EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON ARTHROPOD COMMUNITIES IN CAROLINA WREN (THRYOTHORUS LUDOVICIANUS) NESTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN URBAN & RURAL HABITATS IN WALKER COUNTY, TEXAS

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorNeudorf, Diane LH
dc.creatorByrd, Faith N.
dc.creator.orcid0000-0003-2204-498X
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-13T16:23:18Z
dc.date.available2019-12-13T16:23:18Z
dc.date.created2019-12
dc.date.issued2019-11-12
dc.date.submittedDecember 2019
dc.date.updated2019-12-13T16:23:18Z
dc.description.abstractAs urban sprawl increases, the need for better understanding of anthropogenic effects on songbirds also increases. Humans continue to alter natural environments by introducing non-native plant species and disturbing ecosystems with houses and maintained yards. These alterations have been shown in past studies to not only alter animal behaviors, but to affect what animals are present in a given space. This is particularly concerning given recent studies showing a dramatic decline in arthropod populations globally. I evaluated the relationship between plant communities, human dwellings and arthropod communities found in the nests of a cavity-nesting songbird species, the Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) to establish if species richness of arthropods in microhabitats has been affected by human influence. Avian nests are important habitats for arthropod species that live and reproduce in nesting material. Some of these arthropod species impact vertebrate fitness, and many play an important role in nutrient recycling by breaking down decaying materials. The results of this study suggest that urbanization shifts community structure of nest-dwelling arthropods. Species richness was greater in rural habitats and when nests were located near native plants, though species populations between habitats were not significantly different. Future studies should consider more factors of urbanization, as well as the impact of urban densification on other microhabitats.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11875/2738
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectCarolina Wren
dc.subjectNest
dc.subjectArthropod
dc.subjectCommunity structure
dc.subjectUrban
dc.subjectRural
dc.subjectspecies richness
dc.titleEFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON ARTHROPOD COMMUNITIES IN CAROLINA WREN (THRYOTHORUS LUDOVICIANUS) NESTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN URBAN & RURAL HABITATS IN WALKER COUNTY, TEXAS
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialtext
thesis.degree.departmentBiological Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorSam Houston State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
BYRD-THESIS-2019.pdf
Size:
796.58 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
Byrd Thesis 05Nov2019 (1).docm
Size:
240.48 KB
Format:
Unknown data format
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
LICENSE.txt
Size:
1.85 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
PROQUEST_LICENSE.txt
Size:
5.84 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Electronic Theses and Dissertations