Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Ecology
Elizabeth Meisman - Humboldt State University
Co-Author(s): Tyrell Styhl, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID Andrew Dorrell and Bryan Krouse, College of Western Idaho, Boise, ID Marc Bechard, Boise State University Raptor Research Center, Boise, ID Rob Miller, Boise State University Intermountain Bird Observatory, Boise, ID Dusty Perkins, Boise State University Raptor Research Center and College of Western Idaho, Boise, ID Matthew Johnson, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) are fish-eating, top predators of aquatic ecosystems that serve as useful sentinel species for monitoring environmental contaminants and ecosystem health. Ospreys further appear highly adaptable to human-dominated landscapes and readily nest on man-made structures that occur within an array of land use and land cover (LULC) types and human settlement regimes. In Long Valley Idaho, the abundance of breeding Ospreys has declined slightly since the late 1970’s while the distribution of nests and nest substrate use has changed dramatically. To evaluate if changes in nest structure availability and use, coupled with increasing anthropogenic landscape conversion, could be changing osprey habitat selection, we evaluated relationships among nest site characteristics. We used multivariate generalized linear models with model selection procedures to evaluate the relative importance of LULC composition and nest site characteristics associated with nest occupancy.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): This project was funded by National Science Foundation REU Site Award: DBI-1263167.
Faculty Advisor: Dusty Perkins, dustyperkins@cwidaho.cc
Role: I formulated the research question and wrote the proposal and permitting protocols for this study. I collected the data through my REU at the Raptor Research Center this past summer. Field data were collected primarily independently, with help from Tyrell Styhl and Andrew Dorrell. Geospatial data were gathered from public data sources with help from Bryan Krouse. I analyzed the data with help from Robert Miller, Matthew Johnson, and Dusty Perkins. Lastly, I am currently writing a manuscript of this project that will be submitted for publication. Support, advice, and editing have been offered by my two mentors, Dusty Perkins and Matthew Johnson throughout the project.