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Spatial distribution of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) in the Mariarano River system,
Northwestern Madagascar
By
Caroline A. Jablonicky
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF SCIENCE
(GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)
May 2013
Copyright 2013 Caroline A. Jablonicky
Object Description
| Title | Spatial distribution of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) in the Mariarano River system, Northwestern Madagascar |
| Author | Jablonicky, Caroline A. |
| Author email | cjab@west.net;cjablonicky@gmail.com |
| Degree | Master of Science |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Geographic Information Science and Technology |
| School | College of Letters, Arts And Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2013-01-09 |
| Date submitted | 2013-01-31 |
| Date approved | 2013-02-01 |
| Restricted until | 2013-02-01 |
| Date published | 2013-02-01 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Longcore, Travis R. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Kemp, Karen K. Ruddell, Darren M. |
| Abstract | Little is known about the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) population in Madagascar; however, its population is believed to be in decline resulting from hunting and habitat loss. This study maps the distribution of the Nile crocodile population in the Mariarano River in Northwestern Madagascar during the dry season (May-October) using the maximum entropy model Maxent. Four biophysical factors are included in the first model and the second model includes two additional anthropogenic factors of distance from roads and distance from villages to observe the effect of humans on suitable habitat for crocodiles. Data were collected in June-August 2011 and 2012. Model performance was assessed using the Receiving Operating Curve (ROC) and Area under the Curve (AUC), using 10 replicates of both models. Both models adequately predicted species occupancy using the test data: the anthropogenic model receiving model performance rating of excellent and the biophysical factor-only model receiving a rating of average. While the results initially indicated that the distance from roads was the most important variable to the model, other possible anthropogenic influences such as boat activity on the river and mangrove destruction were not included. The distribution map produced for the model can be used as a baseline for Nile crocodile distribution within the river and aid in conservation management decisions about the Nile crocodile in the region. |
| Keyword | habitat suitability mapping; Madagascar; Maxent modeling; Nile crocodile |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Jablonicky, Caroline A. |
| Physical access | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume6/etd-Jablonicky-1420.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | Spatial distribution of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) in the Mariarano River system, Northwestern Madagascar By Caroline A. Jablonicky A Thesis Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF SCIENCE (GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY) May 2013 Copyright 2013 Caroline A. Jablonicky |
