The Cohen Lab is proud to announce that Adam Bleau has completed his thesis defense. Adam investigated the ecological interactions between American black ducks and mallards wintering in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The black duck is native to the eastern U.S. and declined drastically in the later 20th century. The more common mallard invaded the geographic range of the black duck, aided by land use changes and release of captive-bred birds to augment the population for hunting. Understanding the reason for the black duck decline, and the role of competition with mallards, has long been of interest to wildlife managers. Adam perform occupancy and behavioral surveys and tracked ducks with satellite tags for two winters to compare home range and habitat use between the two species. His work highlighted the differential response of black ducks and mallards to human development as well as the potential importance of remnant emergent marshes in the region. Adam did an impressive job navigating complicated field and analytical issues, and putting everything together for his thesis. Congratulations, Adam!
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