Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Gawlik, Dale E.

Thesis/Dissertation Co-Chair

Smith, Lora L.

Abstract

Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs) within the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain have been increasingly recognized for their importance in providing ecosystem services. These wetlands serve as valuable foraging and breeding habitat for wetland-dependent species, including wading birds. I quantified wading bird presence in GIWs in southwestern Georgia and determined the relative importance of factors influencing their use of these wetlands. I also examined the diet of a nesting colony of Little Blue Herons; a species experiencing population declines throughout most of the Southeast. I found that wetland-specific parameters were important factors in predicting wading bird use of GIWs, and wading birds utilized agricultural and natural wetlands differently depending on hydrological seasonality. Little Blue Herons were primarily consuming large anurans and anuran larvae, which are characteristic of agriculturally modified wetlands. The seasonal process of receding water levels in GIWs and subsequent concentration of

Extent

96 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00013012

Format

pdf

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