Dissertation Research: The Use of Multiple Habitats by a Small Alpine Herbivore: Do Sink Habitats Provide a Benefit to Individuals?

9972608Huntly Kreuzer这项研究探讨了动物从使用明显低质量的栖息地中获益的方式。最近的研究表明，栖息地是动物存在和丰富的最重要的决定因素。动物通常使用各种生境，并可能依赖于使用低质量的地区，在这些地区，他们并不丰富，或似乎不支持生产和养育年轻人。拟议中的研究将测试使用低质量栖息地可能使动物受益的几种方式。低质量的栖息地可能会暂时支持随后居住在高质量栖息地的青少年的生存，可能会为与生活在附近高质量地区的女性交配的男性提供栖息地，或者可能会在不同天气的年份中质量不同，有时比目前的高质量地区更好。研究目的将通过使用无线电遥测技术跟踪鼠兔（Onchotona princeps）的行为和繁殖来实现，以监测其远距离扩散或死亡。其结果将是了解动物在使用栖息地方面的差异，以及这些差异对生存和繁殖的影响。年龄和性别的出生，死亡和运动的具体测量将使用人口模型进行分析，以估计不同的栖息地使用模式的好处。这项工作将提高对各种栖息地对小型哺乳动物的价值的理解，为研究动物栖息地的使用提供了一个模型系统。此外，这项工作为游戏和非游戏野生动物管理者，其他自然资源决策者和土地所有者提供了有价值的信息，他们必须了解土地维持动物种群的方式。

9972608Huntly & KreuzerThis research explores the ways in which animals may benefit from the use of apparently low-quality habitat. Recent work suggests that habitat is the most important determinant of presence and abundance of animals. Animals usually use a variety of habitats and may depend on use of low-quality areas, areas in which they are not abundant or which do not appear to support production and rearing of young. The proposed research will test several ways in which use of lower quality habitat may benefit animals. Low-quality habitat may temporarily support survival of juveniles that subsequently reside in higher-quality habitat, may provide habitat for males that mate with females that live in nearby higher-quality areas, or may vary in quality in years of differing weather and sometimes be better than currently high-quality areas. The research goals will be achieved by following the behavior and reproduction of pikas (Onchotona princeps) through the use of radio-telemetry to monitor long-distance dispersal or death. The result will be to learn how animals differ in use of habitats and what the consequences of those differences are for survival and reproduction. Age- and sex-specific measurements of birth, death, and movements will be analyzed using population models to estimate the benefits of different patterns of habitat use. This work will improve understanding of the value of a variety of habitats to a small mammal that provides a model system for studying animal habitat use. Additionally, the work provides valuable information for game and non-game wildlife managers, other natural resource decision-makers, and land-owners who must understand the ways in which land sustains populations of animals.