April 23, 2019: Biological sciences M.S. thesis defense by Greg Merrill, 'Maternal Foraging Trip Durations'

Maternal Foraging Trip Durations: Establishing a Monitoring Index of Pup Survival, Habitat Quality, and Prey Availability for the Northern Fur Seal Tuesday, April 23, 11 a.m.-noon UAA/APU Consortium Library, Room 307

Thesis Defense by Greg Merrill, Master of Science in Biological Sciences. A regionally and temporally variable, though persistent population decline in northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) prompted the development of a wildlife monitoring tool. This study aimed to validate maternal foraging trip durations (MFTD) of northern fur seals as a monitoring index for habitat quality (prey availability) at the level of the breeding colony; such a tool would provide a population-level index of habitat quality, foraging success, and pup survival directly related to the conditions of the surrounding marine environment.

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