Geology topics

R.F. Rockwell

Publications and source records attributed to R.F. Rockwell.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2006

Population momentum: Implications for wildlife management

Maintenance of sustainable wildlife populations is one of the primary purposes of wildlife management. Thus, it is important to monitor and manage population growth over time. Sensitivity analysis of the long-term (i.e., asymptotic) population growth rate to changes in the vital rates is commonly used in management to identify the vital rates that contribute most to population growth. Yet, dynamics associated with the long-term population growth rate only pertain to the special case when there is a stable age (or stage) distribution of individuals in the population. Frequently, this assumption is necessary because age structure is rarely estimated. However, management actions can greatly affect the age distribution of a population. For initially growing and declining populations, we instituted hypothetical management targeted at halting the growth or decline of the population, and measured the effects of a changing age structure on the population dynamics. When we changed vital rates, the age structure became unstable and population momentum caused populations to grow differently than that predicted by the long-term population growth rate. Interestingly, changes in fertility actually reversed the direction of short-term population growth, leading to long-term population sizes that were actually smaller or larger than that when fertility was changed. Population momentum can significantly affect population dynamics and will be an important factor in the use of population models for management.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗

USGS2005

Transient population dynamics: Relations to life history and initial population state

Most environments are variable and disturbances (e.g., hurricanes, fires) can lead to substantial changes in a population's state (i.e., age, stage, or size distribution). In these situations, the long-term (i.e., asymptotic) measure of population growth rate (??1) may inaccurately represent population growth in the short-term. Thus, we calculated the short-term (i.e., transient) population growth rate and its sensitivity to changes in the life-cycle parameters for three bird and three mammal species with widely varying life histories. Further, we performed these calculations for initial population states that spanned the entire range of possibilities. Variation in a population's initial net reproductive value largely explained the variation in transient growth rates and their sensitivities to changes in life-cycle parameters (all AICc ??? 6.67 units better than the null model, all R2 ??? 0.55). Additionally, the transient fertility and adult survival sensitivities tended to increase with the initial net reproductive value of the population, whereas the sub-adult survival sensitivity decreased. Transient population dynamics of long-lived, slow reproducing species were more variable and more different than asymptotic dynamics than they were for short-lived, fast reproducing species. Because ??1 can be a biased estimate of the actual growth rate in the short-term (e.g., 19% difference), conservation and wildlife biologists should consider transient dynamics when developing management plans that could affect a population's state, or whenever population state could be unstable.

Ecological Modelling↗

USGS2001

Estimating repeatability of egg size

Measures of repeatability have long been used to assess patterns of variation in egg size within and among females. We compared different analytical approaches for estimating repeatability of egg size of Black Brant. Separate estimates of repeatability for eggs of each clutch size and laying sequence number varied from 0.49 to 0.64. We suggest that using the averaging egg size within clutches results in underestimation of variation within females and thereby overestimates repeatability. We recommend a nested design that partitions egg-size variation within clutches, among clutches within females, and among females. We demonstrate little variation in estimates of repeatability resulting from a nested model controlling for egg laying sequence and a nested model in which we assumed laying sequence was unknown.

The Auk↗

USGS1994

Emperor goose (Chen canagica)

Early naturalists exploring western Alaska were intrigued to find a stocky, blue-gray species of coastal goose unique to that area and nearby Russia. As E. W. Nelson (1887) wrote, "Among the various species of birds more or less peculiar to Alaska this goose is perhaps the most noteworthy." The Emperor Goose nests in the extensive coastal salt marsh habitats of arctic and sub-arctic Alaska and Russia and winters primarily on coastal beaches along ice-free areas of the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula. Locally known as the "Beach Goose" from its habit of roosting and feeding near the waters' edge, the diet of this species consists largely of clams, mussels, and algae when wintering and staging in marine and estuarine habitats. When nesting in terrestrial habitats, it eats mostly roots, bulbs, and shoots of vegetation. Although the breeding biology and habitat requirements of this goose have been examined in detail, mostly on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (Y-K Delta) of Alaska, there have been no intensive studies of its wintering or staging biology. Recent studies of migration have confirmed pathways and timing between the Y-K Delta and staging areas on the Alaska Peninsula and wintering areas largely on the Aleutian Islands (Hupp et al. 2007). Observations of substantial molt migrations to the Chukotka Peninsula in eastern Russia (Hupp et al. 2007) suggest a possible change in distribution, or at least a clarification, and raise the possibility of harvest mortality on both continents. Alaska's Emperor Goose population declined precipitously from 139,000 in 1964 to 42,000 in 1986, although its numbers have recovered slightly since then (Fischer et al. 2008). The factors responsible for this quick decline and slow recovery remain poorly known. Hunting, especially subsistence hunting by Native Americans, is probably a factor (Hupp et al. 2008b); coastal oil pollution could also be reducing the survival of overwintering individuals (Byrd et al. 1995); and interspecific competition among brood rearing geese may limit recovery through recruitment (Schmutz and Laing 2002, Lake et al. 2008).

Birds of North America↗