The main direction of my PhD is to reveal why shorebirds are declining. I propose to use a combination of research methods (fieldwork, GIS, phylogenetic analyses), because learning these methods will be highly beneficial in my career as conservation biologist and academic.
I have only decided about 3 papers, each should be suitable for a chapter. The direction of further chapters needs to be discussed as I go along.
Chapter 1. Why are shorebirds declining? Comparative tests of intrinsic and extrinsic variables on threat status and population trends
Shorebird (sandpipers, plovers, gulls and allies) populations are declining globally, driving many species to the brink of extinction (Zockler et al. 2003). It is pointed out that the causes of vulnerability remain unclear to explain the variation to the risk of extinction in shorebirds (Thomas et al. 2006). According to Reynolds (2003), vulnerability is determinate by both the decline of species population and the reduction of their geographical range. These two forms of vulnerability are affected by species intrinsic biological traits, extrinsic human induced effects and stochastic factors (Purvis et al. 2005). These drivers of vulnerability have been the main hypotheses of recently studies to explain the causes and processes of extinction. This study use different intrinsic and extrinsic hypotheses that are thought to be the causes of rapid population declines in shorebirds in a phylogenetic framework. Specifically, the aim is to look at the influence of human-induced drivers (human population density, gross domestic product), species’ biology drivers (life history, migration) and their interactions in: 1) measures of vulnerability among the three main groups of shorebirds (gu...
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...R & Collen, B. 2005. Correlates of extinction risk: phylogeny, biology, threat and scale. In: Phylogeny and Conservation (eds. A. Purvis, J.L. Gittleman and T. Brooks), pp 295-316. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Reynolds, JD. 2003. Life histories and extinction risk. In: Macroecology (eds. TM Blackburn & KJ Gaston), pp 195-217. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
Székely T., I.C. Cuthill and J. Kis. 1999.Brood desertion in Kentish plover: sex differences in remating opportunities. Behavioral Ecology 10: 185-190.
Thomas G. H., R. B. Lanctot & T. Szekely. 2006. Can intrinsic factors explain population declines in North American breeding shorebirds? A comparative analysis. Animal Conservation 9: 252 – 258.
Zockler, C., Delany, S. & Hagemeijer W. 2003. Wader populations are declining- how will we elucidate the reasons? Wader Study Group Bull. 100: 202-211.
In this paper Martin is arguing that late quaternary or near time extinctions where caused by human activity or as he calls it “overkill”. Martin recognizes that there have been many forces that have triggered extinctions in the planet on the past but disagrees with the idea that near time extinctions where caused by some commonly believed causes like climate change, disease or nutrient shortage. He argues that the arrival of humans to different continents, islands and the subsequent excessive hunting, the introduction of diseases and other competitors and predators was the cause of extinction of a great number of species “As our species spread to various continents we wiped out their large
Burton, Robert, ed. Nature's Last Strongholds. New York: Oxford UP, 1991. Print.
In order to better understand these "implications," it is necessary to define and explain the major theories regarding North American megafaunal extinction. The two most widely supported theories are those of environmental change and overkill. Two theories finding less support within the field are those of hyperdisease and "keystone herbivores."
The Long Island Sound is an estuary, and is in fact one of the largest in the world. An estuary is a place where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water from the rivers that drain from the land. Moreover, like other estuaries, the Long Island Sound has an abundance of fish and other waterfowl that add to the natural balance of the island, as well as one of the most important economic factors (Tedesco). Like other estuaries around the world, the Sound provides breeding, feeding, nesting, and nursery areas for many species that will spend most of their adult lives in the oceans (Long Island Sound Study). Despite these similarities to other estuaries, the Long Island Sound is unique from anywhere else in the world. Unlike other estuaries, the Long Island Sound does not just have one connection to the sea but it has two. It has two major sources of fresh water flowing into the bay that empty into the ocean. It combines this two-...
Soule, Michael E et al. “Ecological Effectiveness: Conservation Goals for Interactive Species.” Conservation Biology 17.5 (2003) : 1238-1250.
8. Taylor, Dan. 1998. Audubon Society Inspired to Action by Bird Die -offs . 17 Jan. 1998 . E-mail . Available bkus@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
Stuart, S. N., Chanson, J. S., Cox, N. A., Young, B. E., Rodrigues, A. S. L., Fischman, D. L., & Waller, R. W. (2004, October 14). Status and Trends of Amphibian Declines and Extinctions Worldwide. Abstract retrieved from Science Mag website: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/306/5702/1783
Murrow, Jennifer L., Cindy A. Thatcher, Frank T. van Manen and Joseph D. Clark. A Data-Based Conservation Planning Tool for Florida Panthers. Environ Model Access 2013, 18: 159-170, DOI: 10.1007/s10666-012-9336-0
In the past hundred years, the human race has expanded almost everything in the United States of America, such as our agriculture practices, the size of our cities, and the sheer amount of expansion in business and it has affected one group of animals in particular, waterfowl. Due to these advancements, the human race has caused the climate to change, and according to an research by Jennifer Reilly “Climate change is an global problem that affects all species of waterfowl and the wetlands they inhabit” (Reilly 2017). Humans have impacted the life of waterfowl in such extreme levels of magnitude, that humans have almost become part of waterfowls life. Cites have become almost refuges for geese as mentioned in the study titled Survival
Marzluff, J., Angell, T. & Elliot, B. (2013, May. - Jun.). Birds: Brains over brawn. Audubon, 115(3), 40-41.
Evidence of global warming driven the phenological changes in species is quickly elevating. The limited knowledge of the control mechanism of bird migration genetically, physiologically and behaviorally restrict the ability of scientists to predict the significant affect of environment changes for migratory bird. The lacks of understand toward phenological changes in individual species disable scientist to devise a plan for future protection of the migratory organism.
Works Cited Bates, D. (1957, December 17). Letter from Roy Wilkins. Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America. Beals, M. P. (1994). The Species of the World.
The warblers and larger mammal species on these islands are being affected by similar abiotic factors, but in differing ways for the biotic factors. Specifically, species richness is being affected by island biogeography and its associated costs (abiotic) as well as biotic aspects such as competition, predation pressure, and resources. First, looking at figure 1 we see a strong correlation between species richness, represented by number of different species/island, and land area on each associated island for both larger mammals (R2=0.94) and warblers (R2=0.84). This shows us that the island geography, particularly how big it is, has strong correlation to the number of different species on each island. Land area is related to a number of abiotic features such as environmental heterogeneity, disturbance frequency, distribution, and immigration (Brown et al., 2007).
Lotze, Heike K., Marta Coll, Anna M. Magera, Christine Ward-Paige, and Laura Airoldi. "Recovery of Marine Animal Populations and Ecosystems." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26.11 (2011): 595-605. Print.
Preen, A., & Marsh, H. (1995). Response of dugongs to large-scale loss of seagrass from Hervey Bay, Queensland Australia. Wildlife Research, 22(4), 507-519.