Theses and Dissertations
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1836-6607
Advisor
Woodrey, Mark S.
Committee Member
Iglay, Ray B.
Committee Member
Evans, Kristine O.
Date of Degree
8-13-2024
Original embargo terms
Immediate Worldwide Access
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Wildlife, Fisheries & Aquaculture
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
College
College of Forest Resources
Department
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Abstract
Tidal marsh and its bird community across the northern Gulf of Mexico are subject to numerous disturbances such as oil spills, hurricanes, habitat loss from land use change, and high relative sea level rise rates looming in the future. Baseline population data and landscape associations are greatly needed to assess the current distribution and the future impact of perturbations on marsh birds across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Using a standardized sampling design and point count survey protocol, we determined the abundance and population size of Clapper Rails, Common/Purple Gallinules, Least Bitterns, Marsh Wrens, Seaside Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Common Yellowthroats across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. With abundance models for each species in 2021 and 2022, we further investigated the impact of important fine and broad scale landscape variables that affected species-specific abundance across variable marsh complexes. Finally, we generated species distribution maps based on our spatially-explicit baseline population estimates.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Rachel V., "Distribution and abundance of breeding tidal marsh birds across the Mississippi Gulf Coast" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 6312.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6312