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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3067-6418
AccessType
Open Access Dissertation
Document Type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Environmental Conservation
Year Degree Awarded
2020
Month Degree Awarded
May
First Advisor
Toni Lyn Morelli
Second Advisor
Chris S. Sutherland
Third Advisor
John A. Litvaitis
Fourth Advisor
L. Scott Mills
Subject Categories
Applied Statistics | Biodiversity | Biostatistics | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Forest Management | Population Biology | Zoology
Abstract
The motivation of my dissertation research was to understand the influence of climate and biotic factors on range limits with a focus on winter-adapted species, including the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), American marten (Martes americana), and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). I investigated range dynamics along the boreal-temperate ecotone of the northeastern US. Through an integrative literature review, I developed a theoretical framework building from existing thinking on range limits and ecological theory. I used this theory for my second chapter to evaluate direct and indirect causes of carnivore range limits in the northeastern US, using data collected from 6 years (2014–2019) of fieldwork. My third chapter again used this theory and classical understanding of density-dependence to evaluate factors influencing snowshoe hare populations along their trailing edge in the northeastern US. Finally, for my fourth chapter, I used the model outputs from the second chapter to compare current and future distributions based on causal and correlational frameworks given projected changes in snowpack and forest biomass.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/17663048
Recommended Citation
Siren, Alexej P., "Interacting effects of climate and biotic factors on mesocarnivore distribution and snowshoe hare demography along the boreal-temperate ecotone" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations. 1977.
https://doi.org/10.7275/17663048
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/1977
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Included in
Applied Statistics Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Biostatistics Commons, Forest Management Commons, Population Biology Commons, Zoology Commons