Wildlife Ecology and Management Research

Impacts of Hydrologic Changes in the Everglades on Wading Bird Populations

Numbers of wading birds in the Everglades have decreased as much as 70% since the 1930s. The decline of wading bird populations in the Everglades was one of...read more.

Louisiana Waterthrush breeding biology in the Georgia Piedmont

The Louisiana Waterthrush is a stream bank-nesting songbird that consumes benthic macroinvertebrates along forested streams. Waterthrushes are of particular interest because they are an infrequently studied riparian obligate species, and riparian habitats are threatened...read more.

Eastern Indigo Snake Spatial Ecology and Habitat Use in Southeastern Georgia

The eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi), the largest North American snake species, has been federally listed as threatened since 1978, due to population declines caused primarily by anthropogenic habitat loss and degradation. Despite its federal protective status...read more.

Ecology and Population Genetics of Mottled Ducks Introduced to South Carolina

Mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) were introduced for increased hunting opportunities into the Santee River Delta and the ACE (Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers) Basin, South Carolina from Texas, Louisiana, and Florida from 1975-1982. Released birds have established several local...read more.

Effects of Disturbance and Predation on Reproductive Success of American Oystercatchers, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

Continued development along the Atlantic Coast of North America and recent low American Oystercatcher population estimates have led to concern about the bird’s long-term survival. Human disturbance and predation are thought to be major causes of reproductive failure. The American Oystercatcher was...read more.

Avian response to the re-establishment of native warm season grasses in the Piedmont region of Georgia, USA

In pre-colonial times, pine savannahs stretched across vast areas of the southeastern United States. Very little of this unique grassland habitat remains in Georgia. Many native bunch grasses (i.e., big bluestem, Indian, eastern gamma, and little bluestem) have been virtually eliminated...read more.

Bobcat Ecology Relative to Northern Bobwhite Management

Bobcats are apex carnivores and may serve as a stabilizing force within wildlife communities. However, bobcats may be a major predator of northern bobwhite (hereafter quail). Currently, bobcats are controlled on...read more.

White-tailed Deer Recruitment and Bobcat and Gray Fox Ecology on Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Wildlife studies previously conducted by UGA on Kiawah Island revealed that the deer on the island were healthy, reproductively successful, and had adapted well to human activity. Further, bobcats preyed on the island's deer and tolerated...read more.

Population genetics of white-tailed deer and implications for localized management in forested habitats.

This project is designed to test the applicability of the "rose-petal" model of family group population expansion in white-tailed deer on the Savannah River Site. This project uses a combination of radiotelemetry and...read more.

Efficacy of localized management for reducing deer herbivory of forest regeneration areas

Herbivory by white-tailed deer within forest regeneration areas can have profound impacts on stand structure, composition, and biodiversity. Because traditional management strategies (i.e. sport hunting) are not...read more.

Efficacy of Milorganite® as a repellent to protect ornamental and agronomic plants from deer over-browsing

Milorganite® is a slow-release, organic fertilizer produced from human sewage. Previous research conducted by UGA tested whether Milorganite®, as a repellent, provided ornamental plants and wildlife forage plants with temporary protection from...read more.

Landscape Ecology and Mapping of Tick-Borne Pathogens

The geographic ranges of both ticks and tick-borne pathogens have expanded over the past several decades in the United States. These changes are likely the result of several synergistic factors, including dramatic increases in...read more.

Bobwhite quail management, burning and cotton rat ecology

Cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) are a primary prey species for many of the predators in the Southeastern United States. Since Northern bobwhite quail tend to be a secondary prey item to these predators, land managers on quail plantations have to...read more.

Development and Evaluation of Devices Designed to Minimize Deer-vehicle Collisions

Deer-vehicle collisions are a major concern throughout much of the Nation, accounting for human injury and death, damage to vehicles, and potential reductions of local deer populations. Most states...read more.

Development of Methods for Monitoring and Assessing Population Status of Black Bears in Central Georgia

The distribution of black bears (Ursus americanus) in the state of Georgia can be classified into three populations with an unknown amount of connectivity between the north, the south near the Okefenokee swamp, and the...read more.