• Jorde, Dennis G.
  University of Maine Graduate School
  

Causes of the 20-year decline of the continental population of black ducks (Anas rubripes) have focused primarily on the breeding grounds; however, there is an urgent need to investigate probable causes affecting their survival at wintering areas. Winter ecology of black ducks along the central coast of Maine was examined between 1982 and 1985 by focusing on the relationships between habitat use and the thermodynamics of microclimates, true metabolizable energy and nutrient content of winter foods, and heat of digestion and thermoregulation.