Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Lashley, Marcus

Committee Member

Strickland, Bronson K.

Committee Member

Colvin, Michael E.

Date of Degree

5-4-2018

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). They cause millions in damage annually to agriculture, and likely negatively affect native wildlife species. Using camera traps, I monitored 36 forest patches within the MAV to assess the effects of swine invasions on native wildlife species richness. I also modified the double-observer point count technique into a new method for estimating swine abundance with camera traps. Feral swine suppressed native vertebrate richness by 26% when compared to uninvaded patches. I validated the new double-observer technique by determining if it could detect an abundance-area relationship in wildlife populations and estimate a known decrease in abundance following swine removal. This technique was sensitive enough to detect the increase and decrease in abundance and estimated the number of individuals removed from the population relatively accurately. This technique may be useful in the future to manage feral swine populations.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/17676

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