Scholarship & Research
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Item Roadkill and wildflowers: land-based approaches to settler naturalization(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Zimmerer, Jacob Thomas; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kristin T. RuppelSettler-colonialism is the process of severing relationships between people and the land. This ongoing process displaces well-established kinship networks between Indigenous communities and their other-than-human relatives, replacing them with systems of exploitation, settlers, and foreign ecologies. Decolonization, the philosophical counterpart to settler-colonialism, relies on the mending of relationships. This project explores the larger project of decolonization from a settler point-of-view and examines the complexities of navigating a colonial context not entirely of our own making. Settler cultures fail to adequately situate people within the ecosystems of the places they now live, and the ecological and social consequences of this failure have been catastrophic. This piece explores the philosophical underpinnings of settler cultures, provides settler-colonial context, and examines the intersections of colonialism, culture, land, food, and conservation. I propose settler-naturalization as a framework for revitalizing cultures that integrate human communities within ecological systems, and posit that the practices of hunting, scavenging, and foraging are potential pathways towards settler-naturalization. I conclude that there is a need for new stories that embody the concept of naturalization and guide settlers away from narratives of displacement.Item Is habitat constraining bighorn sheep distribution and restoration: a case study in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Lula, Ethan Shawn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert A. GarrottRocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) restoration continues to be a challenge throughout western North America despite nearly a century of efforts dedicated to the species' recovery. A persistent problem for restoration is populations failing to expand into surrounding areas of habitat even during years of population growth. While populations can be constrained by several environmental factors and behavioral tendencies, we contend habitat availability is not the primary limiting factor. This study incorporated GPS data from bighorn sheep within the Taylor-Hilgard population in the Madison Mountain Range, located in the northwestern extent of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), to develop summer and winter resource selection function (RSF) habitat models. The objective of this study was to evaluate a hypothesis that habitat was not the primary factor limiting distributions of bighorn sheep within the Madison Range by developing biologically-plausible RSF models and using covariates expected to influence selection. Multiple functional forms and spatial grains for covariates were considered and sets of summer and winter resource selection models compared using AIC subscript c. Results indicated that bighorn sheep resource selection was grain dependent, with bighorn sheep generally selecting covariates at the larger 500 m and 1,000 m spatial grains. Summer selection was characterized by rugged terrain, steep slopes, reduced canopy cover, southwestern aspects and ridgelines. Winter selection was characterized by low elevations, southwestern aspects, steep slopes, reduced canopy cover, ridgelines, high summer NDVI amplitude, and areas close to steep terrain (slopes > or = 45°). Predicted winter habitat occurred in a non-contiguous distribution primarily along low-elevation, southwest-facing aspects within the Madison Valley, and predicted summer habitat was concentrated along high elevation ridgelines. Model results were successfully validated using independent GPS data. Potential abundance for the Madison Range was estimated by linking the winter RSF to population estimates for the Taylor Hilgard and results suggested that the Range may be capable of supporting 2 to 4 times the number of bighorn sheep currently estimated. Study results supported the hypothesis that habitat was not the primary factor limiting extant bighorn sheep populations, suggesting that broader distributions within the Range are possible if novel restoration strategies are considered.Item Spatiotemporal patterns of resource use and density of American black bears on Yellowstone's northern range(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Bowersock, Nathaniel Roth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Andrea Litt; Andrea R. Litt, Kerry A. Gunther, Jay J. Rotella, Jerod A. Merkle and Frank T. van Manen were co-authors of the article, 'Influence of resource waves on American black bears during Spring in the northern range of Yellowstone National Park' which is contained within this thesis.; Andrea R. Litt, Kerry A. Gunther, Michael A. Sawaya, Jay J. Rotella and Frank T. van Manen were co-authors of the article, 'Factors associated with varying density of black bears on Yellowstone National Park's northern range' which is contained within this thesis.The availability of resources, such as food and cover, can directly influence the movement and distribution of wildlife populations. The abundance and seasonal timing of many resources have changed in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), which has influenced populations of American black bears (Ursus americanus), an opportunistic omnivore. Previous studies have focused on how changes in resources have influenced black bears in the central and southern regions of YNP, however little work has focused on black bears in the northern part of the park. In 2017-2018, we used GPS collars and non-invasive genetic sampling to understand resource selection and variation in densities of black bears on the Northern Range. We sought to 1) assess whether black bears were following seasonal pulses of resources (resource waves) in the spring, such as the green wave and elk (Cervus canadensis) calving wave and 2) evaluate how densities of black bears varied based on landscape features, generating a baseline abundance estimate to help track changes in the population over time. We found evidence that black bears followed the green wave, prioritizing forage quality over quantity when selecting patches of green vegetation in early spring. However, black bears were less likely to select areas near historical elk calving grounds, suggesting that consumption of neonates is more opportunistic. Densities of black bears varied among vegetation communities, with the highest densities in forested communities dominated by Douglas fir. Our study provides the first baseline density estimates for black bears on the Northern Range, with an average density of 12.8 bears/100km 2 (95% CI = 9.4 - 17.5), which is higher than other regions in YNP. Availability of high-quality resources may allow for higher densities of black bears, with potential ramifications for other wildlife populations on the Northern Range. Information about resource selection and variation in estimated densities could be used to guide management decisions to continue to reduce human-bear conflicts and provide safe wildlife viewing experiences for the growing number of visitors to YNP.Item Assessing alternative drivers of occupancy, abundance, and elevational range retraction at the range core of a climate-sensitive mammal(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Billman, Peter Donn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David McWethyEcological niche theory and niche conservativism suggest that rising temperatures globally will continue pressuring species to track cooler environments. Examining changes in occupancy and abundance together across bioclimatic gradients can inform forecasts of expected range shifts. Although occupancy and abundance reflect similar aspects of species-environment relationships, they are governed by different underlying processes. Abundance is thought to be more reflective of shorter-term conditions affecting vital rates, whereas site occupancy often reflects habitat suitability. By directly comparing results of both response types, as well as elevational range retraction, we offer a robust method for assessing complex species-climate relationships. In this study, we test how populations of the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a small montane lagomorph, respond to varying climatic conditions. To do so, we tested and compared the drivers of site occupancy, abundance, and upslope retraction, across 760 talus patches, nested within 64 watersheds across the Northern Rocky Mountains, USA. Using mixed-effects modeling, paired with an information-theoretic approach, we tested model suites that reflected hypothesized species-climate relationships to identify the top models of each of our response classes. Approximately one third (33.9%) of patches were found extirpated. The most important environmental predictors differed among occupancy, abundance, and amount of upslope retraction. For site occupancy, the top model included metrics of summer acute heat stress, actual evapotranspiration, and habitat availability. For abundance, acute heat stress and the preceding winter's mean temperature (i.e. chronic cold stress) was the top-ranked model, suggesting rapid responses of populations to recent climatic conditions. Furthermore, we found that a model including both chronic heat and chronic cold stress best predicted the total amount of vertical retraction across watersheds, whereas acute heat stress and summer precipitation best explained the residuals. Our results emphasize the complexity associated with evaluating species responses to environmental change and that results from occupancy analyses should be used with caution when extrapolating to predicting abundances across varied landscapes. Our method for assessing the drivers of elevational retraction across a suite of watersheds has widespread applications for evaluating species response to changing climatic conditions elsewhere.Item Some indication of the food buying knowledge of homemakers in three Montana counties(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1965) Laidig, Janice KayItem The formulation and testing of a Chinese boarding school diet with special reference and application to a Chinese school feeding program(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1950) Chang, Wan-ChengItem Age distributions and some age relationships of key browse plants on big game ranges in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1972) Lonner, Terry N.Item Distribution, habitat use, and food habits of reintroduced elk in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1988) Sullivan, Mark GeraldItem Behavior and environmental selection by elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) during summer and fall in the first and second Yellow Mule drainages, Madison County, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1975) Joslin, Gayle LynneItem Temporal variation in diet and food selection of shovelnose sturgeon in the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1997) Megargle, Douglas J.