Predictive habitat models can provide critical information that is necessary in many conservation applications. Using Maximum Entropy modeling, we characterized habitat relationships and generated spatial predictions of spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) resting habitat in the main Hawaiian Islands. Spinner dolphins in Hawai'i exhibit predictable daily movements, using inshore bays as rest...

Determining the invasibility of habitats by alien species is crucial for understanding their spread potential, most at risk and to implement adequate management actions. This urgent introduced taxa that show high invasion potential across broad geographical scales. We here assess these processes in invasive Pelophylax water frogs which are widespread colonizers Western Europe remains be quantif...

1. Predation is an important and ubiquitous selective force that can shape habitat preferences of prey species, but tests of alternative mechanistic hypotheses of habitat influences on predation risk are lacking. 2. We studied predation risk at nest sites of a passerine bird and tested two hypotheses based on theories of predator foraging behaviour. The total-foliage hypothesis predicts that pr...

Habitat isolation occurs when habitat preferences lower the probability of mating between individuals associated with differing habitats. While a potential barrier to gene flow during ecological speciation, the effect of habitat isolation on reproductive isolation has rarely been directly tested. Herein, we first estimated habitat preference for each of six populations of the gall wasp Belonocn...

Species distribution models are used for numerous purposes such as predicting changes in species' ranges and identifying biodiversity hotspots. Although implications of distribution models for conservation are often implicit, few studies use these tools explicitly to inform conservation efforts. Herein, we illustrate how multiple distribution models developed using distinct sets of environmenta...

JOHNSON, BRENDA LYNN. The Effects of Habitat Fragmentation and Connectivity on Plant Disease. (Under the direction of Nick M. Haddad.) Within a large-scale habitat corridor experiment, I performed both experimental and observational studies to determine the effects of habitat fragmentation, habitat edge, and patch connectivity on the movement and incidence of fungal plant diseases. Increased sp...

Here, we evaluated the potential of using bathymetric Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to characterise shallow water (<30 m) benthic habitats of high energy subtidal coastal environments. Habitat classification, quantifying benthic substrata and macroalgal communities, was achieved in this study with the application of LiDAR and underwater video groundtruth data using automated classificatio...