BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//132.216.98.100//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.20.4// BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20250914T155931EDT-5089ouEvvv@132.216.98.100 DTSTAMP:20250914T195931Z DESCRIPTION:pre-defense will be at 1:45 (room MS2-022A)\nAbstract:\nThe Red -headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) is a widespread\, once com mon but increasingly rare North American bird species. Consistent long-ter m population declines have resulted in the species’ threatened status in C anada and several states in the United States. Throughout most of its rang e\, Red-headed Woodpeckers occupy habitats that have been heavily influenc ed by human presence and activities. Yet\, there is little research quanti fying the potential drivers of the species’ population decline\, which con strains conservation or policy action. The overall objective of this resea rch is to determine why the Red-headed Woodpecker\, a once common\, widesp read species with apparently a high flexibility in habitat use is undergoi ng such large population declines. I hypothesize that rapid anthropogenic changes and ecological novelties are causing Red-headed Woodpecker fitness and its behavioural choices to have become disjointed. The specific objec tives include: (1) to determine if Red-headed Woodpecker habitat use is ad aptive or maladaptive\, (2) to determine the influence of a non-native int erference competitor\, the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)\, on Red-h eaded Woodpecker breeding success\, and (3) to compare the efficacy of glo bal and local models of the relationships between Red-headed Woodpeckers a nd two possible competitor species over space and time\, and explore local variations of these relationships. To test my hypothesis\, I investigated Red-headed Woodpecker multi-scale habitat use and associations\, and nest survival near the northern edge of the species range in southern Ontario\ , where populations are rapidly declining. In addition\, I modelled inters pecies abundance relationships across southern Canada and east-central Uni ted States using 45 years of survey data from the Breeding Bird Survey (BB S) for Red-headed Woodpeckers\, European Starlings\, and Red-bellied Woodp eckers (M. carolinus).\nField-based results demonstrated that Red-headed W oodpeckers exhibit maladaptive habitat use at multiple scales\, suggesting the potential for an ecological trap for the species. Specifically habita t characteristics that promoted feeding potential such as canopy openness and greater limb length were consistently associated with Red-headed Woodp ecker occupancy from nest tree to woodlot scales\, despite correlations wi th lower reproductive success. Further investigation into Red-headed Woodp ecker nest survival by modelling a suite of abiotic\, biotic\, temporal\, and habitat-based drivers showed that European Starling abundance near act ive woodpecker nest sites was the strongest factors influencing woodpecker nest survival. Logistic-exposure nest success assuming constant survival dropped significantly from 68% to 13% when starling abundance was consider ed. When interspecies abundance relationships were investigated at a large r spatial scale\, they were found to be spatially structured\, and suggest ed evidence for interspecific competition between Red-headed Woodpeckers a nd starlings\, and niche differentiation between Red-headed and Red-bellie d Woodpeckers. This research demonstrates the importance of multi-scale\, multi-factor studies when determining threats for species-at-risk and will help in the development of conservation\, management\, and policy-making decisions for the species. DTSTART:20131007T180000Z DTEND:20131007T180000Z LOCATION:MS 2-022\, Macdonald-Stewart Building\, CA\, QC\, St Anne de Belle vue\, H9X 3V9\, 21111 Lakeshore Road SUMMARY:Ph.D. Thesis Defense: Ms. Barbara Frei: Roles of maladaptive and ev olutionary traps in the decline of a threatened woodpecker URL:/channels/event/phd-thesis-defense-ms-barbara-frei -roles-maladaptive-and-evolutionary-traps-decline-threatened-woodp-230558 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR