Committee Chair

Aborn, David A.

Committee Member

Schorr, Mark S.; Hossain, A.K.M.

Department

Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

As the human population continuously increases, habitat transformation due to urban expansion is inevitable, affecting many wildlife species. Birds have become a frequently used model species for studying the effects of urbanization on wildlife populations due to their environmental sensitivity and ease of observation. While previous studies have investigated changes in species richness and abundance related to urbanization, there is a need for more broad-scale studies geographically associating changes in bird diversity and urban expansion. Through the use of extensive bird census data and high-resolution digitized land use data, this study revealed that species richness, diversity, and evenness within count circles all had significant positive correlations over the 40- year period but no significant pattern directly related to urbanization, suggesting an unidentified independent variable. These results will facilitate implementation of more developed avian and environmental management strategies in the state of Tennessee.

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge the following people and groups for their assistance with this research: my advisor Dr. David Aborn and committee members Dr. Mark Schorr and Dr. A. K. M. Hossain for their exceptional guidance. Mr. River Kanies for his software engineering expertise. United States Geological Survey and National Aeronautics and Space Administration for their technological advancements and satellite imagery from the Landsat missions. The National Audubon Society for providing all CBC data and the countless volunteers across the western hemisphere for their generous efforts. This project would not have been possible without the combined effort of all parties.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

8-2019

Subject

Birds -- Habitat -- Conservation; Urbanization -- Environmental aspects

Keyword

Avian diversity; Citizen science; GIS; Urbanization; Bird

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

74 leaves

Language

English

Rights

https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Date Available

7-1-2020

Download

Share

COinS