Social Development in Young Florida Scrub Jays PDF Download

Author: Kevin J. McGowan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Florida scrub jay
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Author: Jeffrey Cox
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780530007946
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Abstract: Florida Scrub Jays (FSJs) have declined significantly in numbers because of habitat destruction. FSJs have disappeared entirely from six counties in Florida, and their numbers have decreased substantially in seven additional counties. I estimated the total population size in 1982 to be 15,330-22,530 birds, of which 13,100-20,310 were on protected sites. FSJ numbers will continue to decline as the commercial development of Florida proceeds, but the total population size should stabilize at about 12,780-19,780 birds in a few decades. The greatest densities of FSJs are in areas with oak thickets 1-3m tall covering 50-75% of the ground, 10-5-% bare ground, and scattered small trees. Some FSJ populations, however, are found in areas with very few oaks, demonstrating their ability to survive in marginal habitats. Fire is effective, and sometimes essential, in maintaining the habitat in a suitable condition. Mechanical clearing of vegetation, including clear-cutting in Ocala National Forest (ONF), can be an effective substitute for fire. Scrub Jays in ONF inhabit stands of sand pine scrub clearcut from 1965-1978. Clearcuts can support FSJs only from about 3-5 to 12-15 years after clearing. By the time a young male FSJ is old enough to claim part of his parents' territory, the habitat may no longer be suitable. Because of the continual creation of new habitat, FSJs in ONF are found in smaller groups than those at Archbold Biological Station, Florida. Blue Jays in Florida typically breed as pairs, but one nest was found that was attended by two males and one female. Behavior of the adults at this nest suggests that this incident was unusual. Florida Blue Jays do not defend territories, but have broadly overlapping home ranges. The evolution of cooperative breeding in New World jays is discussed. Some of the observed forms of cooperative breeding may not be adaptive, but represent either responses to life in heavily disturbed habitats or the expression of normal parental behavior before a bird becomes a breeder. Dissertation Discovery Company and University of Florida are dedicated to making scholarly works more discoverable and accessible throughout the world. This dissertation, "Distribution Habitat and Social Organization of the Florida Scrub Jay" by Jeffrey A. Cox, was obtained from University of Florida and is being sold with permission from the author. A digital copy of this work may also be found in the university's institutional repository, IR@UF. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation.

Author: Peter E. Midford
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 420

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Author: Peter B. Stacey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521378901
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 644

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Cooperative breeding is an unusual kind of social behaviour, found in a few hundred species worldwide, in which individuals other than the parents help raise young. Understanding the apparently altruistic behaviour of helpers has provided numerous challenges to evolutionary biologists. This book includes detailed first-hand summaries of many of the major empirical studies of cooperatively breeding birds. It provides comparative information on the demography, social behaviour and behavioural ecology of these unusual species and explores the diversity of ideas and the controversies which have developed in this field. The studies are all long-term and consequently the book summarises some of the most extensive studies of the behaviour of marked individuals ever undertaken. Graduate students and research workers in ornithology, sociobiology, behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology will find much of value in this book.

Author: Jeffrey M. Black
Publisher: Oxford University Press, UK
ISBN: 0191590541
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Some birds mate for life, while others have many partners. Why? In this book, fourteen classic studies of bird behaviour are brought together to compare the different partnership patterns from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Often there is a battle of the sexes, as individual birds behave in the way that serves their best interests. Introductory and concluding chapters review the latest thinking on this fascinating subject. - ;Some birds mate for life, while others have many partners. In this book, fourteen studies are brought together to compare different partnership patterns from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. The subjects have been chosen to include the same species living in different habitats (Sparrowhawks) and at different population densities (Great Tits). There are comparisons between closely related species (Mute Swans and Bewick's Swans). The studies span the globe and the behavioural gradient, from Iceland's strictly monogamous Whooper Swans to Australia's sexually promiscuous Splendid Fairy-wrens. In all cases, sexual and social relationships strongly influence a bird's survival and breeding success. -

Author: Thomas C. Grubb
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199295506
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 189

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Book Description
This is the first book to summarize the methods, conceptual issues and results of studies using the interpretation of feather growth rates as an index of nutritional condition in birds. The author has coined the term ptilochronology (literally, 'the study of feather time') to describe this technique, which relies on the fact that as a feather grows it produces visible growth bars. Both the technique and its conceptual foundations have been applied worldwide to numerous studies ofavian evolution, ecology, and conservation biology. The author reviews this work, chronicles the various criticisms that have been made, and describes how these have influenced the development of ptilochronology. He goes on to suggest experimental methodologies and analytical techniques to safeguardagainst invalid results. A final chapter summarises this new technique's contribution to avian biology, and suggests potential applications and a future research agenda. An appendix details specific measurements and describes the methodology associated with ptilochronology.Ptilochronology provides a practical resource as well as a conceptual understanding of how this technique can be used to address important questions in avian biology. It will be of relevance and use to professional avian biologists and ornithologists as well as to graduate students of avian behavioural ecology, evolution and conservation.

Author: Charles T. Snowdon
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521495264
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
For at least 30 years, there have been close parallels between studies of birdsong development and those of the development of human language. Both song and language require species-specific stimulation at a sensitive period in development and subsequent practice through subsong and plastic song in birds and babbling in infant humans leading to the development of characteristic vocalisations for each species. This book illustrates how social interactions during development can shape vocal learning and extend the sensitive period beyond infancy and how social companions can induce flexibility even into adulthood. Social companions in a wide range of species including birds and humans but also cetaceans and nonhuman primates play important roles in shaping vocal production as well as the comprehension and appropriate usage of vocal communication. This book will be required reading for students and researchers interested in animal and human communication and its development.

Author: Jack P. Hailman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139459600
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
This concise guide to planning, writing, and presenting research is intended for biology students of all levels, especially those in behavioral ecology, The reader is guided through a discussion of the nature of scientific research, how to plan research, and how to obtain funding. The authors give advice and guidelines for presenting results at research seminars and scientific meetings, and also provide useful tips on preparing abstracts and posters for scientific meetings. They discuss how to write an effective C.V. and give general tips on how to write clearly. The book is illuminated throughout with personal examples from the authors' own experiences and emphasis is placed on problems associated with field studies. All biologists will find this a valuable resource and guide for the early years of their scientific careers and established faculty will find it an essential instructional tool.

Author: Jack Parker Hailman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521568753
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
This concise guide to planning, writing, and presenting research in biology and behavioral ecology is intended for students at all levels. The guidelines apply equally to independent projects for undergraduate theses, as well as to doctoral dissertations, and research aimed at publication. The book discusses planning research, writing a research proposal (such as a formal proposal for a thesis, or for a funding agency), writing a research report (such as a graduate thesis, or a manuscript for publication in a research journal), and presenting research at research seminars and scientific meetings. The final chapter covers writing an effective CV. An appendix gives some tips on how to write clearly.

Author: Glen Everett Woolfenden
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691209987
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 425

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Book Description
Florida Scrub Jays are an excellent example of a cooperative-breeding species, in which adult birds often help raise offspring not their own. For more than a decade Glen E. Woolfenden and John W. Fitzpatrick studied a marked population of these birds in an attempt to establish a demographic base for understanding the phenomenon of "helping at the nest." By studying both population biology and behavior, the authors found that habitat restraints, rather than kin selection, are the main source of the behavior of Florida Scrub Jays: the goal of increasing the number of close relatives other than descendants in future generations is of relatively minor importance in their cooperative-breeding behavior. The Florida Scrub Jay lives only in the Florida oak scrub. All acceptable habitat is constantly filled with breeders. Each year about half of the pairs are assisted by one to several nonbreeding helpers. This book provides extensive data on fecundity, survivorship, relatedness, and dispersal to establish the demographic milieu and to address questions arising out of observed helping behavior--whom, how, when, and why the helpers help.