Current Graduate Students

Karen Vale
The Effect of Stream Management Zones on the Movements,  Habitat Use, Survival and Reproduction of Swamp Rabbits.
Larger tracts that are actively managed for timber harvest are considered to be more favorable for swamp rabbits due to the understory growth.  Increased understory growth is in response to light penetrating to the forest floor resulting from canopy removal.  Best Management Practices (BMP) provide guidelines to prevent erosion caused by silvicultural practices and are used voluntarily in Arkansas.  Streamside management zones (SMZ), as a major component of BMPs, are uncut strips of timber left to protect water quality.  The importance of SMZs has been demonstrated in a number of species, but with the exception of amphibians no species have been strongly tied to water, such as raccoons or swamp rabbits.  Given the historical tie of swamp rabbits to bottomland hardwood ecosystems, the benefits SMZs have provided for other species, and the lack of information on the effects of SMZs on mammalian species tied closely to water, there is a need to assess the effects of SMZ BMPs on the ecology of swamp rabbits.  Objectives of this study are to 1) determine the movements of swamp rabbits, 2) determine the habitat use of swamp rabbits, 3) determine differences between SMZs and non-SMZ areas in movements of swamp rabbits, and 4) determine differences between SMZs and non-SMZ areas in habitat use by swamp rabbits, 5) determine the survival rate of swamp rabbits, 6) reproductive rate of swamp rabbits, and 7) the difference in reproductive rate between SMZ and non-SMZ areas.

John Kidd
The Effect of Groundwater Levels on the Relative Abundance of Raccoons.
Numerous species of wildlife depend directly on surface water for growth, maintenance, and reproduction.  Reduction of surface water availability or an alteration in the temporal dynamics of the surface water due to irrigation and ground water levels could affect distributions, movements, and population levels of wildlife.  However, studies concerning the impacts of irrigation on vertebrates have been limited primarily to winter flooding for waterfowl and use by shorebirds.  Mammals strongly affiliated with water are expected to be impacted more readily and at a larger scale than those less tied to water.  However, the impact of declining groundwater depths on mammals is unknown.  The objective of the proposed research is to test the hypothesis that greater relative abundances of mammals (raccoons will serve as the model species) in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley occur in relation to shallower ground water depths.

Former Graduate Students

Allie Fowler
Winter Relative Abundance and Habitat Characteristics of Swamp Rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain of Eastern Arkansas.
Within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, 80% of the historical bottomland hardwood forest, the primary habitat of swamp rabbits, has been converted to agriculture or cleared for human development.  Additionally, harvest across the range has decreased over the last 30 years.  The decline in the swamp rabbit harvest in conjunction with the loss of bottomland hardwood forests have raised concern for the species.  The objectives were to 1) determining the relative abundance of swamp rabbits in eastern Arkansas, and 2) examining the relationship between swamp rabbit occurrence and habitat composition and size.  Allie completed her thesis in July 2004.  Her work was subsequently published in the Southeastern Naturalist.

Susan Gregory
Estimating Population Densities of White-tailed Deer Using Thermal Infrared Videography.
The ability to accurately and precisely estimate population numbers is necessary for the management of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).  There is a growing use of thermal infrared technology for the purpose of estimating ungulate densities.  Thus far, techniques and analyses have been such that repeatability is not possible and the estimators used are not standardized.  To address these needs, Susan 1) estimated population density of white-tailed deer using aerial thermal infrared videography (ATIRV); 2) compared density estimates of white-tailed deer based on area sampling, mark-resight (double) sampling, and distance sampling using ATIRV; and 3) compared measures of precision (variation, coefficient of variation) among density estimates (area sampling, mark-resight sampling, and distance sampling) of white-tailed deer using ATIRV.  Susan completed her thesis in August 2005.

Shane Foley (Co-advised by Dr. Robert Ficklin)
Utilizing Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy as a Tool for Assessing Soil/Plant Chemistry and Forage Quality in the Ozark Highlands of Arkansas. 
The Ozark Highlands physiographic region is a nutrient-poor, mast-driven ecosystem.  Deer populations of the Ozark Highlands are consummately low and in years of low mast production deer are completely reliant on the resources of available browse.  We were interested in how blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), as a model species, represented forage quality.   In order to provide some insight on this matter the objectives of this study were to 1) relate specific spectral characteristics to blueberry forage quality and soil chemical properties (both macro and micronutrients),  2) estimate forage quality for blueberry in the Ozarks seasonally, and 3) model forage and soil quality in the Ozarks for selected key forage plants seasonally using near infrared spectrometry (NIRS).  Shane completed his thesis in August 2007.