the wildlife-livestock interface of N. caninum in natural settings. First, we estimated the true prevalence of N. caninum in three ruminant species by using Bayesian inference. We identified and discussed differences between apparent and true prevalence (TP). Differences in TP for some species suggest differences in the epidemiology of N. caninum for these co-located populations. Second, we evaluated the environmental phase of N. caninum shed in wild canid scats. Results suggested that the role of this environmental phase in the transmission to ruminants is likely minor. Finally, we evaluated the role of host species heterogeneity in the epidemiology of N. caninum circulating in a community. We identified differences in the patterns of immunity, age structure, and maternal and/or fetal antibody duration in three intermediate (ruminant) host species. Also, we estimated the species-specific contributions to the persistence of this pathogen in a community. This research was approached from the One Health perspective and provided a better understanding of N. caninum dynamics at the wildlife-livestock interface in an ecosystem.

Committee: Rebecca Garabed (Advisor); Mark Moritz (Committee Member); Barbara Wolfe (Committee Member); William Saville (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Diseases; Applied Mathematics; Biology; Biostatistics; Computer Science; Conservation; Cultural Anthropology; Ecology; Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Geographic Information Science; Health Sciences; Livestock; Parasitology; Veterinary Services; Wildlife Conservation; Zoology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2016, Geography

A current assessment of wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) distribution throughout the Masai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) and adjoining group ranches has not been investigated for over 15 years. This information is greatly needed to protect populations of wildebeest and their ranges. MaxEnt, a statistical model, was used to evaluate influential factors for wildebeest distribution and predict suitable habitats throughout the northern extent of the Serengeti National Park, the MMNR, and adjoining group ranches. There were thirty five abiotic and biotic variables used to create two distribution models in MaxEnt across the study area for two different time periods. Both models performed well with training AUCs >0.80. Precipitation seasonality, isothermality, and distances to lodges were the greatest contributing variables to wildebeest distribution in the November model. Kauth-Thomas wetness, annual temperature range, and distances to camps were significant factors for wildebeest distribution in the June model. Predictive maps from the June 2010 model revealed higher concentrations of predicted habitat suitability in areas historically impacted by the expansion of mechanized farming practices. It is recommended that the MMNR collaborate with local group ranch conservancies to secure seasonal dispersal sites for wildebeest and impose land use policies in unprotected areas. Results from MaxEnt also revealed that bioclimatic variables and soil and plant moisture are significant contributors to wildebeest distributions. The MMNR should evaluate the potential effects imposed by climate change to wildebeest distributions and populations.

Committee: John Maingi Dr. (Advisor); Amélie Davis Dr. (Committee Member); Thomas Crist Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Sciences; Biographies; Ecology; Geographic Information Science; Geography; Statistics

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2016, Environment and Natural Resources

Intrinsic value has been the focus of philosophers' inquiries in numerous contexts. In the case of wildlife, environmental ethicists have offered a variety of frameworks asserting that species possess value outside of the utility they offer humans, although there is contention within the field as to these claims. However, wildlife's intrinsic value has received minimal attention outside of the normative approach taken by environmental ethics. Thus, little is understood about intrinsic value in the context of conservation from a social psychological perspective. Using a national data sample from the United States, this study addresses four research questions: 1) What is the prevalence of the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value? 2) Is the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value separate and distinct from existing measures of wildlife value orientation (i.e., mutualism)? 3) Does the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value help explain other wildlife-related judgments? 4) What social and demographic factors are associated with the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value? The study found that a majority of the public (69%) holds the belief that wildlife possess intrinsic value; that intrinsic-value belief is distinct from wildlife value orientation; that intrinsic-value belief is associated with other wildlife-related judgments; and that most social and demographic factors have minimal direct association with intrinsic-value belief. These findings have implications for the field of human dimensions of wildlife as well as wildlife policy. Perhaps most importantly, my findings suggest the majority of the American public deems wildlife worthy moral consideration – meaning, wildlife are entitled to be treated in ways that consider their welfare, rather than simply being utilized for humanity's benefit. Presently, wildlife policy in the United States largely ignores the welfare of wildlife, focusing almost exclusively on provisioni (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeremy Bruskotter (Advisor); Eric Toman (Committee Member); Robyn Wilson (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Philosophy; Social Psychology; Wildlife Conservation

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2014, Biology

As humans continue to influence ecosystems, the preservation of endangered species becomes increasingly important. This leads to the use of captive breeding programs as a tool while fragile habitats are restored or recover. However, the majority of captive breeding studies deal with parameters that account for optimization only while in captivity. Breeding plans look to increase fitness and or fecundity while minimizing deleterious effects associated with inbreeding and small population sizes while in captivity. Few studies focus on the interaction between inbreeding and fitness in captivity with success when released into the wild. Fewer studies still have examined the utilization of genetic variation that is partitioned within and between captive populations in meeting the objectives of breeding plans. Largely missing from current breeding plans is recognition of potential tradeoffs between fitness in the captive environment and adaptability to release environments. We simulated how population structure in and out of captivity influences long-term species success. We specifically tested if a traditional breeding design (maximum avoidance of inbreeding) preformed as well as a model that maintained traditional segregation of alleles in captivity. We found that maintaining inbred wild population structure protected genetic variation better than maximum outcrossing while in captivity. This study calls into question current practices in captive breeding when future release of captive bred populations is anticipated.

Committee: Francisco Moore Dr. (Advisor); Matthew Shawkey Dr. (Committee Member); Randall Mitchell Dr. (Committee Member); Zhong-Hui Duan Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Evolution and Development; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management