The Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) is a federally listed threatened species as well as a state listed “species of special concern” in California. Accurate survival estimates are required to determine the best conservation strat . . .

I examined the effect of forest buffer width and nest site characteristics on the nest survival of forest birds on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. During 2002 and 2003, a total of 164 nests of three closed cup (Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Parus rufesce . . .

Conservation of a keystone species requires knowledge of habitat use across the species’ range. The factors that influence habitat selection by Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) in the temperate rainforests of southeast Alaska are poorly unde . . .

Black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) breed in the Arctic and sub-Arctic in spring, a time when food resources are limited. They rely largely on energy stores, acquired at staging sites, for migration and to support egg laying and incubation. In Cal . . .

Baseline levels of stress hormones are necessary for maintaining physical homeostasis in mammals. Excessive amounts of stress, however, can cause serious pathologies. Chronic effects of stress include increased susceptibility to infectious diseases du . . .

Ecosystem services provided by mobile organisms are influenced by the availability of the habitats those organisms select. On Jamaica’s coffee farms, birds serve as agents of biological control of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), coffee’s . . .

The great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) has been a state endangered species in California since 1980 because of low population size. Annual productivity of the great gray owl in California is thought to be largely dependent on vole (Microtus spp.) and poc . . .

I examined evidence that conspecific attraction influenced the spatial distributions of Western Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) breeding in coastal northern California over 6 years. Most (85%) yearlings and immigrants first nested in t . . .

Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (granulocytic anaplasmosis) are two tick-borne pathogens in the western United States. The ecology of both pathogens varies among areas in northwestern California due to multiple rodent . . .

Previous research suggests that Varied thrushes (Ixoreus naevius) in redwood forests (Sequoia sempervirens) are sensitive to forest edges and are unlikely to breed in small forest fragments. Food abundance is likely to vary at the forest edge, and has . . .

This study examined the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in mammalian wildlife, including raccoons (Procyon lotor), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), and opossums (Didelphis virginiana) in association with . . .

Conservation of threatened and endangered species requires managing habitat for both breeding and nonbreeding seasons. The factors that influence habitat selection by the threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) during the non . . .

Fire is a dynamic ecosystem process in mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, however there is limited scientific information addressing wildlife habitat use in burned landscapes. Recent studies suggest stand-replacing wildfires may be a major so . . .

Staging and migrating black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) have one of the most specialized diets of geese, utilizing coastal habitats to feed on intertidal eelgrass (Zostera marina). Past studies suggest that black brant may not reach energetic re . . .

The long breeding season and sequentially polygamous mating system of the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) presents an opportunity to examine breeding dispersal in association with factors that affect an individual's experience. I used nest locations . . .

The recovered population of Aleutian cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii leucopareia) uses pastures of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in spring prior to the final migration to breeding grounds in Alaska. The availability of energetically profitable for . . .

A significant number of the world’s population of long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) winter in California’s Central Valley amidst a variety of human-altered habitats. I used satellite telemetry to study non-breeding habitat use and space use of . . .

Succession may influence risk of consumption for plants by altering consumer abundance and movement. For rare plants occurring in early successional communities with low abundances of consumers, changes in vegetation composition may reduce population . . .

In seabirds, sex-specific parental care during reproduction can lead to sex-specific differences in foraging location, behavior, and use of foraging areas. Sex-specific differences in location and use of foraging areas have been well documented among . . .

Terrestrial salamanders are the most abundant vertebrate predators in northwestern California forests, fulfilling a vital role converting invertebrate to vertebrate biomass. The most common of these salamanders in northwestern California is the salama . . .