Browsing by Author "Horton, Kyle, committee member"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Digitizing CSU campus into Esri's ArcGIS
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2025) Hartshorn, Alexander, author; Bombaci, Sara, advisor; Horton, Kyle, committee member
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) offer unparalleled opportunities to organize, analyze, and display data. For this project, a digitized map of CSU's campus was created in ArcGIS to act as a database for spatial information of layers such as buildings, streets, trees, bike racks and other prominent outdoor objects. Measurements and details about each layer were also recorded and included within attribute tables and captioned metadata listed inside the project. Steps of the project can be divided into collecting vast amounts of data in the field, organizing it into software applications using code and Excel, and completing small projects with the data within R and ArcGIS. The resources provided by this map offer many applications for students and faculty needing detailed spatial information about CSU and serve as great baseline data for more detailed and up to date mapping in the future.
Open Access
Genomics-informed conservation units reveal spatial variation in climate vulnerability in a migratory bird
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Miller, Caitlin Vanessa, author; Ruegg, Kristen, advisor; Funk, Chris, committee member; Horton, Kyle, committee member
Identifying conservation units (CUs) in threatened species is critical for the preservation of adaptive capacity and evolutionary potential in the face of climate change. However, delineating CUs in highly mobile species remains a challenge due to high rates of gene flow and genetic signatures of isolation by distance. If CUs are delineated in highly mobile species, the CUs often lack key biological information about what populations have the most conservation need to guide management decisions. Here we implement a framework for rigorous CU identification in the Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis), a high-dispersal migratory bird species of conservation concern, and then integrate demographic modeling and genomic offset within a CU framework to guide conservation decisions. We find that whole-genome structure in this highly mobile species is primarily driven by putative adaptive variation. Identification of CUs across the breeding range revealed that Canada Warblers fall into two Evolutionary Significant Units (ESU), with three putative Adaptive Units (AUs) in the South, East and Northwest. Quantification of genomic offset within each AU reveals significant spatial variation in climate vulnerability, with the Northwestern AU being identified as the most vulnerable to future climate change. Alternatively, quantification of past population trends within each AU revealed the steepest population declines have occurred within the Eastern AU. Overall, we illustrate that genomics-informed CUs provide a strong foundation for identifying current and potential future region-specific threats that can be used to manage highly mobile species in a rapidly changing world.
Open Access
How common bird populations respond to their environment across species and scales
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Davis, Kristin Petersilia, author; Pejchar, Liba, advisor; Sofaer, Helen, committee member; Horton, Kyle, committee member; Ruegg, Kristen, committee member
To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document.
Open Access
Population-level analysis of migratory phenology using genomic data in a migratory songbird
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Bobowski, Taylor, author; Ruegg, Kristen, advisor; Anderson, Eric, committee member; Cohen, Emily, committee member; Horton, Kyle, committee member
The timing of spring migration for Nearctic-Neotropical birds is key for maximizing access to seasonal resources, such as food or territory on the breeding grounds, while minimizing risk of exposure to winter conditions. Many factors, including sex, weather, energetic condition, and food availability influence migration timing. However, the methods for disentangling within and between population drivers of migratory timing have historically been limited by challenges associated with identifying the breeding location of migrants passing through stop-over sites. For example, spring phenology hypotheses predict that the timing of migration will be driven by the date of spring onset at the breeding grounds, but spring onset often co-varies with distance to breeding site, making it difficult to disentangle the relative roles of each. Here, we utilize genomic data to identify the breeding ground of origin for over one thousand Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypas trichas) collected at key migratory stopover points to test the relative roles of sex, migration distance, and date of spring onset in driving migratory timing. We found different relationships for analyses at the species and population level. We conclude that while sex, estimated migration distance, genetic population, and breeding ground phenology are all highly significant predictors of migratory timing across the species, the relative importance each factor differs among genetically distinct populations and from the species-level pattern. Our results highlight the importance of including population-level differences when attempting to understand the multitude of factors that regulate migratory timing.