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C.M. White

Publications and source records attributed to C.M. White.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2016

Legacy or colonization? Posteruption establishment of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) on a volcanically active subarctic island.

How populations and communities reassemble following disturbances are affected by a number of factors, with the arrival order of founding populations often having a profound influence on later populations and community structure. Kasatochi Island is a small volcano located in the central Aleutian archipelago that erupted violently August 8, 2008, sterilizing the island of avian biodiversity. Prior to the eruption, Kasatochi was the center of abundance for breeding seabirds in the central Aleutian Islands and supported several breeding pairs of peregrine falcons ( Falco peregrinus ). We examined the reestablishment of peregrine falcons on Kasatochi by evaluating the genetic relatedness among legacy samples collected in 2006 to those collected posteruption and to other falcons breeding along the archipelago. No genotypes found in posteruption samples were identical to genotypes collected from pre-eruption samples. However, genetic analyses suggest that individuals closely related to peregrine falcons occupying pre-eruption Kasatochi returned following the eruption and successfully fledged young; thus, a genetic legacy of pre-eruption falcons was present on posteruption Kasatochi Island. We hypothesize that the rapid reestablishment of peregrine falcons on Kasatochi was likely facilitated by behavioral characteristics of peregrine falcons breeding in the Aleutian Islands, such as year-round residency and breeding site fidelity, the presence of an abundant food source (seabirds), and limited vegetation requirements by seabirds and falcons.

Alaska↗
USGS2004

Gene flow and genetic characterization of Northern Goshawks breeding in Utah

Adult movement and natal dispersal data demonstrate that Northern Goshawks ( Accipiter gentilis ) are able to travel over long distances, suggesting a large functional population. However, these data are unable to determine whether these movements contribute to gene flow among adjacent breeding areas. We used eight microsatellite DNA loci and mitochondrial DNA control-region sequence data to assess population structure of Northern Goshawks breeding in Utah. Goshawks had moderate levels of genetic variation at microsatellite loci (observed heterozygosity = 50%), similar to levels found in other medium-sized, highly mobile birds. Overall estimates of interpopulation variance in microsatellite alleles ( F ST = 0.011 ) and mtDNA haplotypes ( Φ ST = 0.126 ) were low and not significantly different from zero. Pairwise population comparisons using microsatellite markers revealed no differentiation among sampled sites, indicating that the functional population extends beyond Utah. However, pairwise population analyses of mtDNA uncovered a single case of differentiation between goshawks inhabiting Ashley National Forest, in northeastern Utah, and Dixie National Forest, in southwestern Utah. Low levels of population structuring observed in mtDNA between the two forests may be due to the smaller effective population size sampled by mtDNA, a cline of haplotypes across the West, or the presence of a contact zone between A. g. atricapillus and goshawks of southern Arizona and the Mexican Plateau.

Utah↗
USGS1976

Report of the American Ornithologists' Union Committee on Conservation 1975-76

This Committee's report for 1974-75 (Marshall et al. 1975, Auk 92 (4, Suppl.): lB-16B) summarized activities affecting bird conservation in the United States and Canada since 1973, including new legislation, international activities, avian conflicts with industrial and population growth, and habitat preservation. It also summarized the status of many of the endangered birds of North America, and a few critically endangered species elsewhere. The concern expressed in the report for greater participation of scientists outside government in the affairs of government has led to the formation of an AOU Committee on Public Responsibility. This report focuses on avian conservation problems in two areas, Puerto Rico and the islands of the Bering Sea. Both areas have conservation problems that are significant to ornithologists, there have been major new developments in the status of the birds and their habitats in these areas in the last few years, yet neither area has received the attention this committee feels it deserves. The Committee thanks Noel Snyder and George Gee for their contributions to this report.

The Auk↗