Publications

No abstract available.

Wolf packs generally consist of a breeding pair and their maturing offspring that help provision and protect pack young. Because the reproductive tenure in wolves is often short, reproductively mature offspring might replace their parents, resulting in sibling or parent-offspring matings. To determine the extent of incestuous pairings, we measured relatedness based on variability in 20

Data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey indicate a survey-wide decline in Black Terns (Chlidonias niger) at an average rate of 3.1% annually during 1966-1996. Black Terns in Canada decreased at an average annual rate of 3.5% during this interval, while the United States population showed no significant trends. The long-term declines largely reflect trends prior to 1980, when...

10.7589/0090-3558-33.2.321

We investigated the dynamics of a wintering population of Black-capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) using data from a long-term capture-recapture study. Goodness-of-fit and likelihood-ratio tests indicated that the standard Jolly-Seber model was inadequate for the data, so we explored different parameterizations of a model in which survival probability for new captures differed from...

No abstract available.

A significant (P 0.01) decline between 1961 and 1993 in ratio of harvested young per adult in the Atlantic Flyway (age ration) of white-winged scoters (Melanitta fusca) led us to examine annual survival rates and harvest of this species. Compared to waterfowl with similar life histories, black scoters (M. nigra) and surf scoters (M. perspicillata), the decline in age ratios of white...

We analysed the data of H.C. Bumpus on the survival of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) using structural equation modelling techniques. Using data on seven morphological variables measured by Bumpus, we tested and confirmed a three-factor model that characterized physical attributes for general size, leg size and head size. Although males were physically larger than females, we found...

Bayesian models provide a structure for studying collections of parameters such are considered in the investigation of communities, ecosystems, and landscapes. This structure allows for improved estimation of individual parameters by considering them in the context of a group of related parameters. Individual estimates are differntially adjusted toward in overall mean, with the magnitude...

We analyzed banding and recovery data of adult female American eiders (Somateria mollissima dresseri) captured during the breeding season in eastern North America. We estimated survival rates for birds originating in the Atlantic Coast subpopulation to be 0.8730 ± 0.0156 (SE) while recovery rates were 0.0101 ± 0.0080 (SE). Support for several banding reference areas of American eiders...

Surveys such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) produce large collections of parameter estimates. One's natural inclination when confronted with lists of parameter estimates is to look for the extreme values: in the BBS, these correspond to the species that appear to have the greatest changes in population size through time. Unfortunately, extreme estimates are liable to...

Although the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is a principal source of information regarding populations of most North American bird species, many features of the survey complicate analysis of population change. Correlation studies based on BBS data cannot be used to unambiguously define cause and effect relationships. Recently, Bohning-Gaese et al. (1993) presented an analysis...