MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

My thesis deals with both the sociological and environmental aspects of living things. Animals have been around for millions and billions of years and they occupy a spot in the “web of life”. If a species should vanish or decline, the web is disrupted and other species, including humans are jeopardized. Animals have the basic right to coexist with us with as little obstruction as possible. They are our neighbors on this planet and have the same rights as we do to land, air, water, and all things needed to survive. All animals have a purpose in this world so what divine right do humans have to pick and choose who lives and who dies? We are the most intelligent species on Earth and also the most destructive. We should use our abilities to protect the wildlife instead of vanquishing it. Keeping animals in zoos is a way that people have used to recover the deprivation of wildlife. Although well intentioned, animals are kept in captivity and denied their true environment which they are inherently entitled to. However, another way that people have begun saving these precious creatures is through wildlife rehabilitation. They tend to injured wild animals with the goal of reentering them back in to their natural habitat.

Committee: Tony Kawanari (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Landscape Architecture, The Ohio State University, 2013, Architecture

Conventionally, weeds, or invasive species, are harmful because they often displace plants, which human beings hope to grow, or they invade places where people do not want them to grow. However, this paper challenges this common notion, and re-identifies these weeds as pioneer species. Scientifically, the article analyzes the biological features and ecological benefits of this group of species, illustrating their value in the urban landscape environment. Moreover, the paper draws comparisons between this native/invasive dialogue and queer theory, analyzing the position towards nature that should be held by landscape architects. The site of East Franklinton was selected as the study field, because of the current situation and the revitalization plan it is facing. In the site, the concept of queer space is developed with three practices, which emphasize the infinite diversity and possibilities, instability and changeability, non-hierarchy and inability to classify urban spaces. These practices consist of a utopian world, different from the traditional design philosophy, in which humans are no longer the dictator of the world who can dominate and control everything: they play only a part of the whole ecological system. The practice is aimed to explore what is the real nature, not man-made nature.

Committee: Katherine Bennett (Committee Chair); Curtis Roth (Committee Member); Amy Youngs (Committee Member) Subjects: Landscape Architecture

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Biological Sciences

White-tailed deer are one of the most widespread mammalian herbivores throughout both North and South America. Throughout much of this broad geographic range, deer populations occur at densities that greatly exceed historic estimates. At high densities, deer can negatively suppress juvenile tree growth, inhibit plant regeneration, and alter plant communities which can have long-term cascading effects on small mammals, birds, and plants. Anthropogenic development can help support overabundant deer populations by creating novel foraging opportunities via disturbance regimes and supplementary foraging opportunities. Moreover, apex predators that can help regulate deer populations have been extirpated from many areas, which enables deer populations to reach high densities. The objectives of this dissertation are to identify how white-tailed deer use anthropogenic landscapes at multiple spatial scales, determine the plant chemical properties that influence deer forage selection, and discern how unique predator communities influence the spatiotemporal activity of deer in multiple ecosystems. My first study developed a novel method to measure activity densities of white-tailed deer in multiple habitats that also excluded non-target species from interfering with data collection. In my second study, I measured the activity densities of deer in forest ecosystems that are fragmented by anthropogenically developed meadows. I found that during times of the year when resources are abundant across the landscape, deer preferred meadow patches that contained an abundance of plants that provided deer with a better foraging opportunity than the adjacent forest patches. The third study in this dissertation examined how plant chemistry and volatile scent-cues influence the forage selection of white-tailed deer. During summer I found that deer preferred plants with higher carbohydrate content, likely due to these plants providing fat reserves before winter. Whereas during winter, deer we (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Ward (Advisor); Mark Kershner (Committee Member); He Yin (Committee Member); Melissa Schmitt (Committee Member); Christie Bahlai (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Sciences; Conservation; Ecology; Plant Sciences; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management; Zoology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Environment and Natural Resources

Sarcoptic mange, caused by the obligatory ectoparasite, Sarcoptes scabiei var canis, poses significant threats to wild canid populations, as it results in high levels of morbidity and mortality. Despite its impact, the disease dynamics and individual risk of infestation for coyotes (Canis latrans) in urban environments remain understudied. As human density within urban spaces continues to rise globally, understanding how disease dynamics within coyote populations is crucial for both wildlife conservation and public health. The Cook County Coyote Project, spanning from 2000 to 2023, has been examining sarcoptic mange infestations among radio-collared coyotes within the Chicago metropolitan area. In this study, we aim to (1) determine prevalence rates, identify causes of mortality, and elucidate general disease dynamics of sarcoptic mange and (2) identify specific covariates that influence an individual's likelihood of infestation within the Chicago coyote population. We found that sarcoptic mange prevalence was enzootic within our study site and was at a lower overall prevalence than studies conducted in rural areas. There was no significant increase in diagnoses between male and female coyotes; however, we were more likely to diagnosis coyotes with sarcoptic mange as adults than subadults or pups. 2% of the diagnosed coyotes fully recovered from gross lesions associated with sarcoptic mange. Coyotes that died from sarcoptic mange exposure were more common during the winter months. Individual likelihood of infestation was assessed using a generalized linear model using demographic and spatial covariates. Our best-fit model based on Akaike information criterion found that with a random effect for coyote ID, yearly home range composition and yearly age class were useful covariates in predicting individual risk of infestation; however, both fixed effects were non-significant. We hypothesize that sarcoptic mange infestations are rather influenced by inter-individua (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stanley Gehrt (Advisor); Laura Pomeroy (Committee Chair); Risa Pesapane (Committee Chair) Subjects: Parasitology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

MA, Kent State University, 2020, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography

Wildlife corridors promote biodiversity, abate landscape fragmentation and – in areas of urban development – are often refuges for fauna. Yet, they appear at odds with their main goal of conserving wildlife's natural habitat, especially when applied to a real-world context, because they are typically located in areas prone to anthropogenic disturbances. The literature varies over how concurrent use affects wildlife. One such space where this occurs is urban parks where wildlife movement overlaps spatially with recreationists. Park visitors utilize formal trails and depart from them to create informal trails. Many negative consequences toward wild biota have been attributed to informal trails, which contribute to anthropogenic-induced fragmentation and, indirectly, disturbances within the matrix. The overlap of trails with wildlife corridors begs the questions: are wildlife using the shared corridors within the reservations or should landscape, resource and trail managers be directing their efforts elsewhere to facilitate wildlife movement? Also, to what degree, if any, will wildlife move through corridors shared with humans? To answer these questions, baseline and biodiversity data needed to be established first. Employing round-the-clock, passive, remotely triggered camera pairs in two urban parks in greater Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A., scenarios were tested along a continuum of wildlife-anthropogenic interfacing that occurs on trails. Formal and informal trails in Cleveland Metroparks were studied, in addition to an area with restored informal trails. Examining the majority of terrestrial, animal wildlife, likelihood of Verified Use was established for each species, guild, and as a whole. Verified Use was defined as any species being detected on both cameras in the pair within a +/- five minute window. I found that non-consumptive, anthropogenic use of trails did not necessarily hinder terrestrial wildlife's movement as suggested in the literature. In situ, not (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Kaplan (Advisor); Timothy Assal (Committee Member); Emariana Widner (Committee Member); Patrick Lorch (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Geography

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Environment and Natural Resources

Wildlife have responded to urbanization in a variety of ways. While some species have been displaced from developed areas, others have learned to tolerate and even thrive in anthropogenic landscapes. Even within a single species, there are inter-individual variations in behavior. Such variations are sometimes attributed to the presence of behavioral syndromes (i.e., suites of correlated behaviors in response to a common stimuli). Behavioral syndromes imply that while a population may contain variations in behavior, each individual has a limited amount of behavioral plasticity. If individuals consistently respond to stressors in a particular manner and some responses are more beneficial than others, the environment may influence which behavioral tendencies dominate in a given location. One commonly-studied set of behavioral syndromes are those associated with the bold-shy spectrum. Bolder individuals are typically defined as being more risk-prone, more exploratory, less neophobic, and less sensitive to stressors. In urban environments, high levels of disturbance, increased human activity, and large quantities of novel items may favor bolder, less anxious individuals over shy individuals. If that is the case, one would expect to find a greater proportion of bold individuals in areas with increased development. Using the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area as a case study location, we conducted flight initiation distance (FID) tests (n= 78) and novel object tests (n=50) on free-ranging coyotes from 2015-2017. Additionally, hair cortisol concentrations (n= 198) were measured from coyote hair samples that were collected from 2014-2018. We found that coyotes in more developed locations tended to have lower FIDs, behave less cautiously around novel objects, and show slightly higher hair cortisol concentrations than coyotes in more natural settings. Flight initiation distances were consistent across trials for individuals who were tested more than once (n= 18) and coyote resp (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stanley Gehrt Dr. (Advisor); Stephen Matthews Dr. (Committee Member); Jeremy Bruskotter Dr. (Committee Member); Hamilton Ian Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Animals; Ecology; Wildlife Management

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 Science, University of Akron, 2014, Biology

Over the past 100 years, the coyote (Canis latrans) has expanded its geographic range across North America. As a result of their adaptability and behavioral flexibility, coyotes are now a common occupant of urban areas in the United States. Because their expansion from rural to urban areas is recent, there is limited research on coyote space use within different levels of development when ranging from truly urban to truly rural environments. We studied a total of 34 radiocollared coyotes in the Cuyahoga Valley, OH region from October 2009 through October 2012 to determine variation in coyote home range size, home range land cover composition, and habitat selection in northeast Ohio. Mean (± SE) composite home ranges of transient coyotes (x¯ = 108.614 ± 16.667 km2) were significantly larger than those of resident coyotes (x¯ = 6.63 ± 0.729 km2) in the Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio. Home ranges did not vary by sex or season for resident and transient coyotes, but resident subadults had significantly larger composite home ranges than other age classes. Home range sizes of transient coyotes were significantly larger than resident coyotes during the breeding, pup-rearing, and dispersal seasons. Neither sex nor age significantly influenced resident or transient coyote seasonal home range. Resident coyote home range size was smaller than found in previous studies. An a priori prediction that coyote home range size in the Cuyahoga Valley would be intermediate to coyote home range size in more urban and more rural habitats was, therefore, not supported. Within the study area and individual home ranges, coyotes commonly avoided land-cover types associated with human development and predominately selected natural habitats (i.e. deciduous forests, grasslands, etc.) more than they were available with little variation as a function of resident status, sex, age, or season. Although we did find that coyotes use areas of high human activity, we found little evide (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Randall Mitchell Dr. (Advisor); Gregory Smith Dr. (Advisor); Francisco Moore Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Ecology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management