USING BALD EAGLES TO TRACK SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL TRENDS OF CONTAMINANTS IN MICHIGAN'S AQUATIC SYSTEMS
Date of Award
8-2009
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Legacy Department
Wildlife and Fisheries Biology
Committee Chair/Advisor
Bowerman, William W.
Committee Member
Bowerman, William W.
Committee Member
Bridges, William
Committee Member
Lanham, Joseph
Committee Member
Sikarskie, James
Abstract
The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is an extensively researched tertiary predator. Studies have delineated information about its life history and the influences of various stressors on reproduction. Due to the bald eagles position at the top of the food web, it is susceptible to biomagnification of a wide array of xenobiotics. In Michigan the bald eagle population has recovered strongly since the population bottle-neck of the 1960s. In the 1960s when Michigan's eagle population was first being monitored less than 100 nests were occupied yearly (i.e., active breeding pairs existed). Today there are approximately 500 occupied nests each year and over 700 breeding areas in the state.
Recommended Citation
Wierda, Michael Ray, "USING BALD EAGLES TO TRACK SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL TRENDS OF CONTAMINANTS IN MICHIGAN'S AQUATIC SYSTEMS" (2009). All Dissertations. 1270.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1270