Comparative analysis of survey methodologies for population-level studies of Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum)

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorBergey, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.authorFulton, Alexandria
dc.contributor.committeeMemberBecker, Daniel
dc.contributor.committeeMemberLanier, Hayley
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-02T19:40:10Z
dc.date.available2023-11-02T19:40:10Z
dc.date.issued2023-12-15
dc.date.manuscript2023-11-02
dc.description.abstractTexas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) are classified by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation as a Tier 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need and have similar designations throughout their range. Updated population assessments are needed range-wide to understand the current state of Texas horned lizard populations. However, most Texas horned lizard studies have relied upon fortuitous encounters and the lack of a standardized approach for population monitoring has significantly hampered our understanding of population trends. I carried out, with the assistance of field technicians, two summers of Texas horned lizard field research in western Oklahoma. I performed a comparative assessment of strategic survey methods: road cruising, drift fence arrays, and foot searches using transects and plots. Effort (person-hours) was logged for all methodologies. Road cruising surveys performed the best, with an average of 3.5 person-hours/Texas horned lizard followed by drift fence arrays (38.2 person-hours/Texas horned lizard) and plot foot searches (42.2 person hours/Texas horned lizard). Not all road types performed equally; one-lane gravel/dirt roads had the highest number of Texas horned lizards/km. Occupancy analyses using road cruising survey data indicated that the number of observers (one vs. two) did not significantly impact detection, whereas observer identity did affect detection, regardless of prior experience. Occupancy analyses indicated that time of day and time of year were important detection factors, with earlier in the day and in the spring/early summer showing higher detection probability. The number of recaptured lizards was inadequate to generate reliable population estimates using mark-recapture methodologies, and obtaining enough recaptures for these methods may be problematic. When comparing all methods, road cruising surveys are the most efficient and effective way to strategically survey Texas horned lizards, and care should be taken to plan surveys in a way that optimizes detection, limits bias, and ensures datasets are comparable across the range.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11244/339868
dc.languageen_USen_US
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/*
dc.subjectherpetological field researchen_US
dc.subjectconservation biologyen_US
dc.subjectTexas horned lizardsen_US
dc.subjectsampling and survey methodsen_US
dc.thesis.degreeMaster of Scienceen_US
dc.titleComparative analysis of survey methodologies for population-level studies of Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum)en_US
ou.groupDodge Family College of Arts and Sciences::Department of Biologyen_US
shareok.orcid0000-0002-1070-4605en_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
2023_Fulton_Alexandria_Thesis.pdf
Size:
1.47 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
2023_Fulton_Alexandria_Thesis.docx
Size:
3.96 MB
Format:
Microsoft Word XML
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

OU - Theses