Browsing Quantitative ecology and resource management by Title
Now showing items 16-35 of 46
-
A graphical user interface (GUI) input-based algorithm to automate generation of multi-state models for release-recapture studies
(2014-04-30)Release-recapture studies represent an important branch of population analysis and are the primary method used to investigate population survival and migration. As researchers seek to answer more detailed questions about ... -
Group size affects predation risk and foraging success in Pacific salmon at sea
Grouping (schooling, flocking, herding) is broadly distributed across taxa and environments, and is particularly common in marine fishes. A rich body of theory outlines ways in which grouping can enhance individual fitness, ... -
Hydrology, temperature, and water source dynamics across river basins of western North America
Climate change is altering temperature and precipitation regimes across the globe, resulting in often extreme modifications to river dynamics. Such impacts are particularly pronounced in western North America, a region ... -
Incorporating cognition into models of animal movement and predator--prey interaction
Incorporating cognition, i.e., learning and memory, into models of animal movement is increasingly important as models seek to answer more complex questions where individuals' prior experiences shape their choices. Two ... -
Measuring Conflict Among Objective Functions in Multi-Objective Optimization
We present a process to measure the conflict among objective functions within and across multi-objective systems. To do so, we introduce a new metric to quantify pairwise objective conflict. We also demonstrate new ... -
Mechanistic Statistical Models of the Environment
Statistical models are often abstract in nature. However, in environmental contexts, data are often limited and important insight can be gained by applying knowledge of real-world mechanisms. In this dissertation, I present ... -
Modeling individual lodgepole pine mortality from mountain pine beetle outbreak in a spatially explicit framework
Outbreaks of native bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are key natural disturbances that shape the structure and function of conifer forests across the northern hemisphere. While drivers of bark beetle outbreaks have ... -
Modeling population dynamics and species interactions in a changing climate
Many species are expected to undergo significant distributional shifts in response to changes in climate. This adaptive response can impact population dynamics in many ways, including decreasing reproductive fitness, ... -
Modeling the population dynamics of herring in the Prince William Sound, Alaska
The Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) population in Prince William Sound, Alaska crashed in 1992-93 and has yet to recover, affecting food web dynamics in the Sound and impacting Alaskan communities. To help researchers ... -
Monte Carlo methods for inference in population genetic models
(2001)This dissertation describes novel applications of Monte Carlo and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques to statistical inference in problems from the field of conservation genetics. The inference problems are motivated ... -
Mortality Associated with Extreme Heat in Washington State: The historical and projected public health burden
Extreme heat is one of the most important pathways illustrating the connection between climate and human health, including in temperate areas such as the Pacific Northwest. Moreover, climate change is expected to exacerbate ... -
Multi-criteria assessment of ecological process models using pareto optimization
(1997)Assessment is the essential step in using an ecological process model as a heuristic for investigating hypotheses. Assessment investigates the model's capacity to adequately simulate the phenomenon, as represented by ... -
Multi-objective optimization for ecological model assessment and theory development
(2008)The motivation for building ecological process models is to synthesize observations and explore hypotheses for system functions. In the course of ecological research it is common to choose a trajectory for a research program ... -
Multi-state occupancy modeling and optimal allocation of survey resources for Common Loons in Washington State
Common Loons (Gavia immer) are a state listed sensitive species in Washington State; however, little is known about the distribution of the Common Loon or the habitat associations of this species. This is complicated by ... -
Physiological causes and biogeographic consequences of thermal optima in the hypoxia tolerance of marine ectotherms
Recent measurements of critical O2 thresholds (‘Pcrit’) in aquatic animals have revealed thermal optima in their hypoxia tolerance. To discern the prevalence, physiological drivers, and biogeographic manifestations of such ... -
Population Trends of the Eastern North Pacific Blue Whale
(2014-02-24)Blue whales (<italic>Balaenoptera musculus<italic>) were exploited extensively around the world and remain endangered. In the North Pacific their population structure is unclear and current status unknown, with the exception ... -
A Predator Susceptibility Model of Juvenile Salmon Survival and a Voronoi Tessellation-based Approach for Generating Hypothetical Forest Landscapes
(2012-09-13)In relating juvenile salmonid size to adult survival, past observational studies have shown mixed results, while modeling has been limited to regression methods lacking in ecological mechanism. This paper develops a simple ... -
Quantifying sensitivity and exposure to climate change in Western North American species
Significant changes in climate over the coming century will affect different species in different ways. Understanding which species are most vulnerable to climate change is important for guiding conservation efforts and ... -
Release-recapture models for migration juvenile and adult salmon in the Columbia and Snake Rivers using PIT tag and radiotelemetry data
(2005)Release-recapture models for two types of tagging data from migrating salmonids in the Columbia and Snake rivers are presented. The first model uses both juvenile and adult PIT-tag data to analyze the seaward and spawning ... -
Spatial modeling, parameter uncertainty, and precision of density estimates from line-transect surveys: a case study with Western Arctic bowhead whales
Spatially-explicit models of animal density, such as density surface models (DSMs), are diverse, flexible, and powerful tools for investigating spatial patterns in animal density, examining associations between animal ...