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River Otter Reintroduction in Great Smoky Mountains National Park PDF

123 Pages·2016·1.91 MB·English
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UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff TTeennnneesssseeee,, KKnnooxxvviillllee TTRRAACCEE:: TTeennnneesssseeee RReesseeaarrcchh aanndd CCrreeaattiivvee EExxcchhaannggee Masters Theses Graduate School 8-1987 RRiivveerr OOtttteerr RReeiinnttrroodduuccttiioonn iinn GGrreeaatt SSmmookkyy MMoouunnttaaiinnss NNaattiioonnaall PPaarrkk Jane M. Griess University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Other Animal Sciences Commons RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn Griess, Jane M., "River Otter Reintroduction in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1987. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2514 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Jane M. Griess entitled "River Otter Reintroduction in Great Smoky Mountains National Park." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. Michael R. Pelton, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Richard Strange, John C. New Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) To theG raduatCeo uncil: I am submittihnegr ewitah t hesisw rittebny JaneM . Griesesn titled 11Reintroducotfi Roinv erO tterisn GreatS mokyM ountainNsa tionaPla rk.11 I havee xaminetdh ef inalc opyo f thist hesifso rf orma ndc ontenatn d recommentdh ati t be accepteidn partiaflu lfillmeonft t her equirements fort hed egreeo f Masteorf Sciencew,i tha majori n Wildlifaen d FisherieSsc ience. ' \-1(_ { c�- ��- "'} r �v- MichaeRl. PeltonM,a jorP rofessor We haver eadt hist hesis andr ecommenidt s. acceptance: ,. ' [ Acceptefdo rt heC ouncil: - V1ceP rovost andD eano f TheG raduatSec hool RIEVRO TETR RENITRODIUNOC ITN GREATS MOKMYO UNITSNA NTAINOALP ARK A Thess i Persetnedf ort he Matsero fS ceinec Degree TheU nvierstiyo fT enneees,Ks novxlil e JanMe. G reiss Augstu1 987 ACKNOEWDLGEMENTS I wouldl iket o exrpessm y sicnerea prpeicationt o allt hep eople ando rganziaitonsw hod onatedt ime,m oney ands upprot to thsi project. Firs,t Iw antt o thankt hef ourc ooepraitng agenices:T heN ational Park ServiceT,e nnesseWei lldifeR esorucesA genyc, TennessVeael ley Autohritya,n dt heU niversiotfy T ennes.s eIew oulda lsot o thankt he repersenattiveso f eacha gnecy fort heirh elp andg uidnace:B illC ook (NPS), DougS cott( TWRA)E,d B edodw (TVA)a ndD r.M ichaeRl. Pelton (UT). I wouldl iket o exprsesm y sicnerea pprecitaiont o my major proefsosr, Dr.M ikeP elton,f orh isg uidancteh orughout thep rojectI. woulda lsol ike ttoha nkm y comimttefeo rt heirg uidancaen ds upport: Drs. RicahrdS trangeJ,o hn Naenwd G aryM cCrakcen. Additoinally,m y sincerteha nkst oa llt heo rganizaitonsa nd individaulsw hod onatedf undtso thsi proejct:N aitonla AudbuonS oiceyt, GreatS mokyM outnains ConservatioAnss oicaiton,T ennessVeael ley SportsmnasC lub, FontanalisC luba ndE dgaFro us.t Ina dditiotno fundsm,a nyp eopled onatedt imea nds ervices.T hank yout o pilotTsi mE lledgeS,t anE rwina ndG eradl Hodgesf orf lyign to NorthC arolian tot ranpsorto ttertso K noxvilel. I am esepciallgyr atuelf toD rs. PatM orrias ndJ ohnN ewf ora ll theyd idd uringt hep rojectT.h eyw erer esposniblfeo rt hec area nd surgeryo f theo ttersT.h eyp roviedd adviceg,u idancae nd (taimte s) muchn edeedm orals upport.A dditiaolnly,I wouldl iket o thank DJr.sB.. ii Joneasn dS haroPna ttfono rt heiars sistawnicteth h ipsr joect.I also wantto t hantkh em anvye terinsatruyd enatnsds tafaft t heU T VeterinTaerayc hiHnogs pitwahloa ssistweidt thh es urgearnydc are of theo tters. I amg rateftuoWl i lliMaimn sewrh ow asi nvaluawbhlielt eh eo tters werien c aptiviatnydf, o rh isf riendsahnidap d victeh roughtohuet study. I ame speciawlalnytt o t hanakl lm yf rienwdhsop rovided assistaandcvei,c aen de ncouragetmhernotu ghtohuest t udyI . particulwaarnlttyo t hanCko lleaenndA rnolWdo odwafrodrh elpicnagr e fort heo tters wihnci alpet iviatnydf, o rp rovidtihnegn ecessfairsyh needetdof eetdh eo tterJsi,mH abera afsosirs tiinno gb tainfiinsgh , StevPeo zzangahnedrJ ae fBfe ringfeorra dvicaen df riendsahnidBp r uce Hastinwghso,h elpewdi tahd viceen,c ouragemeendti tainndg . Otherwsh ow erien strumeinntt ahli sst udwye rpei lotDsi cSkt ark andB ilKli ndwyh ow erien valuaibnld ea tcao llectiBoinlD,li ckinson whoa nalyzaeldls catsr,a ngeBrisl Wle babn dJ ohMnc Glaugfholri n assistawnicteth r aiiln formattiroann,s portaantdif orni endshailpl, theC adeCso vrea ngearnsdt heifra milifeosra ssistawnictelh o gistics andf riendshMiaprM,kc Kenzfioers tatistaincadml a pa ssistaanncdte h e KnoxviZloloep ersonfnoerlp rovidfiinsgah n de quipmwehnetnn e eded. I amv ergyr ateftuoml y e ntirfea milfyo rt heire ncourageamnedn t supporIta .m e speciaglrlayt eftuoml y s isteArn nH utchifnosr,h er drawinagnsd,m yb rotheJro,h nf,o rh isa ssistawnictefh i eldda ta collectiBountm. o sitm portanIt almyg ,r ateftuoml y p arentJso,h ann d MargarGerti esfso,rt heicro nstasnutp porpta,t ienacnedl ove. iii ABTSRACT Betwe2e6nF ebruaarnyd 31 M1a98r6c,1h 1,r iver o(tLtuetrr a canadenwseirsoe b tainferdo Nmo rtCha rolina, implanted with radio transmittaenrdrs e,l easoendA bramCsr eeikn G reaStm okMyo untains NationPaalr. k tAo taolf 6 35r adiloo catiwoenrsoe b tainoened i ght otte.r s Malheo mrea ngeasv erag1e4.d1 k md urintgh e st(uMdayr -ch Decem)b wehrilfee malheo mrea ngeasv erag1e59d. km.T herwee rneo significdainffte reinnch eosm rea nglee ngt(hp> 0.05b}e tweseenx es. A totaolf 7 5s cat(s4 2s ampl)ew serceo llecdtuerdi ntgh es tudy. Fooidt emwse rcea lculaotnef dr equeonfco yc currenCcraey.f ioschc urred in9 5%o fa lls amplefso,l lowbeyfd i saht 9 0%M.a jofri sshp ecieeast en werweh itseu cke(r5s7 )%,s tonerol(l5e0r)%s a ndn orthehrong suckers (40%)N.o s pecifsiicz see lectoifof ni swha sf oundO.t hefro oidt ems identifiinecdl udferdo gst,u rtlessa,l amandanedri sn sects. Dens itewse ried entifdiuerdi ntgh es tudyO.t teruss erdo ck crevices/3c2a%vo efts h et imef,o llowbeydt hicvke getat(i2o4)n%, animablu rro(w2s4 )% andv egetatdievber i(s20 %). Allb uto neo ttewra sf ountdo a ssociwaitteah t l easotn eo ther ottedru rintgh es tudyN.i nety-speevrecne onftt hei nteractwieornes male/feimnatleer actions. Activicteyn te(rasr ewahse rteh eo ttesrp end1s%0 orm oroef i ts tim)e weried entiffioersd e veonf t hee ighott terAsl.l a ctivity ; v cneterwser ei nr emootrei anccesislbea re.aA sctitvyic neterwser e sahrebdy t woo tterst heriein s ntnaces. Onyl onem oratliyt occuerddr urign thes tud.y mAa el dide twweoe ks afterr eelase. Causoefd etahw asn ot knowbnu,t i ti sl iekltyh ea niaml star,v deudet op oocrno ditni oofh itse e.t h Nor eprcotdoiunw asr ecdoerdd urign thes tyud.H woeevr,m aelsa nd feamlesi tneracttherdo ugthhoesu tutd .yO bejctveiwse rem et for thi s styu dandr esutlsi dnicatteh atth er eitnrocdtuoinw ass ucscseufl.T heo nyl rmeaiingn questonii sw heetrhr eprcotidnou occur;r fuerdthesrru veys wil lh avteo b ec noducetdt ov eiryf thi si pmortnatf actro. v TABLEO F CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I .I NTRODUCTION 1 I.I STUDYA REA. . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . GreatS mokyM ountainNsa tionaPla rk 5 AbramCsr eekW atershed 6 Historoyf AbramCsr eek 9 II.I METHODASN DM ATERIALS . . 11 Radio Telemetry 21 Dispersal 22 Home Range 23 DailyM ovements 23 FoodH abits 23 Dena ndR estinSgi tes 27 SociaIln tercation 28 DataA nalysis 28 IV. RESULTASN DD ISCUSSION 29 . . . PostR eleasMeo vements 29 RadioT elemetry 31 HomeR ange 35 DailyM ovements 41 FoodH abits 44 Dena ndr estinsgi tes 53 SociaIln tercation 56 ActivitCye nters 59 Mortality 63 Reproduction 64 v. SUMMARAYN DC ONCLUISONS . 66 . . . . LITERATUCRIET ED 70 . . . . . vi APPENICDES 80 " .. . .. . . .. .. . . . . . .. . .. . AppedniAx 81 Appendxi B 88 AppedniCx 94 AppedniDx 96 ApepndEi x 101 VIAT 109 vii

Description:
of river otters reintroduced in Abrams Creek, GSMNP,. 1986 . or part of the 4 km (2 1/2 mi) Abrams Falls Trail (R. Yates, pers. commun. ). protect the intestinal lining from abrasions by hard, sharp fragments from food items
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