2019
Project Title: Conserving Avian Species Through Lights Out Cleveland’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Efforts
Name of Applicant: Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
Sponsoring Organization: Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
Dates: 3/15/2019 - 11/15/2019
Objectives:
The primary goal of this project is to rehabilitate and conserve migratory birds injured by window strikes which are collected as a part of the Lights Out Cleveland initative. As the only wildlife rehabilitation facility in Cuyahoga County with permits from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services and the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the Center’s involvement is urgently needed to reduce avian mortality during spring and fall migration through the Lake Erie flyway. Additionally, Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is one of only 12 wildlife rehabilitation facilities with a permit to treat endangered species in Ohio, thus serving a critical role in assisting Species of Concern. Grant funds are critically needed to offset the additional expenses for staff and materials that are incurred while the Center serves as the lead avian rehabilitator in the 2019 Lights Out Cleveland initiative.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $1000
Total Project Budget $323,827
Grant Report: click here
Project Title: Conserving Avian Species Through Lights Out Cleveland’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Efforts
Name of Applicant: Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
Sponsoring Organization: Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
Dates: 3/15/2019 - 11/15/2019
Objectives:
The primary goal of this project is to rehabilitate and conserve migratory birds injured by window strikes which are collected as a part of the Lights Out Cleveland initative. As the only wildlife rehabilitation facility in Cuyahoga County with permits from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services and the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the Center’s involvement is urgently needed to reduce avian mortality during spring and fall migration through the Lake Erie flyway. Additionally, Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is one of only 12 wildlife rehabilitation facilities with a permit to treat endangered species in Ohio, thus serving a critical role in assisting Species of Concern. Grant funds are critically needed to offset the additional expenses for staff and materials that are incurred while the Center serves as the lead avian rehabilitator in the 2019 Lights Out Cleveland initiative.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $1000
Total Project Budget $323,827
Grant Report: click here
Ohio Avian Project Initiative – Past Grant Awards
2018 – no awards
2017
Project Title: The effects of territory size and quality on nestling paternity in Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina)
Name of Applicant: Michelle Ward
Sponsoring Organization: Ohio University
Dates: 05/15/2017 - 05/20/2018
Objectives:
I aim to determine male reproductive success and the drivers behind female mate choice in hooded warblers (Setophaga citrina). Specifically, do females choose mates for physical traits (e,g., health, bright plumage) or for access to resources (territory quality, paternal care)? Female hooded warblers engage in extra-pair fertilizations (EPFs), and as a result, nestlings may not be related to the social male providing paternal care. Funding provided by OAPI will allow me to determine genetic relatedness using microsatellite loci from blood samples collected from 96 nestling and adult hooded warblers. I will determine if nestlings are fathered by the social mate or by an extra-pair mate. Then I will determine if paternity is associated with the male’s physical traits or territory size and quality. The data for this project were collected in 2015; however, funding is requested to complete a paternity analysis.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $1,000
Total Project Budget: $1,022.90
Project Title: The effects of territory size and quality on nestling paternity in Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina)
Name of Applicant: Michelle Ward
Sponsoring Organization: Ohio University
Dates: 05/15/2017 - 05/20/2018
Objectives:
I aim to determine male reproductive success and the drivers behind female mate choice in hooded warblers (Setophaga citrina). Specifically, do females choose mates for physical traits (e,g., health, bright plumage) or for access to resources (territory quality, paternal care)? Female hooded warblers engage in extra-pair fertilizations (EPFs), and as a result, nestlings may not be related to the social male providing paternal care. Funding provided by OAPI will allow me to determine genetic relatedness using microsatellite loci from blood samples collected from 96 nestling and adult hooded warblers. I will determine if nestlings are fathered by the social mate or by an extra-pair mate. Then I will determine if paternity is associated with the male’s physical traits or territory size and quality. The data for this project were collected in 2015; however, funding is requested to complete a paternity analysis.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $1,000
Total Project Budget: $1,022.90
2016 (2 awards)
Project Title: Hooded warbler provisioning rates by sex in Brown-headed cowbird parasitized nests
Name of Applicant: Brandan L Gray
Sponsoring Organization: Ohio University, Department of Biological Sciences
Dates: 5/01/2016 - 7/31/2016 (data collection)
Objectives:
1) Determine whether male and female hooded warblers differ in parental feeding behaviors. Specifically, determine whether males and females differ with regard to a) provisioning rates (number of times parents bring food to the nest per hour), b) prey biomass, and c) prey type.
2) Determine whether the increased food demands presented by brown-headed cowbird chicks are mediated by a change in male behavior, a change in female behavior, or a change in both sexes.
3) Assess trade-offs between increased parental care due to nest parasite (brown-headed cowbird) load and diurnal nest predation and adult health.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $848.91
Total Project Budget $1288.91
Project Title: Stopover Ecology and Migratory Connectivity of the Rusty Blackbird
Name of Applicant: James Wright
Sponsoring Organization: The Ohio State University
Objectives:
The project will fill crucial knowledge gaps in the migratory stage of the Rusty Blackbird, in order to better explain causes of the species’ decline and to make well-informed management recommendations.
Objective 1: Identify important habitat characteristics for Rusty Blackbirds during migratory stopover events.
Objective 2: Determine duration of stopover events and fidelity to stopover sites over multiple migration seasons.
Objective 3: Identify patterns of migration timing and movement related to age, sex, and season.
Objective 4: Through stable isotope analysis of feather samples, determine the breeding and wintering origin of birds migrating through Ohio during Fall and Spring migration.
Objective 5: Produce a habitat management plan to distribute to Ottawa NWR, Detroit River IWR, Ohio DNR, and other interested landholders, in order to allow these organizations to provide suitable habitat for Rusty Blackbirds during the migratory period.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $1,000.00
Total Project Budget: $17,560
Project Title: Hooded warbler provisioning rates by sex in Brown-headed cowbird parasitized nests
Name of Applicant: Brandan L Gray
Sponsoring Organization: Ohio University, Department of Biological Sciences
Dates: 5/01/2016 - 7/31/2016 (data collection)
Objectives:
1) Determine whether male and female hooded warblers differ in parental feeding behaviors. Specifically, determine whether males and females differ with regard to a) provisioning rates (number of times parents bring food to the nest per hour), b) prey biomass, and c) prey type.
2) Determine whether the increased food demands presented by brown-headed cowbird chicks are mediated by a change in male behavior, a change in female behavior, or a change in both sexes.
3) Assess trade-offs between increased parental care due to nest parasite (brown-headed cowbird) load and diurnal nest predation and adult health.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $848.91
Total Project Budget $1288.91
Project Title: Stopover Ecology and Migratory Connectivity of the Rusty Blackbird
Name of Applicant: James Wright
Sponsoring Organization: The Ohio State University
Objectives:
The project will fill crucial knowledge gaps in the migratory stage of the Rusty Blackbird, in order to better explain causes of the species’ decline and to make well-informed management recommendations.
Objective 1: Identify important habitat characteristics for Rusty Blackbirds during migratory stopover events.
Objective 2: Determine duration of stopover events and fidelity to stopover sites over multiple migration seasons.
Objective 3: Identify patterns of migration timing and movement related to age, sex, and season.
Objective 4: Through stable isotope analysis of feather samples, determine the breeding and wintering origin of birds migrating through Ohio during Fall and Spring migration.
Objective 5: Produce a habitat management plan to distribute to Ottawa NWR, Detroit River IWR, Ohio DNR, and other interested landholders, in order to allow these organizations to provide suitable habitat for Rusty Blackbirds during the migratory period.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $1,000.00
Total Project Budget: $17,560
2015
Project Title: Nest site success and productivity of sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) at the Black Fork Wetlands Preserve in Richland County, Ohio.
Name of Applicant: Dolly L. Crawford, Ph.D.
Sponsoring Organization: Ashland University
Dates: 4/5/2015 - 8/26/2015
Objectives:
1. To quantify and characterize the breeding habitat of the Greater sandhill crane at the Black Fork Wetlands Preserve in Richland County, Ohio,
2. To quantify the reproductive success of sandhill cranes at the Black Fork Wetlands Preserve,
3. To provide a valuable research experience in wildlife ecology for undergraduate students at Ashland University,
4. To collect blood samples from Greater sandhill cranes post-fledging for future genetic analyses.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $531
Total Project Budget $1878
Project Title: Nest site success and productivity of sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) at the Black Fork Wetlands Preserve in Richland County, Ohio.
Name of Applicant: Dolly L. Crawford, Ph.D.
Sponsoring Organization: Ashland University
Dates: 4/5/2015 - 8/26/2015
Objectives:
1. To quantify and characterize the breeding habitat of the Greater sandhill crane at the Black Fork Wetlands Preserve in Richland County, Ohio,
2. To quantify the reproductive success of sandhill cranes at the Black Fork Wetlands Preserve,
3. To provide a valuable research experience in wildlife ecology for undergraduate students at Ashland University,
4. To collect blood samples from Greater sandhill cranes post-fledging for future genetic analyses.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $531
Total Project Budget $1878
2012-2014 - no awards
2011
Project Title: Adaptive significance of behavioral plasticity in a heterogeneous environment
Name of Applicant: Kelly Williams-Sieg
Sponsoring Organization: Ohio University
Dates: 5/25/11-9/15/11
Objectives: I will determine the magnitude of behavioral plasticity exhibited by four focal species in response to disturbance, habitat structure, and intraspecific and interspecific territory density. Focal species include Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina), Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum), Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), and Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea). Changes in forest structure are expected to affect the distribution and density of forest passerines presumably through the availability of food and preferred foraging and nesting substrates. I will address the following questions and hypotheses:
1 - Is behavioral plasticity evident in species that occupy a range of habitat conditions (e.g. is plasticity observed in response to disturbance and habitat structure) and if so, what is the role of plasticity? For example, plasticity has been observed in foraging behavior in relation to habitat structure and thinning, but does this suggest other behaviors should also exhibit plasticity? If behavior is altered, then how is it changed (what is the magnitude and direction of the changes in behavior)? What are the trade-offs that are being made (what correlations are observed and what are the strength and directions of these correlations?). For example, an increase in the amount of light or openness due to forest thinning or burning is expected to alter the insect community, thus it is predicted that foraging behavior will be altered in these habitats and that more aerial attacks will be used in foraging.
2 - The magnitude of plasticity can be ascertained by quantifying behavioral syndromes (correlations among behavioral traits) across situations. Two goals are: 1) evaluate the pattern of correlations within a syndrome between contexts and 2) determine the consequences of plasticity in one set of traits (e.g. foraging) with another (e.g. mating). Fluctuations in the magnitude or direction of correlations in different situations (different habitat states) provides support for behavioral plasticity.
3 - Are behavioral plasticity, basal corticosterone levels, testosterone levels, and intraspecific or interspecific competition correlated and if so, how? An increase in territory density is expected to increase the amount of time devoted to territory and mate defense, thus I would also expect to see plasticity in other behaviors (increased foraging rate or increased aerial attack rate) and in basal corticosterone levels in order to compensate for the time and energy used in territory or mate defense.
4 - Does behavioral plasticity in foraging and other behaviors in response to habitat alteration affect fitness (e.g. reproductive success, survivorship)? If behavioral plasticity is adaptive, then there should be fitness benefits (there should be increased reproductive success and/or survival). Species with limited plasticity are expected to suffer fitness consequences in altered environments.
5 - Do corticosterone and testosterone levels differ in relation to disturbance regime or habitat structure? Hooded Warblers in the disturbed site spent more time singing in 2009 (see fig. 1 in supporting information) and were at higher densities compared to the control so it is expected that testosterone levels and thus basal corticosterone levels will be increased in order to meet the increased energetic and time-budget demands of territorial defense.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $1000
Total Project Budget $11,893.35
Project Title: Adaptive significance of behavioral plasticity in a heterogeneous environment
Name of Applicant: Kelly Williams-Sieg
Sponsoring Organization: Ohio University
Dates: 5/25/11-9/15/11
Objectives: I will determine the magnitude of behavioral plasticity exhibited by four focal species in response to disturbance, habitat structure, and intraspecific and interspecific territory density. Focal species include Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina), Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum), Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), and Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea). Changes in forest structure are expected to affect the distribution and density of forest passerines presumably through the availability of food and preferred foraging and nesting substrates. I will address the following questions and hypotheses:
1 - Is behavioral plasticity evident in species that occupy a range of habitat conditions (e.g. is plasticity observed in response to disturbance and habitat structure) and if so, what is the role of plasticity? For example, plasticity has been observed in foraging behavior in relation to habitat structure and thinning, but does this suggest other behaviors should also exhibit plasticity? If behavior is altered, then how is it changed (what is the magnitude and direction of the changes in behavior)? What are the trade-offs that are being made (what correlations are observed and what are the strength and directions of these correlations?). For example, an increase in the amount of light or openness due to forest thinning or burning is expected to alter the insect community, thus it is predicted that foraging behavior will be altered in these habitats and that more aerial attacks will be used in foraging.
2 - The magnitude of plasticity can be ascertained by quantifying behavioral syndromes (correlations among behavioral traits) across situations. Two goals are: 1) evaluate the pattern of correlations within a syndrome between contexts and 2) determine the consequences of plasticity in one set of traits (e.g. foraging) with another (e.g. mating). Fluctuations in the magnitude or direction of correlations in different situations (different habitat states) provides support for behavioral plasticity.
3 - Are behavioral plasticity, basal corticosterone levels, testosterone levels, and intraspecific or interspecific competition correlated and if so, how? An increase in territory density is expected to increase the amount of time devoted to territory and mate defense, thus I would also expect to see plasticity in other behaviors (increased foraging rate or increased aerial attack rate) and in basal corticosterone levels in order to compensate for the time and energy used in territory or mate defense.
4 - Does behavioral plasticity in foraging and other behaviors in response to habitat alteration affect fitness (e.g. reproductive success, survivorship)? If behavioral plasticity is adaptive, then there should be fitness benefits (there should be increased reproductive success and/or survival). Species with limited plasticity are expected to suffer fitness consequences in altered environments.
5 - Do corticosterone and testosterone levels differ in relation to disturbance regime or habitat structure? Hooded Warblers in the disturbed site spent more time singing in 2009 (see fig. 1 in supporting information) and were at higher densities compared to the control so it is expected that testosterone levels and thus basal corticosterone levels will be increased in order to meet the increased energetic and time-budget demands of territorial defense.
Total Amount Requested from the OAPI Program: $1000
Total Project Budget $11,893.35
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