Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Gawlik, Dale E.
Abstract
The relationship between water-level fluctuations and wading bird nest numbers and nesting location is well documented, yet species-specific reproductive responses of wading birds to environmental drivers and nesting habitat type is poorly understood. Here, I compared the reproductive responses of two ecologically similar species, Snowy Egret and Tricolored Heron, to foraging conditions influenced by water management and examined the effect of nestling island type on the reproductive success of three wading bird species. Reproductive responses to foraging conditions were broadly similar between Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons, however this study revealed specific-specific differences that could lead to different population dynamics in response to management over the long-term. I also found that these two species had lower productivity at spoil islands than marsh colonies, whereas Great Egret productivity did not vary by colony type. This study demonstrates the importance of establishing species-species relationships between productivity and environmental conditions
Extent
109 p.
Recommended Citation
Evans, Jacquelyn D., "REPRODUCTIVE RESPONSES OF THREE HERON SPECIES TO VARIABLE FORAGING CONDITIONS AND NESTING ISLAND TYPE IN A MANAGED LAKE ECOSYSTEM" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present. 578.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/578
Identifier
FA00013550
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.