Assessing Habitat Quality for the Endangered Red-cockaded Woodpcker

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dc.contributor.authorConvery, Kenen
dc.contributor.committeechairWalters, Jeffrey R.en
dc.contributor.committeememberStauffer, Dean F.en
dc.contributor.committeememberJones, Robert H.en
dc.contributor.departmentBiologyen
dc.date.accessioned2011-08-06T16:06:43Zen
dc.date.adate2003-01-13en
dc.date.available2011-08-06T16:06:43Zen
dc.date.issued2002-11-21en
dc.date.rdate2004-01-13en
dc.date.sdate2002-11-04en
dc.description.abstractThis project had 2 major objectives. The first objective was to assess how well the revised U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Foraging Habitat Guidelines depict good quality habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) at Camp Lejeune, NC. To accomplish this, I used multiple linear and logistic regression to examine the relationships between fitness, habitat use, home range size, and habitat characteristics described in the guidelines. I assumed that habitat characteristics that confer quality were related to higher fitness, greater habitat use, and reduced home range size. To a large extent, the guidelines are validated. Red-cockaded woodpeckers responded favorably to habitat that mimics the historical, mature, and fire-maintained pine forests of the southeastern U.S., characterized by high densities of large pines, low densities of small and medium pines, and a lush herbaceous groundcover. Variables positively associated with habitat use and fitness were associated with reduced home range size, and those negatively associated with habitat use and fitness with increased home range size. Percent herbaceous groundcover was a significant regressor indicative of quality in every model. The second objective was to assess how well USFWS foraging partitions represent habitat used by red-cockaded woodpeckers. I conducted home range follows of 23 groups of red-cockaded woodpeckers and estimated the percentage of each home range encompassed by partitions of varying radii. The percentage of the actual home range included in the partition increased as a function of partition radius. The standard 800 m circular partition, on average, included 91% of the home range, but significant variation existed between groups.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.otheretd-11042002-101356en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-11042002-101356en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/10136en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartconvery_etd_final.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectRed-cockaded woodpeckeren
dc.subjectPicoides borealisen
dc.subjecthabitat qualityen
dc.subjectforaging partitionsen
dc.subjectforaging guidelinesen
dc.subjecthome rangeen
dc.titleAssessing Habitat Quality for the Endangered Red-cockaded Woodpckeren
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineBiologyen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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