habitat

Stocking Contribution of Fingerling Largemouth Bass in Three Aquatic Vegetation Types in Toledo Bend Reservoir, Texas-Louisiana

SEAFWA Journal Volume 3, March 2016

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stocks Toledo Bend Reservoir annually with fingerling Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus). Studies suggest that largemouth bass stockings often result in variable and low contributions to cohort abundance. We explored effects of aquatic vegetation on stocking success of fingerling Florida largemouth bass marked with a pelvic fin clip in three species of aquatic vegetation (hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata, coontail Ceratophyllum demersum, and Eurasian watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum) in Toledo Bend Reservoir. Stocking sites...

Habitat Characteristics Associated with Burrows of Gopher Tortoises and Non-burrow Locations on a Mississippi Military Installation

SEAFWA Journal Volume 3, March 2016

Since the 1987 federal listing as threatened of western populations of gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus), tortoise population recovery and habitat restoration efforts have been implemented at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Mississippi. We studied plant community and edaphic features around tortoise burrows and at non-occupied locations in 2007. We investigated relationships between burrow presence and habitat characteristics through decision tree and logistic regression analyses. Burrow occurrence was positively related to stem counts of woody plants and species...

Ruffed Grouse Reproductive Ecology and Nest Site Selection in Western North Carolina

SEAFWA Journal Volume 2, March 2015

Relatively low fecundity may be responsible for lower Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) populations in the southern Appalachians compared to those in more northern areas of the species ' range. Nutritional stress imposed by poor-quality habitat and greater nest predation have been cited as negative influences on reproduction in the region. We monitored 56 female grouse during the reproductive season in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, 1999 - 2004, to measure reproductive success and evaluate cover used for nesting. Nests (n = 44) were located to determine fate and habitat...

Duckling Survival, Fecundity, and Habitat Selection of Mottled Duck Broods on the Upper Texas Gulf Coast

SEAFWA Journal Volume 2, March 2015

Mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) on the western Gulf Coast have exhibited a steep population decline since the mid 1990s. Low rates of breeding incidence and nest success have been implicated in this decline, but duckling survival and the habitat needs of broods have not been previously investigated in this region. We fitted mottled duck ducklings and adult females with radio transmitters and tracked broods to estimate duckling survival and brood habitat selection on the upper Texas Gulf Coast. Duckling survival to 30 days was high (range among models 0.354-0.567) compared to other dabbling...