In this dissertation, I characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of wild animal populations and communities via literature synthesis and three empirical studies. In Chapter 1, I review how historic foundations of macroecology and the theory of island biogeography inform ecology, restoration, and conservation across in the 21st Century. I conclude that restoration efforts should focus on evaluating and understanding the historical and recent ecological context of areas targeted for restoration, particularly on multiple spatiotemporal scales.In Chapter 2, I investigate historic dynamics of freshwater fish populations and communities inhabiting Ontario, CAN jurisdictional waters of Lake Huron. I apply a multivariate hierarchical model to relative counts of multiple fish species to estimate fine- and broad-scale effects of environmental and anthropogenic factors associated with species dynamics over time. I conclude that conservation efforts should focus on ecosystem-level governance of Lake Huron fisheries, including expanded ectoparasite control as well as enhanced structural-climatic conditions to maintain stationary water temperatures and nutrient cycling over time. In Chapter 3, I evaluate historic dynamics of grassland bird populations and communities inhabiting Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) lands in eastern Michigan, USA. I apply a multivariate hierarchical model to relative detections and non-detections of multiple species to estimate fine- and broad-scale effects of environmental and anthropogenic factors associated with species occupancy dynamics over time. I conclude that conservation efforts should focus on increasing the area, frequency, diversity, and distribution of CREP planting practices as well as implement new studies over numerous locations and for extended time periods throughout the Upper Midwest and Great Plains of North America to help ensure the persistence of remnant grasslands and their rarest bird species. In Chapter 4, I assess how mass-scaling (allometric) relationships can be used to estimate the abundance of wild bird populations across continental North America. I apply a univariate hierarchical model to relative counts of a common forest bird to estimate fine- and broad-scale effects of environmental and anthropogenic factors associated with species dynamics over time. I conclude that conservation should focus on expanding the spatiotemporal coverage of banding sites for measuring species body-size characteristics as well as require multiple (geolocated) site visits (e.g., ≥ 3 times per season) in broad-scale monitoring programs, particularly such that allometric-scaling relationships may be better evaluated with hierarchical models investigating indices of species abundance and occupancy status. I conclude this dissertation with a discussion of the major findings, lessons learned, and implications and recommendations for future population and community research in ecology. Future studies that critically investigate ecological phenomena at various scales, including explicit accounts for ecological data hierarchies, will likely be most useful for separating statistical signal from noise and identifying the scales at which phenomena manifest. Such research will improve basic theory as well as help facilitate improved conservation of biodiversity via increasingly more certain descriptions of ecological patterns and processes, including the scales at which each can be influenced or managed.
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