Development in wind energy technology and deployment of infrastructure reduces reliance on fossil fuels and can further energy security goals. Wind energy, however, can conflict with other green interests. The goal of this research was to examine the perceptions of environmentally conscious individuals at the intersection of wind energy development and biodiversity conservation interests. A majority of respondents identified that they cared very much about both renewable energy development as well as biodiversity conservation. We found that while participants were aware of the shifting causes of mortality of bird populations, they were less aware of the implications of wind energy on bat populations. In addition, attitudes towards biodiversity conservation as well as wind energy development were statistically significant when looking at the identification of some impacts. Most participants were willing to support wind energy development considering trade-offs related to factors such as visual impacts or economic benefits if it had no impacts on biodiversity conservation. Our research shows that environmentally conscious individuals are well-informed on only some impacts of wind energy development. Results also suggest that biodiversity conservation impacts are prioritized by environmentally conscious individuals when gauging support for wind energy development. As sustainable development continues, it is important to consider this green on green conflict, as renewable energy development is not only confronted by general issues of public opposition, but also specific environmental complaints.

Animal movement is a dynamic spatio-temporal process. While trajectory data reflect the instantaneous animal position in space and time, other factors influence movement decisions between these observed positions. While some methods incorporate environmental (habitat) context into their understanding of the animal movement process, it is often captured in terms of simple parameters or weights influencing model results; primary behavioral data are not used directly to inform these models. Here, a new space-time constrained agent-based model is introduced, capable of producing ordered, behaviorally informed animal potential paths between observed space-time anchors. Potential paths generated by this approach incorporate both observed animal behavior and classical space-time constraints, and are used to construct associated visit probability distributions. Additionally, the notion of a behavioral space-time path is introduced, a variant of the space-time path based on the results of behaviorally aware animal movement simulation. The results of this approach demonstrate a means to better understand the varied movement opportunities within space-time prisms from an animal behavior perspective. From a spatial ecology perspective, not only is the environmental context considered, but the animal’s choice of transition and movement magnitude between contexts is modeled. This approach provides insight into the complex sequence of behaviorally informed actions driving animal movement decision-making.

Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) are native to South America, Central America, and Mexico. The species is commonly domesticated and raised for meat across the globe. Escaped or intentionally introduced populations have become established in many suburban areas, although they are little studied. A total of 642 individual time-activity budgets were collected for invasive Muscovy ducks in Tampa, Florida, USA, in order to quantify habitat use and behavioural patterns. Muscovy ducks utilized a variety of cover types, including open water, shoreline, grass, tree, shrub, and urban habitats. Muscovy ducks foraged by dabbling, gleaning, grazing, and probing, while occasionally obtaining, meals from human sources. They spent about 12% of the time in open water, which was used primarily for swimming, foraging, and bathing. Pond shorelines (13%) were used for roosting at night and for resting and comfort, foraging, and other activities during the day. Grass (42%) and tree cover (18%) were important habitats for foraging, while shrubs (8%) and urban habitats (7%) were mostly used for resting and comfort activities. Social, reproductive, agnostic, and alert behaviours were also studied. The findings of this study show that free-ranging populations of domesticated Muscovy ducks are highly adapted to human activity, and they display different habitat usage and nesting habits than their wild counterparts, which occupy forested riparian areas and nest in tree cavities.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a virus found predominantly east of the Mississippi River in the United States that can be fatal to both equines and humans. The disease has previously been most prolific in states like Florida, but there has been an increase in the prevalence in other states further up north on the east coast of the United States in recent years. The purpose of this research is to use the ecological niche modelling program Maxent to model EEEV habitat suitability probability. This research utilized data of fatality incidence in equine hosts, versus sentinel chicken infection data, the spatial data traditionally utilized for mapping EEEV. This research produced a map of habitat suitability, which expanded on previous risk models by utilizing additional environmental factors. It confirmed areas of higher probability identified by previous models but identified more narrow areas of higher probability as well. This model adds to the literature applying ecological modelling techniques to spatial epidemiology. It highlights spaces that represent the culmination of environmental factors for the transmission of EEEV. Considering these environmental factors identified can assist in identifying places where there is a higher risk of EEEV as new cases begin to appear.