The Impacts of Rainfall and Temperature on the Breeding Productivity and Foraging of Great Blue Herons in Southern Texas

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dc.contributor.advisorSmith, Jennifer
dc.contributor.authorZannino, Marina Ann
dc.contributor.committeeMemberLaub, Brian
dc.contributor.committeeMemberHutchinson, Jeffrey
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-08T17:35:07Z
dc.date.available2024-03-08T17:35:07Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.descriptionThis item is available only to currently enrolled UTSA students, faculty or staff. To download, navigate to Log In in the top right-hand corner of this screen, then select Log in with my UTSA ID.
dc.description.abstractRainfall and ambient temperatures can influence aquatic ecosystems such as wetlands, rivers, and lakes in semi-arid to arid regions. Seasonal changes such as these may impact the breeding productivity and foraging behavior of aquatic wading birds such as Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias). Previous studies have used short-term datasets to research the effects rainfall and temperature that on the breeding productivity and foraging of Great Blue Herons. Though helpful, these studies do not allow for long term trend exploration. In this study, effects of rainfall and ambient temperature on the breeding productivity and foraging behavior of Great Blue Herons were evaluated over a 15-year period (2005-2019) at Cibolo Nature Preserve, Texas. First, I assessed the effects of rainfall and temperature on rookery size, lay date, brood size, nesting population, and nest success. Second, I used game cameras at six sites with different hydrological regimes and evaluated the effects of rainfall and temperature on the foraging behavior of herons (measured as the number of heron photos per week between July 2019 and March 2020). I found that rainfall and temperature had no effect on breeding productivity of Great Blue Herons. However, maximum daily temperature was inversely correlated to the number of photos captured of herons suggesting Great Blue Herons foraged less frequently during warmer temperatures. This study demonstrates that temperature has a significant impact on foraging activity of wading predatory birds.
dc.description.departmentIntegrative Biology
dc.format.extent66 pages
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.isbn9798358490451
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12588/6103
dc.languageen
dc.subjectBreeding productivity
dc.subjectGreat blue herons
dc.subjectRainfall
dc.subject.classificationEnvironmental science
dc.subject.classificationAquatic sciences
dc.titleThe Impacts of Rainfall and Temperature on the Breeding Productivity and Foraging of Great Blue Herons in Southern Texas
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.dcmiText
dcterms.accessRightspq_closed
thesis.degree.departmentIntegrative Biology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Texas at San Antonio
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science

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