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7281. [Article] The Biology of Eastern Kingbirds at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge: Survival, Reproduction, and Testosterone Secretion
This dissertation presents the results of a study that I undertook to better understand the breeding biology of Eastern Kingbirds (hereafter, kingbirds) at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- The Biology of Eastern Kingbirds at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge: Survival, Reproduction, and Testosterone Secretion
- Author:
- Redmond, Lucas J.
- Year:
- 2015
This dissertation presents the results of a study that I undertook to better understand the breeding biology of Eastern Kingbirds (hereafter, kingbirds) at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon from 2003 to 2009. Kingbirds are long-distance migratory songbirds that breed across much of North America. This species is socially monogamous but, via frequent extra-pair copulations, is genetically polygamous. Kingbirds exhibit relatively high breeding site fidelity, often returning to the same tree to nest in subsequent years. Both members of a pair provide parental care, but there are often specific duties performed by both male and female kingbirds. For example, males typically perform much of the vigilant nest defense that this species is well known for and contribute, to an extent, to the feeding of nestlings. Females, on the other hand, are entirely responsible for incubating and brooding. Beginning in 2002, most adults within the population of kingbirds at Malheur had been banded with a unique combination of three colored plastic leg bands and an aluminum USFWS band. Also, as many nests were located in each year as possible, and any young that survived to fledging age were banded with a unique combination of leg bands. Considerable effort was then spent each year to locate as many banded individuals as possible, which allowed me to document adult and juvenile survival. Annual survival rates of adult male and female kingbirds in the population at Malheur did not differ and were relatively high at approximately 0.65. Juvenile survival rate was approximately 0.29, indicating that slightly less than one-third of nestlings survive the interval between fledging and their first potential breeding season. Resighting probability was high for both sexes, although higher for adult males (0.94) than for adult female (0.84). The latter finding is consistent with the higher site fidelity of males than of females. Resighting probabilities for juveniles were much lower at 0.68 and 0.40 for males and females, respectively. Again, this was expected because natal site fidelity is typically much lower than breeding site fidelity. Compared to most other reports, resighting probability and return rates of juvenile kingbirds was high, presumably because the riparian habitats where kingbirds breed at Malheur function as an ecological island surrounded by, for kingbirds, unsuitable high desert habitat. Thus, unless they disperse very long distances, the only option for juvenile kingbirds is to begin nesting on the refuge. The collection of blood samples from birds has become an increasingly common practice in ornithology. The data that can be gained from these samples allow a number of interesting questions to be asked such as understanding the genetic mating system of a species, patterns of hormone secretion, and discerning migratory pathways via stable isotope analysis. The volume of blood collected is usually small and was assumed to cause no long-term negative effects on sampled individuals. However, few studies have rigorously examined the effect of blood sampling on survival. I used a multistate mark-recapture analysis to assess the effect blood sampling on annual survival of kingbirds by combining the annual survival data described above with whether or not individuals were subjected to blood sample collection. The results of this analysis indicated that blood sampling had no effect on annual survival rates of kingbirds. Whether or not this is the case for other species remains to be seen. However, my results support the assumption that when done correctly, blood sampling has little to no long-term negative effects on birds. Comparative analyses of many bird species show that testosterone secretion exhibits fairly predictable patterns among breeding birds of different mating systems. Monogamous species reach a peak during mate attraction and the period of female fertility which is then followed by a sharp decline when young are in the nest. By contrast, males of polygynous species tend to maintain higher levels of testosterone throughout the breeding season to, presumably, maximize opportunities for acquiring additional mates. Kingbirds are socially monogamous but cryptically polygamous. However, because of high rates of extra-pair paternity, variation in reproductive success among males is much higher than what is expected for a monogamous species, and, instead, is similar to what has been reported for polygynous species. Therefore from 2005 to 2009 I measured testosterone concentrations from the blood samples collected from male kingbirds to determine the breeding season profile of testosterone secretion in kingbirds and to understand the factors that influence testosterone variation among individuals. Contrary to expected for a monogamous species, the testosterone profile of kingbirds did not exhibit the brief peak in testosterone followed by a precipitous decline. Testosterone peaked early in the season, but declined very slowly as the nest cycle progressed. I attributed this gradual decline in testosterone to the cryptically polygynous nature of the kingbird extra-pair mating system. I also found substantial variation in testosterone concentration among male kingbirds and was able to identify several factors contributing to this variation. As expected, testosterone declined as the breeding season progressed (independent of stage in nest cycle) and nest density increased, while increases in testosterone were correlated with the number of fertile females within the population. This suggests that male kingbirds were capable of modulating testosterone concentrations to both cope with an increase in conspecific density, but also to ready themselves for times when extra-pair copulations were more likely.
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7282. [Article] Applying GPS and Accelerometers to the Study of African Savanna (Loxodonta africana) and Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) Welfare in Zoos
African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are a focus of welfare research in zoos due to their high intelligence, complex social structure, and sheer size. Due ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Applying GPS and Accelerometers to the Study of African Savanna (Loxodonta africana) and Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) Welfare in Zoos
- Author:
- Holdgate, Matthew Robert
- Year:
- 2015
African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are a focus of welfare research in zoos due to their high intelligence, complex social structure, and sheer size. Due to these challenges, some argue that zoos are inherently incapable of providing appropriate care for elephants, while others believe that zoos can fulfill the needs of these species with improved husbandry. There is a general consensus from both within and outside of zoos, however, that zoos must improve their elephant programs or cease exhibiting these animals altogether. Now more than ever, applied research on zoo elephant welfare is needed to provide context for this debate. Researchers are interested in how far zoo elephants walk due to the potential health and welfare benefits of walking in these highly mobile species. Zoo researchers recently adopted GPS technology to study elephant walking, and preliminary evidence suggests that African elephants in large zoo exhibits walk distances that correspond with wild elephants under non-extreme conditions. However, data are limited from Asian elephants and from elephants in more typically-sized exhibits. In Chapter Two, I discuss important methodological considerations of utilizing GPS in a zoo environment, including an introduction to the technology, sources of error and mitigation, methods to improve GPS performance, and possible effects of GPS device attachment on animal behavior. This review shows GPS performance is adequate for tracking zoo elephant walking when proper methodological techniques are applied, and should serve as a useful reference for zoo researchers considering using GPS. In Chapter Three, I used GPS anklets to measure outdoor daily walking distance in 56 adult female African (n = 33) and Asian (n = 23) elephants housed in 30 zoos. I collected 259 days of data and found that elephants walked an average of 5.34 km/day with no significant difference between species. Multivariate regression models predicted that elephants with more dynamic feeding regimens (more diverse feeding types and frequencies; unscheduled feeding times) will walk more. Distance walked was also predicted to be higher in elephants that spend time in a greater number of different social groups. Distance walked was predicted to decline with age. Finally, I found a significant negative correlation between distance walked and nighttime space experience. The results of the analysis suggest that zoos that want to increase walking in their elephants need not rely solely on larger exhibits, but can increase walking by adding quality and complexity to exhibits. However, my results failed to establish a definitive link between walking distance and other validated measures of elephant welfare. Thus, the direct health and welfare benefits of walking in zoo elephants remain unresolved. Resting behaviors are an essential component of animal welfare, but have received little attention in zoological research. In Chapter Four, I used accelerometers in anklets to complete the first large-scale multi-species investigation of zoo elephant recumbence. I collected 344 days of data from 72 adult female African (n = 44) and Asian (n = 28) elephants at 40 zoos. I found that African elephants are recumbent an average of 2.14 hours/day, which is significantly less than Asian elephants at 3.22 hours/day. Multivariate regression models predicted that African elephant recumbence increases when they experience more space at night, and Asian elephant recumbence increases when they spend time housed alone. Both species showed a similar response to substrate, such that African elephants spending time on all-hard substrates are predicted to be recumbent less, while Asian elephants spending time on all-soft substrates are predicted to be recumbent more. The discovery that occasional non-recumbence is a common behavior in zoo elephants also introduces a new area of research that may have important animal welfare consequences. Finally, this study established that zoos should continue their efforts to replace hard substrate with soft substrate in order to provide zoo elephants with environments that facilitate recumbence. Overall, this work assessed walking and recumbence in zoo elephants, which will allow zoos to gauge the prevalence of these behaviors in their elephants as compared to the sub-population studied here. A variety of factors that are associated with these behaviors were also identified. With this information, zoos can prioritize modifications to their facilities and animal management programs to create an environment that encourages zoo elephants to express walking and recumbence behavior, should they choose to do so. This work is one component of the Elephant Welfare Project, the largest zoo animal welfare project ever undertaken, and is unprecedented in both scope and scale. The project was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent, U.S., federal, grant-making agency that supports libraries, museums, and zoos. At the time of this writing, the first manuscripts from this project are being submitted to academic journals. These papers will describe the prevalence and distribution of a variety of elephant behaviors and welfare indicators, serve as a benchmark for future elephant welfare studies, and aid in decision making with regard to best practices in elephant management.
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7283. [Article] Paleoceanography of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific during the Neogene : synthesis of Leg 138 drilling results
The primary objective of Leg 138 was to provide detailed information about the ocean's response to global climate change during the Neogene. Two north south transects were drilled (95° and 110°W) within ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Paleoceanography of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific during the Neogene : synthesis of Leg 138 drilling results
- Author:
- Mayer, Larry A., Pisias, Nicklas G., Mix, Alan C.
The primary objective of Leg 138 was to provide detailed information about the ocean's response to global climate change during the Neogene. Two north south transects were drilled (95° and 110°W) within the region of equatorial divergence driven upwelling (and thus high accumulation rates and resolution) and spanning the major equatorial ocean current boundaries (and thus recording a high amplitude signal of the response of the sediment to climatically and/or tectonically driven changes in ocean circulation). The Neogene is marked by a number of well known climatic and tectonic events (the closing of the Isthmus of Panama, the onset of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), the rapid uplift of the Himalayas, the major intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation), and the response of the ocean before and after these events was a key focus of Leg 138 drilling. To address these objectives at the highest resolution possible, the Leg 138 scientific staff developed a number of new shipboard strategies and analytical procedures. These included the real time analysis of the near continuous gamma ray attenuation porosity evaluator (GRAPE) and susceptibility profiles produced by the multisensor track (MST) on unsplit cores to monitor core recovery and, if necessary, to modify the drilling strategy to ensure proper offset of coring gaps; the collection of near continuous color reflectance data on split cores; the logging of the first hole drilled at each site to optimize drilling and sampling strategies for subsequent holes; and the use of multiple continuous records to unambiguously construct complete composite sections for each site. The complete, continuous records provided by the GRAPE (with a temporal resolution of often yr), in conjunction with an excellent microfossil stratigraphy and often excellent magnetostratigraphy, allowed for astronomical tuning of the stratigraphic record and resulted in a set of internally consistent, high resolution age models that provide a secure, absolute time scale for the past 6 m.y. For the period before 6 m.y., the absolute time calibration is less secure, but it is still better than any previously offered. The high resolution stratigraphic framework of Leg 138 provided new insight into the previously ambiguous tectonic history of the region. By assuming that maximum sedimentation rates along the north south transect would be expected at the equator, the Leg 138 stratigraphy supports the 1985 work of Cox and Engerbretson, which calls for two different poles of rotation of the Pacific Plate during the interval 0-20 Ma. The Leg 138 plate reconstructions also support several previously hypothesized ridge crest jumps and a slowing of the absolute motion of the Nazca Plate at about 5 Ma. Although Leg 138 data that predates about 13 Ma is limited, the impression that one can gain from these data is that the eastern equatorial Pacific was characterized by relatively high carbonate concentrations and accumulation rates before about 11 Ma. This pattern was interrupted occasionally by rapid massive outpourings of near monospecific laminated diatom oozes that probably represent the formation of massive mats along strong surface water fronts. The laminated diatom oozes (LDO) continue to be present in the Leg 138 record (many of them being expressed as seismic reflections) until about 4.4 Ma. Carbonate accumulation rates begin to decline slowly between 11 and 9.8 Ma, when, at about 9.5 Ma, a near complete loss of carbonate (the "carbonate crash") takes place everywhere in the Leg 138 region (and beyond), except at the westernmost sites close to the equator. The "carbonate crash" was a time of fundamental change for the eastern equatorial Pacific, and perhaps for most of the ocean basins. Unlike many of the carbonate variations that precede and postdate it, this "crash" represents a major dissolution event whose effects can be traced seismically in the central and western Pacific. The changes in bottom water chemistry associated with this event (or series of events) appear to be related to the early phases of the closing of the Panama Gateway. The role of NADW initiation and intensification for controlling carbonate accumulation in the eastern equatorial Pacific is still not resolved; however, ocean modeling demonstrates that the closing of the Panama Gateway may also have a direct influence on NADW production. Therefore, the effects of changes in the Panama Gateway sill depth and the production of NADW may be manifested in the history of eastern equatorial Pacific sedimentation. The "carbonate crash" was followed by a recovery of the carbonate system (except in the Guatemala and Peru basins, which never recovered) that led up to the late Miocene/ early Pliocene sedimentation rate maxima, during which equatorial sedimentation rates are as much as five times greater than those of the late Pliocene or Pleistocene. Examination of modern productivity/ preser vation relationships implies that the sedimentation rate maximum was the result of enhanced productivity. The distribution of eolian sediments and isotopic gradients, along with an analysis of the modes of variance in carbonate deposition over the last 6 m.y., suggest a more northerly position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a stronger north south gradient across the equator, and a more zonal circulation focused along the equator during the time of maximum sedimentation. The mechanisms suggested for these changes in circulation patterns include the response of the eastern equatorial Pacific to the closing of the Isthmus of Panama, as well as a global increase in the flux of Ca and Si into the oceans, a possible response to evolution of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. In an effort to understand the response of the climate system to external (orbital) forcing, 6-m.y.-long, continuous records of carbonate (derived from GRAPE), δ¹⁸O and insolation were analyzed and compared. Evolutionary spectral calculations of the variance and coherence among these records indicate that the insolation record is dominated by precessional frequencies, but that the relative importance of the two precessional frequencies has changed significantly over the last 6 m.y. In general, precessional forcing is not found in the carbonate or isotopic records. In the tilt band, however, a linear response is present between solar forcing and the carbonate and isotope records over some intervals. The carbonate record appears to be tightly coupled to the tilt component of insolation before about 1.9 Ma; however, the isotope record does not begin to show sensitivity to orbital tilt until about 4.5 Ma, the time of significant changes in sedimentation patterns in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Only during the last 500,000 yr do all frequencies respond in a similar manner; we also see a marked increase in the response of the isotopic record to orbital forcing (including 100,000- and 400,000-yr periods).
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7284. [Article] Responses of Aquatic Non-Native Species to Novel Predator Cues and Increased Mortality
Lethal biotic interactions strongly influence the potential for aquatic non-native species to establish and endure in habitats to which they are introduced. Predators in the recipient area, including native ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Responses of Aquatic Non-Native Species to Novel Predator Cues and Increased Mortality
- Author:
- Turner, Brian Christopher
- Year:
- 2017
Lethal biotic interactions strongly influence the potential for aquatic non-native species to establish and endure in habitats to which they are introduced. Predators in the recipient area, including native and previously established non-native predators, can prevent establishment, limit habitat use, and reduce abundance of non-native species. Management efforts by humans using methods designed to cause mass mortality (e.g., trapping, biocide applications) can reduce or eradicate non-native populations. However, the impacts of predator and human induced mortality may be mitigated by the behavior or population-level responses of a given non-native species. My dissertation examined the responses of non-native aquatic species to the risk of predation by novel (i.e., no previous exposure) predators in the recipient community and indicators of potential compensatory responses by non-native populations to increased mortality resulting from removal efforts. My dissertation addresses four primary questions. 1) Can first generation, naïve invaders recognize and defend against predators found within the region of invasion through the expression of inducible defenses? 2) Can the overcompensatory potential of a population be predicted though examinations of intraspecific interactions of individuals from the population? 3) What is the relationship between removal effort outcome (i.e., successful or unsuccessful reduction of the target population) and compensatory population responses? 4) Is there a relationship between characteristics of removal efforts that are typically available to managers (e.g., target area size, target area connectivity, removal methodology) and compensatory population responses that could indicate the relative likelihood of compensation resulting from removal efforts? An invading species should be more likely to establish if it can successfully identify and defend against predators in the recipient range, such as through the expression of inducible defenses. Inducible defenses are behavioral or physiological changes that reduce an organism's susceptibility to predation. Through a series of laboratory experiments, I tested whether inducible defenses, in the form of increased burrowing depth, may have benefited the early stage of invasion of Nuttallia obscurata (purple varnish clam), an established Northeast Pacific invader. Specimens of N. obscurata were collected from introduced populations in the Northeast Pacific and from a native population in Japan. The clams were exposed to chemical and physical cues from Northeast Pacific crab predators, including the native Metacarcinus magister (Dungeness crab), an abundant and frequent predator of N. obscurata. While introduced N. obscurata increased their burrowing depth in the physical presence of M. magister, clams collected from their native range showed no such response. This lack of increased burrowing depth by naïve clams in response to a predator native to the newly invaded range, but a significant increase in depth for clams from populations established in the range suggests that while inducible defenses likely did not contribute to the initial establishment of N. obscurata in the Northeast Pacific, they may contribute to their continued persistence and expansion in their introduced range. Some efforts to reduce invasive populations have paradoxically led to population increases. This phenomenon, referred to as overcompensation, occurs when strong negative density-dependent interactions are reduced through increased mortality within a population, resulting in an increase in the population's recruitment rate sufficient to increase the population's overall abundance. Increases in a population's recruitment rate can result from reduced cannibalism of juveniles resulting in lower mortality of new recruits, from increased adult reproductive output, which increases the number of potential recruits, or from reductions in size and/or age at maturity of the unharvested population, which increases the number of reproductive individuals. I predicted the overcompensatory potential of a population of Carcinus maenas (European green crab) in Bodega Harbor, California, using a series of laboratory and field experiments examining intraspecific pressures of adults on juveniles in the population. This measure of intraspecific pressure was used to predict the overcompensatory potential of the population in response to increased mortality from ongoing removal efforts. This prediction was then assessed using pre- and post-removal surveys of juvenile recruitment in Bodega Harbor compared to nearby populations, testing for evidence of overcompensation. While adult C. maenas in Bodega Harbor had limited negative impacts on juveniles, I concluded it was unlikely to result in overcompensation. Relative juvenile abundance did not statistically increase in removal compared to reference populations, consistent with my conclusion from the experiments. Increases in recruitment rates can occur as a result of efforts to remove non-native species. This increase in recruitment can result in overcompensation, but more commonly results in compensation, where recruitment rates increase relative to pre-removal recruitment but does not result in in the population's abundance exceeding pre-removal levels. However, a detailed and accurate prediction of the response of a population to harvest is time consuming and data intensive. This is not feasible for most efforts to eradicate non-native species, which have the greatest chance of success when enacted rapidly after detection. For my final chapter, I performed a literature review and accompanying statistical analysis to determine if typically available information related to the removal effort (site size, site connectivity, and removal technique) could be used to determine increased risk of compensation for a given effort to remove aquatic invasive species. Compensation was closely linked to unsuccessful removal efforts and was observed only among efforts utilizing physical removal methods. However, the frequency with which compensation occurred varied with the exact technique employed, occurring most frequently in removal utilizing electrofishing. Additionally, evidence of compensation was more frequent among larger removal areas with variable connectivity. While other predictors (temperature, effort, etc) might add to the predicative power, the findings of the review provide criteria for managers to determine the relative risk of compensation prior to the start of removal. Further understanding of how invasive species respond to lethal biotic interactions, including anthropogenically mediated control measures, can aid in assessing the risk of invasion for a given species and inform managers of the risk of complications resulting from removal efforts. While inducible defenses may contribute to the long-term success of an introduced species in their recipient range, my findings did not support the idea that inducible defenses triggered by predator cues contributed to their initial introduction in this case. However, research on other non-native species and offspring of previously naïve prey would allow for a clearer picture of the role of inducible defenses in the invasion process. Compensation resulting from removal efforts does not guarantee failure, and certain characteristics of removal efforts seem to indicate increased risk of compensation. Together these components help identify how biotic interactions surrounding mortality risk of an invading species help shape the trajectory of invasion.
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7285. [Article] Piscivorous colonial waterbirds in the Columbia River estuary : demography, dietary contaminants, and management
Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) nest in large colonies on East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary, the largest known colonies for the two ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Piscivorous colonial waterbirds in the Columbia River estuary : demography, dietary contaminants, and management
- Author:
- Suzuki, Yasuko
Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) nest in large colonies on East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary, the largest known colonies for the two species in the world. Both species of piscivorous colonial waterbirds have been identified as predators with a significant impact on the survival of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. To better understand and address issues related to seabird-fisheries interactions in the Columbia River estuary, I conducted studies related to the ecology, conservation, and management of these two species of piscivorous waterbirds. I evaluated the demographics and inter-colony movements of Caspian terns belonging to the Pacific Coast metapopulation, with special emphasis on two breeding colonies, one on East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary and the other on Crescent Island in the mid-Columbia River, based on re-sightings of color-banded individuals. Apparent annual adult survival at both colonies was high, and age at first reproduction was greater than previously reported for the species. Colony site philopatry of breeding adults at both colonies was high; however, some individuals prospected for breeding colonies over much of the Pacific Coast region and moved to other colonies over distances of up to 3,000 km. Some terns from the large colony in the Columbia River estuary responded quickly to the availability of new colony sites as distant as 550 km from the estuary, and established successful breeding colonies within less than a year of the new sites becoming available. The Caspian tern colony on East Sand Island appears to be an important source colony for a number of smaller, less productive colonies distributed over an extensive area from the Salton Sea, California to the Copper River Delta, Alaska, an area with limited and ephemeral nesting opportunities. Environmental contaminants have been a conservation concern for wildlife in the Columbia River estuary, especially species that consume fish and are therefore likely to bioaccumulate persistent organic pollutants. I measured and compared levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in eggs and chicks of Caspian terns and doublecrested cormorants, as well as their primary prey fish types, at colonies on East Sand Island and farther up-river. Based on differences in tern and cormorant diet composition at the various study colonies, higher PCB levels in eggs and chicks were associated with diets dominated by resident freshwater and estuarine fishes. PCB levels in prey fish were positively correlated with lipid content; however, PCB levels in the livers of chicks were negatively correlated with chick fat scores, suggesting that chick fat reserves are a sink for ingested PCBs. Lower PCB levels in terns and cormorants from East Sand Island compared to colonies farther up-river reflected diets with a higher proportion of marine forage fishes at East Sand Island; marine forage fishes had lower average levels of PCBs than their resident freshwater and estuarine counterparts. In order to explore non-destructive techniques for managing nesting colonies of double-crested cormorants, I evaluated habitat enhancement and social attraction, two techniques that have proven effective for relocating Caspian tern colonies to sites where impacts on fish stocks of conservation concern would be minimal. Cormorants were attracted to nest and successfully raised young at test plots on East Sand Island and on islands in the estuary with a previous history of cormorant nesting or unsuccessful nesting attempts. On an island with no history of cormorant nesting or prospecting, however, no cormorants were attracted to nest. My results suggest that attraction of nesting cormorants using these techniques is dependent on the previous history of cormorant nesting or nesting attempts, the frequency and intensity of disturbance by potential predators, and the presence of breeding cormorants nearby. While habitat enhancement and social attraction have potential as methods for redistributing nesting cormorants away from areas where fish stocks of concern are highly susceptible to predation, successful establishment of new colonies using these techniques will likely require a focus on sites with a history of cormorant nesting. Findings from this dissertation raise some concerns over the management of Caspian tern and double-crested cormorant colonies on East Sand Island in order to redistribute parts of these colonies to alternative sites and mitigate the impact of those piscivorous colonial waterbirds on ESA-listed salmonids. East Sand Island has supported source colonies of piscivorous colonial waterbirds for many smaller colonies throughout the region and is close to an abundant and relatively uncontaminated food supply. Also, alternative colony sites that can substitute for East Sand Island are not readily apparent, especially for double-crested cormorants. Therefore, management of Caspian tern and double-crested cormorant colonies on East Sand Island to benefit Columbia Basin salmonids needs to proceed cautiously and reversibly because of the implications for the region-wide populations of these piscivorous colonial waterbirds.
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7286. [Article] Geology of the Hamlet-North Fork of the Nehalem River area, southern Clatsop and northernmost Tillamook Counties, northwest Oregon
The middle to late Eocene tholeiitic Tillamook Volcanics compose the oldest rock unit in the Hamlet-North Fork of the Nehalem River area. Geochemical plots and field relationships indicate that these rocks ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Geology of the Hamlet-North Fork of the Nehalem River area, southern Clatsop and northernmost Tillamook Counties, northwest Oregon
- Author:
- Rarey, Phillip Jay
The middle to late Eocene tholeiitic Tillamook Volcanics compose the oldest rock unit in the Hamlet-North Fork of the Nehalem River area. Geochemical plots and field relationships indicate that these rocks were produced in an extensional tectonic setting in the developing forearc and formed an extensive tholeiltic oceanic island. The volcanics consi5t of a thick sequence of normally and reversely polarized subaerial basalt and basaltic andesite flows in the Hamlet-North Fork of the Nehalem River area. The "Gray's River area" Goble Volcanics in southwest Washington are chemically and stratigraphically correlative to the Tillamook Volcanics. Cessation of Tillamook volcanism resulted in thermal subsidence and transgression of the overlying Hamlet formation. Upper Narizian (middle to upper Eccene) nearshore fossiliferous basaltic boulder-pebble conglomerates and basaltic sandstones of the Roy Creek member of the Hamlet formation (informal) were deposited along a rocky basaltic coastline over the subsiding volcanic "island". Scanning electron microscopy shows that radial pore-filling chloritic cement has significantly reduced porosity in Roy Creek member sandstones. Micaceous and carbonaceous silty mudstones and rare thin basaltic turbidite sandstones of the Sweet Home Creek member of the Hamlet formation (informal> were deposited on the outer shelf to upper slope above the Roy Creek member as the basin continued to deepen. The Sweet Home Creek member contains abundant bathyal benthtc foraminifera assignable to the upper Narizian stage. Calcareous nannofossils collected from the unit have been assigned to subzone CP-14a which is in agreement with foraminifera data. The upper part of the Sweet Home Creek member is in part a deep marine correlative to shelf arkosic sandstones of the Cowltiz Formation which pinches out into the Sweet Home Creek member in eastern Clatsop County. Much of the detritus in the Sweet Home Creek member was derived from plutonic and metamorphic sources in contrast to the locally derived Roy Creek member. Calc-alkaline Cole Mountain basalt (informal) intrudes and overlies the Sweet Home Creek member. Cole Mountain basalt was formed in a compressional tectonic environment and emplaced on the outer continental shelf as shallow intrusions and submarine flow. The unit is chemically and petrographically distinct from the Tillamook Volcanics and chemically similar to and stratigraphically correlative to the type Goble Volcanics (e.g. low Ti02 and low P205). Unconformably overlying the Cole Mountain basalt and the Sweet Home Creek member is the bathyal, Refugian (upper Eocene), Jewell member of the Keasey Formation. It consists of three parts a basal glauconitic sandstone-siltstone, a laminated tuffaceous sandstone unit with rare small arkosic sandstone channels and occasional clastic dikes, and an upper laminated to bioturbated tuffaceous silt-mudstone. trkosic sandstones were derived from an ancesteral Columbia River system whereas abundant tuffaceous detritus was derived locally from the Cascade arc. The Refugian lower Smuggler Cove formation (informal) gradationally overlies the Jewell member and consists of bioturbated, tuffaceous, bathyal mudstones. Outer shelf, very fine-grained tuffaceous sandstones of the David Douglas tongue (informal) of the Pittsburg Bluff Formation and deeper marine correlative outer shelf to upper slope glauconitic sanstones of the middle Smuggler Cove formation overlie the lower Smuggler Cove formation. The upper Smuggler Cove formation consists of uppermost Refugian to Zemmorian bathyal, bioturbated, fossiliferous, well-indurated tuffaceous siltstone. Laminated carbonaceous mudetones and thin (<1/2 m) arkosic sandstone beds of the ball park unit in the Smuggler Cove formation overlie and interfinger with (7) the upper Smuggler Cove formation. The ball park unit is late Zemorrian (Oligocene) or Saucesian (Early Miocene) in age. Fluvial-deltaic to shallow marine sandstones and conglomerates of the lower to middle Miocene angora Peek member of the astoria Formation unconformably overlies the Smuggler Cove formation. Numerous middle to upper Miocene basalts and gabbros intrude the sedimentary rocks in the thesis area. The intrusive rocks are chemically, magnetically, petrographically, and chronologically correlative to the Grande Ronde Basalt, Frenchman Springs Member, and Pomona Member of the Columbia River Basalt Group on the Columbia Plateau. The Grande Ronde Basalt intrusives have been divided into three chemical-magnetostratigraphic units in the thesis area and correlated to subaerial Columbia River Basalt flows located approximately 35 km to the northeast. The intrusive rocks are thought to have formed by invasion of voluminous subaerial flows into soft, semiconsolidated marine sediments as first envisioned by Beeson et. al. (1979). Uplift of the Coast Range forearc ridge from late Miocene to present has resulted in subaerial erosion and exposure of rock units. Thin alluvial gravels and sands were deposited in the southeastern corner of the thesis area during the Quaternary. Structure in the thesis area is dominated by a series of east-west trending high angle faults and a younger series of conjugate northeast-and northwest-trending high angle oblique slip faults. Proton precession magnetometer traverses confirm the presence of the faults. The structure may have been produced by partial coupling of the forearc region with the subducting Farallon plate. The thesis area has been actively explored for hydrocarbons. Geologic mapping, however, shows that significant sandstone reservoirs are not present in the subsurface and, therefore, the area has low potential of hydrocarbon production. Mudstones in the thesis area average approximately 0.9-1.1% total organic carbon with vitrinite reflectance values ranging from 0.53% Ro (unbaked) to 0.72% Ro (baked). Therefore, the mudstones are a marginal to poor source of thermogenic gas but a possible source of methane gas.
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7287. [Article] The historic and contemporary ecology of western Cascade meadows : archeology, vegetation, and macromoth ecology
Montane meadows in the western Cascades of Oregon occupy approximately 5% of the landscape, but contribute greatly to the region's biodiversity. Western Cascades meadows are dynamic parts of the landscape ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- The historic and contemporary ecology of western Cascade meadows : archeology, vegetation, and macromoth ecology
- Author:
- Highland, Steven A.
Montane meadows in the western Cascades of Oregon occupy approximately 5% of the landscape, but contribute greatly to the region's biodiversity. Western Cascades meadows are dynamic parts of the landscape and have contracted by over 50% in the past two hundred years in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest (hereafter Andrews Forest). Many studies have linked the loss of meadows with local extirpation of species and loss of regional biodiversity, but these processes depend upon the factors that create and maintain meadows, and how species respond to meadow configuration. The prehistory of these meadows is poorly understood, as is the contemporary ecology. This study combined previously collected archeological and moth datasets, aerial photographs, and new plant, tree core, and moth data to investigate interactions between landforms, disturbance, vegetation, and moth abundance and diversity in montane meadows of the western Cascades of Oregon. Burning by prehistoric people may have created and maintained montane meadows, but relatively little evidence remains of the activities of prehistoric peoples in the western Cascades. This study assessed the extent to which prehistoric people preferentially used different landforms and vegetation types by inferring use from landscape distributions of archaeological sites. Descriptions of 359 previously recorded and four newly discovered archeological sites in the McKenzie River watershed of western Oregon were examined using GIS and chi-square analysis to determine how sites were distributed relative to classified vegetation and landforms of the 3700-km² McKenzie River watershed. The high ridges of the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest were analyzed using air photo change detection and archaeological field surveys to identify how archeological sites were distributed relative to landforms and vegetation communities, including meadows. The field surveys documented physical evidence (archeological sites) confirming Native American use of the meadows and surrounding open forests. The locations of these sites indicate that Native Americans utilized the edges between large open meadows and open forests, as well as gently sloping open meadows. The prior extent of meadows (before air photos) was estimated by dendrochronology of 220 trees along present-day and inferred past meadow edges. Forest age structure and the open-grown forms of Douglas fir suggests a much more open habitat, potentially due to fire, was present more than 200 years ago. Moths are major consumers of vegetation when in caterpillar stage and are food sources for many birds and mammals, and contribute greatly to the insect diversity in a region. Moth species richness and abundance may be associated with the distribution of vegetation communities and seasonal timing, and the conservation of rare moths may depend on the conservation of rare vegetation habitats. A dataset of moths sampled 10 times/year at 20 locations in the 64-km² Andrews Forest over the period 2004-2008 was analyzed using generalized linear mixed models (GLMM), non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS), multi-response permutation procedure (MRPP), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and two tailed t-test to identify the overall patterns of rare and common moth distribution as well as moth community relationships to structurally and taxonomically derived vegetation classes and seasonality. Five hundred fourteen species and 69,168 macromoth individuals were identified. Moth species abundance and diversity were significantly higher in low elevation coniferous forests than in other vegetation types, according to the GLMM. Sixty-six rare moth species were significantly associated with high elevation open habitats. Species associated with meadows also were significantly more likely to be hardwood or herb-feeders than conifer-feeders as caterpillars, based on ANOVAs. The 26 most common moth species were significantly associated with low elevation coniferous forests and were more likely to be conifer-feeders as caterpillars, based on ANOVAs. Common moth species were significantly more likely to emerge earlier in warmer years than in cooler years, based on a two-tailed t-test. Managing the western Cascades landscape for moth biodiversity and for moth abundance requires maintenance and potentially expansion of rare upland habitats as well as lowland coniferous forests. Montane meadows in the Andrews Forest are contracting in size, but it is not known how these changes have affected moth and plant biodiversity. The rate and pattern of meadow contraction from 1949 to 2005 along the high ridges of the Andrews Forest were analyzed using air photo change detection. Overall meadows contracted by nearly 50% from 1949 to 2005, but rates of meadow loss were much higher for the largest meadow complexes. Plant community diversity in seventeen meadows and the diversity, abundance, and community structure of moths at 98 locations sampled in the summers of 2008, 2009, and 2010 were related to measures of meadow size, isolation, and other variables using cluster analysis (CLA), MRPP, NMS, and generalized additive models (GAMs). Plant diversity in meadows was significantly positively related to meadow area in 1949 and the distance of the meadow from the road, based on GAM analysis. Plant community structure was most closely correlated with meadow area in 1949 and slope, based on CLA, MRPP, and NMS analysis. Calendar day explained the most variation in moth species richness, abundance, and community structure, but the next most important explanatory variables differed according to feeding guild, based on GAMs. Richness, abundance, and community structure of herb-feeding moths was related to meadow area in 1949 and elevation. For angiosperm-feeding moths, area-perimeter ratio in 2005 explained the most variation in richness, abundance, and community structure after calendar day. For gymnosperm-feeding moths, meadow area change from 1949-2005, a variable measuring the amount of increase in coniferous tree cover, explained the most variation in richness, abundance, and community structure after calendar day. The abundance and diversity of herb-feeding moths and meadow plants exhibited a lagged response to habitat loss, which may indicate an extinction debt. In contrast, angiosperm-and gymnosperm-feeding moths responded quickly (within 50 years) to increases in their habitat. Managing for the conservation of biodiversity in the upper elevations of the Andrews Forest will require targeted management strategies for different groups of organisms. Herb-feeding moths and meadow plants will benefit from expansion of open meadow habitat, while angiosperm and gymnosperm-feeders will require the maintenance of edge environments and coniferous forests.
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Novel synthetic strategies are developed to prepare new intercalation compounds and nanocomposites with several layered hosts (NiPS₃, Na-montmorillonite, MoS₂ and MoO₃). In these products, alkali metals ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- Synthesis of Intercalation Compounds and Nanocomposites of Inorganic Layered Hosts
- Author:
- Liyanage, Medagama Liyanage Amila Udayanga
Novel synthetic strategies are developed to prepare new intercalation compounds and nanocomposites with several layered hosts (NiPS₃, Na-montmorillonite, MoS₂ and MoO₃). In these products, alkali metals are ionic intercalates and linear polymers, dendrimers or amines act as co-intercalates. In addition to new synthetic approaches, new structures are identified and characterized. A template synthesis method to prepare NiPS₃/polymer nanocomposites is reported for the first time. Polymers studied were polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyethylenimine (PEI), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). NiPS₃/PEO nanocomposites prepared by this template method contain polymer monolayers (delta d = 0.42 nm) between host layers, in contrast to the polymer bilayers reported in previous reports using a topotactic method. Packing fraction calculations reveals that the interlayer space is denser for template synthesized NiPS₃/PEO than for the topotactically-derived MPS₃/PEO nanocomposites (M = Ni, Fe, Cd, and Mn). NiPS₃/PEI, NiPS₃/PVA and NiPS₃/PVP nanocomposites were prepared for the first time and also have polymer monolayers between host layers (delta d = 0.41, 0.42 and 1.56 nm, respectively). The monomer unit / NiPS₃ formula ratio is ~ 1 for PEO, PEI and PVA nanocomposites and ~ 0.5 for PVP nanocomposites. More dilute conditions, more polar solvents, and longer aging times increase the crystallite size of the obtained products. Reaction progress studies indicate that the P₂S₆⁴⁻ and Ni²⁺ concentrations in the reaction mixture govern nanocomposite nucleation and growth. Intercalated nanocomposites with lower generation (G0.0-2.0) polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers and Na-montmorillonite (Na-MMT) are synthesized using an exfoliation–adsorption method. This is the first report of the G0.0 and G1.0 PAMAM/Na-MMT nanocomposites and of a structurally-ordered G2.0 PAMAM/Na-MMT nanocomposite. The structures obtained depend on the PAMAM generation and the starting reactant ratio. The spherical PAMAM in aqueous medium transforms to a highly flattened conformation after incorporation between the host layers. G0.0 PAMAM forms only monolayer galleries (delta d = 0.42 nm), while G2.0 PAMAM forms monolayers, bilayers, (delta d = 0.84 nm) and mixed phase structures at lower, higher, and intermediate, organic content, respectively, and exhibits an interesting monolayer to bilayer transition. G1.0 PAMAM shows intermediate behavior, with a monolayer to mixed-phase transition observed at the reactant ratios studied. This is the first report of a monolayer arrangement for PAMAM/clay nanocomposites. The maximum organic contents of G0.0 PAMAM monolayer and G2.0 PAMAM bilayer nanocomposites are ∼7% and ∼14% respectively, and these materials have ~2 times lower packing fractions (0.31-0.32) than for linear polymer intercalate nanocomposites of Na-MMT. Under acidic conditions all these nanocomposites form only monolayer galleries, which is ascribed to the stronger electrostatic attraction between negatively charged MMT layers and protonated PAMAM. Acidic conditions also slow the rate of formation of the nanocomposites and generate more ordered products. The Na⁺ ions in the Na-MMT structure play a significant role in PAMAM/Na-MMT nanocomposite formation. Both Na-MMT and PAMAM structural units are preserved in the nanocomposites obtained. Electride solutions obtained by dissolution of Na(m) in ethylenediamine (en) are used for the first time to generate MoS₂ intercalation compounds with Na and en as intercalate and cointercalate, respectively. Two new phases, labeled α and β, have delta d = 0.35 and 0.57 nm, respectively; the different gallery dimensions are ascribed to parallel vs. perpendicular orientations of en in the galleries. The B phase structure has not been reported previously in any MS₂ intercalation compounds. The intercalation reaction proceeds via the formation of a metastable kinetic product, the β phase, and the subsequent generation of the thermodynamically stable α phase. Lower electride concentrations, lower reaction temperatures and shorter reaction times favor production of the β phase. The products obtained have compositions of Na₀.₂-₀.₃MoS₂·0.3-0.4en with a larger packing fraction than the structurally analogous A-en-GICs (A = alkali metal, GIC = Graphite intercalation compound). The electrochemical reduction of MoS₂ in en/NaPF₆ does not result in these intercalation reactions. The incorporation of dendrimers into MoO₃ is reported for the first time. PAMAM/MoO₃ nanocomposites are synthesized using an exfoliation - adsorption method. G0.0 PAMAM only forms monolayers (delta d = ~ 0.5 nm) between MoO₃ layers and G2.0 PAMAM forms both monolayer and bilayers (delta d = ~ 0.7-0.8 nm). In addition to these two structures, a third unknown phase is observed with a much larger gallery expansion (delta d = ~ 1.4 nm). These nanocomposites have a comparable structures, compositions (12-14% organic component for G0.0 monolayer and 22-25% for G2.0 bilayer) and packing fractions (0.5-0.7 for monolayer and 0.7-0.9 for bilayer) to those in the previously reported linear polymer/MoO₃ nanocomposites. In the above studies, analyses by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) are supported by compositional data from thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) and structural optimization (Gaussian). Additionally, the product morphologies, surface properties and constituents are evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies. UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) is used to monitor reaction progress. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) is used to study compositions and reaction progress.
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7289. [Article] Influences of clearcut logging on macroinvertebrates in perennial and intermittent headwaters of the Central Oregon Coast Range
This research was designed to broaden the understanding of how timber-harvest affects aquatic macroinvertebrates in perennial and intermittent headwater streams. This study compared emergent and benthic ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Influences of clearcut logging on macroinvertebrates in perennial and intermittent headwaters of the Central Oregon Coast Range
- Author:
- Banks, Janel
This research was designed to broaden the understanding of how timber-harvest affects aquatic macroinvertebrates in perennial and intermittent headwater streams. This study compared emergent and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages from 20 headwater streams in the central Oregon Coast Range that varied by harvest condition and flow duration. Through comparison of the community and functional characteristics of the macroinvertebrates in similar streams under different harvest conditions, logging impacts on adult and immature aquatic macroinvertebrates in perennial and intermittent streams were assessed. Adult insects emerging from the 20 study streams were collected using emergence traps set for four weeks in a 40-meter reach during three sampling periods: August-September 2003, October-November 2003, and April-May 2004. Adult aquatic insects were identified to genus and family taxonomic levels and results were expressed as number of individuals emerging per m2 per day. Benthic samples were taken from each reach in May 2004, insects and non-insects were identified to various taxonomic levels, and results were expressed as number of individuals per m2. Ten streams were located in catchments that were clearcut to the stream bank no more than a year before sampling began; three of these streams were intermittent and seven were perennial. Intermittent streams were summer-dry and retained surface-water for a minimum of eight months during the year, while perennial streams had surface flow year-round. The other ten streams (four intermittent and six perennial) were located in forested catchments that have not been logged for at least 34 years. The physical habitat of each stream reach was assessed in August 2003. Regardless of flow-duration or season, more aquatic insects emerged from streams in logged catchments. The emergence rate of Diptera, predominantly Chironomidae, was especially high from clearcut sites. More Trichoptera also emerged from clearcut sites. Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera did not emerge at rates that varied by logging condition. Plecoptera had higher emergence from intermittent than perennial sites in spring. Taxa richness was higher at clearcut sites, driven primarily by rare taxa encountered in less than 5 of the 10 clearcut sites. Emergent insect functional feeding group composition was affected by harvest condition with collector-filterers emerging at higher rates from clearcut sites. Examination of community patterns through nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination analyses indicated that emergent aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages differ by season and by harvest condition. The duration of stream flow did not strongly influence adult assemblages. Channel dimensions (active channel and bankfull width) and catchment area were correlated with ordination-axes, but were not different between logged and forested sites. The amount of riparian cover (canopy, understory, and groundcover), stand age, slash, and stream cover were all considerably different between logged and forested sites and were highly influential on emergent assemblages. Substrate size was also influential on adult assemblages. Mean water temperature in summer, fall, and spring was highly correlated with seasonal variation in assemblages. Regardless of harvest-condition, intermittent streams had higher overall benthic macroinvertebrate density. Trichoptera had higher densities at intermittent sites than perennial sites, while Diptera, Plecoptera, and non-insects had similar densities between categories of flow duration and harvest condition. Benthic macroinvertebrate functional composition was also affected by flow-duration, with collector-filterers, collector-gatherers, and predators occurring at higher densities at intermittent sites than perennial sites. The densities of scrapers and shredders did not differ between classes of flow duration or harvest condition. The majority of taxa (72%) were common to both perennial and intermittent sites; however, taxa richness was lower at intermittent sites. NMS-ordination analyses of the benthic macroinvertebrates showed that community patterns differed by harvest condition within the perennial flow-duration class. Benthic communities of intermittent streams did not differ between harvest conditions. Channel dimensions (active channel and bankfull width), mean substrate diameter, percent stream-cover, mean water temperature, elevation, and percent small riparian trees influenced benthic community assemblages. The majority of perennial-clearcut sites had macroinvertebrate community patterns more similar to intermittent-forested and intermittent-clearcut streams than to perennial-forested sites. The two perennial-clearcut sites that did not have benthic assemblages similar to the other five perennial-clearcut sites had larger diameter substrate, higher elevation, larger catchment area, and cooler mean water temperature than other perennial-clearcut sites. This study provides evidence that Oregon’s current timber harvesting practices impact macroinvertebrate assemblages of perennial and intermittent headwaters in the Central Oregon Coast Range within a year following harvest. When the studied streams were clearcut to the streambank, there was increased emergence of adult macroinvertebrates, principally midges, at clearcut sites. Benthic assemblages differed primarily between intermittent and perennial flow-duration. However, within flow-classes, assemblages of benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates in perennial streams were impacted by clearcut logging to a higher degree than intermittent streams. Perennial-clearcut streams had different benthic assemblages from perennial-mature streams and perennial-clearcut streams with coarser substrate and cooler temperatures. Intermittent streams, which generally experience fewer flushing events and accumulate finer substrates than perennial streams, may be affected to a lesser degree by any sedimentation caused by logging activity. Correlations of emergent and benthic macroinvertebrate communities with the measured environmental gradients are suggestive that reduced canopy cover and substrate composition are major influential factors.
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7290. [Article] A preliminary investigation of the spotted owl in Oregon
Between 1970 and 1974, data were collected on the distribution and biology of the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) in Oregon. One-hundred and sixteen pairs and seven single birds were located. Spotted ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- A preliminary investigation of the spotted owl in Oregon
- Author:
- Forsman, Eric D.
Between 1970 and 1974, data were collected on the distribution and biology of the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) in Oregon. One-hundred and sixteen pairs and seven single birds were located. Spotted owls occurred throughout the mountains of western Oregon and on the east slope of the Cascade Range at least as far east as Badger Butte, Hood River County; Abbot Butte, Jefferson County; and Swan Lake Point, Klamath County. The upper elevational limits of the species increased from about 1,350 meters in northern Oregon to 1,770 meters in southern Oregon. Although spotted owls were not uncommon in some areas, evidence indicated that the population was declining as a result of habitat loss. A total of 2,647 prey items were identified from 42 pairs of owls. Prey species included 29 mammals, 20 birds, 2 reptiles, a crayfish, a terrestrial snail, and 26 genera of insects. Mammalian prey comprised over 90 percent of the biomass consumed. The flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) was the principal prey species (13-48 percent of total biomass consumed), except in dry forest areas, where wood rats (Neotoma fuscipes and N. cinerea) became most important (7-78 percent of total biomass). Other important prey included snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), red tree voles (Phenacomys longicaudus), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), western red-backed voles (Clethrionomys occidentalis), Mazama pocket gophers (Thomomys mazama), pikas (Ochotona princeps), and small birds. Predation on showshoe hares, gophers, moles, and insects was heaviest during the late spring and summer months. Spotted owls foraged primarily at night, and often captured arboreal animals (squirrels, wood rats, and tree voles) by grabbing them from limbs or tree trunks. Eighteen spotted owl nests were located, including 13 in cavities in living old-growth conifers, three in clumps of deformed limbs caused by dwarfmistletoes (Arceuthobium spp. ), and two in platform nests constructed by other species. Nest height above ground ranged from 19. 8-55.2 meters. Owls added no materials to their nests except small amounts of molted down. The mean date of clutch initiation for 15 nests was 29 March (range 9 March - 19 April). As egg-laying neared, adult activities (vocalization, copulation, courtship feeding, roosting) became increasingly centered around nest trees, and several days before they laid eggs, females began to roost inside their nest cavities. Incubation, which lasted approximately 30 days, was performed entirely by females. Males fed females during this period. Owlets fledged at 34-36 days of age (between early May and mid -June), and were fed by their parents until late September. At fledging, owlets were weak fliers, and often fell from their nests to the ground. When this occurred, they regained safe perches in trees or low bushes by climbing. Forty-eight nesting attempts were observed (38 successful). Total number of young fledged was 63. Mean number of young fledged per successful nest was 1.61 (range 1-3). The percentage of pairs attempting to nest ranged from 89 percent in 1972, to 16 percent in 1973, and 46 percent in 1974. I suspected, but did not verify, that the low numbers of breeding pairs in some years reflected a decline in prey numbers. Percent of nesting pairs which fledged young was 92 in 1972, 40 in 1973, and 72 in 1974. A principal cause of nest failure in all years was nest desertion during early stages of nesting. In 1972, juvenile mortality between fledging and the end of August was 35 percent. Predation was suspected as the principal cause of mortality, but several young were killed when the fell from nests, and two young died in their nest. Most broods did not move far from their nests until they began dispersal in September or October. Of 14 broods checked in late August, 5 were within 160 meters of their nests, 5 were 170-250 meters from their nests, and 2 had moved 487 and 670 meters, respectively. Two broods could not be relocated, but had moved 1, 050 and 365 meters, respectively, when last seen in July. Owlets underwent two molts during their first summer; the white natal down was replaced by the downy mesoptile plumage before owlets fledged. Replacement of the mesoptile plumage by the first winter plumage then occurred over a 4-month period and was complete by the end of September or early October. In the latter plumage owlets were nearly indistinguishable from adults. Of 123 sites where spotted owls were located, 117 (95 percent) where characterized by unharvested old-growth conifer forests. Two pairs occupied old-growth forests which had been partially logged about 30 years previous, and three occupied second-growth forests which contained minor old -growth components. The multilayered structure of old-growth stands provided owls with large trees for nests and winter roosts, small shaded summer roost trees, and a closed canopy (canopy closure ranged from 53-86 percent at nest sites). Owls occurred in most coniferous associations found in western Oregon and the Cascades, with the exception of subalpine forests, open ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests. Owls showed a slight preference (X2 = P < . 01) for nests located on north or east exposures, possibly because trees there were usually larger and forests were denser than on south or west exposures. Fifteen of 18 nests were within 400 meters of permanent water (range = 15-1,417 meters). Sources of water utilized by all 18 pairs consisted of small perennial streams or springs. Timber harvest occurred or was scheduled in 52 percent of the owl habitats located during the study. In most cases, timber harvest within an occupied habitat did not drive the owls completely out of the area, because only small portions of extensive forest areas were harvested. When portions of small forest areas (less than about 80 hectares) were harvested, however, owls often disappeared from these areas. Two pairs located in old-growth forests which had been subjected to very light over story removal indicated that, under some circumstances, owls could tolerate this type of harvest activity. Clear-cut harvest, however, eliminated roosting, nesting and most foraging in the affected areas.