Characterization and conservation of small populations

The following dissertation contains a body of work that addresses both theoretical and applied issues for small and variable populations. The first section is an overview. The second part explores the extent to which non-cyclic, non-equilabrating, yet deterministic trends are found in populations. Part three defines, tests, and explores the applied implications of a model that relates a population's probability of becoming extinct when faced with a combination of demographic accidents, environmental events, and Alee effects. The fourth section explores the effect that habitat fragmentation has on Hawaiian forest bird communities over a variety of scales. It proposes both a theoretical foundation for, and explores the applied implications of scale dependant fragmentation effects. The final section reflects work completed in the first year of an on-going effort to create a self-sustaining wild population of a species that is currently only found in captivity.