Individual Projects

  • Social and reproductive systems in Northern Bobwhites

    Objective investigation of reproductive (mating and social) systems and development of hypotheses among non-lekking Galliformes is scarce. Formerly, limitations imposed by both field and laboratory techniques precluded large-scale studies among these species in their native habitat. However, new developments in molecular techniques have enabled a marriage between field and laboratory techniques, providing, for the first time, an objective means of conducting large-scale studies of non-lekking Galliformes... Continued

  • Microsatellite analyses of captive wild-strain Northern Bobwhites

    Integrated studies of population ecology and populations genetics must assume that tissue collection methods do not affect survival and reproductive success of sampled individuals. It is therefore important to derive methods for sampling young birds that have the least effect on growth and survival... Continued

  • Population subdivision of and gene-flow among bobwhite populations

    Changing land uses in the southeastern United States over the past several decades have led to the degradation and fragmentation of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) habitat, which has been cited as one of the main causes of population decline in this species. Although managed populations flourish in areas of the Southeast, inconsistent dispersal data combined with the reduction in suitable habitat has raised questions regarding gene flow within and among managed areas and between fragmented populations... Continued

  • Translocation effects on genetics and demographics of bobwhites

    Preliminary studies of relocated, wild, quail conducted in the coastal plain by Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS) and The Albany Quail Project (AQP) have demonstrated that wild quail relocated into good habitat experience survival and reproductive output similar to resident birds. A fair amount of interest currently exists in this technique given the wave of renewed support for quail management outside the "traditional" quail plantation belt in Georgia... Continued

  • Phylogeography and systematics of the genus Colinus

    The order Galliformes has been considered one of the more basal groups of modern birds [Neornithes; (Carcraft 1986)]. The order is composed of at least five putative families with member species having worldwide distribution (Sibley and Monroe 1990, del Hoyo 1992). Despite its evolutionary and systematic significance, a widely accepted phylogeny of this group does not exist... Continued