Request for Assistance in Identifying Forage Quality Experts for Waterfowl

[Andrii Kramarenko]

Dear community of the ornithological exchange 

My name is Andrii Kramarenko, and I am a master's student in the Biology Department at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

I am currently working on a project to adapt the Vegetation Forage Quality Index (vFQI)* to assess the nutritional value of plant species in wetlands for waterfowl for application to Great Lakes coastal wetlands in Ontario. This index relies on coefficients assigned to common wetland plant species by experts reflecting the potential forage value of each plant. Unfortunately, coefficients are lacking for about 50% of the plant species common to Great Lakes coastal wetlands in Ontario. This limits the index's effectiveness in the region.

To fill this gap, I am looking for volunteers with expertise in waterfowl management, their diets, energetics, food quality indices (such as vFQI, TME, DMD, etc.), or related fields to assist me in developing coefficients reflecting the nutritional value of widespread and locally abundant plant species in Great Lakes coastal wetlands of Ontario.

I would be very grateful if you could complete a short Google Form and provide contact information of any individuals you consider as having relevant expertise or individuals and/or agencies or organizations that might be aware of such experts: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2lmmLuLQUIWAMtLR_mZtoI_Eob1o5DZJF5i_9Sot61Ja8Lg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Your assistance will be incredibly valuable for the success of my thesis project.

If you have any inquiries or require more information, please do not hesitate to reach out to me:
akramarenko@uwaterloo.ca

Thank you for your attention and assistance. 

Best regards,

Andrii Kramarenko

Master’s Student, Department of Biology

University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

 

*Farley, E.B., Schummer, M.L., Leopold, D.J., Coluccy, J.M. and Tozer, D.C., 2022. Influence of water level management on vegetation and bird use of restored wetlands in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. Wildlife Biology, 2022(2), p.e01016.