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Muthersbaugh MS, Boone WW, Saldo EA, Jensen AJ, Cantrell J, Ruth C, Kilgo JC, Jachowski DS. Maternal behaviors influence survival of ungulate neonates under heavy predation risk. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70151. [PMID: 39170052 PMCID: PMC11338655 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Predators impose top-down forces on prey populations, with the strength of those effects often varying over space and time and among demographic groups. In ungulates, predation risk is typically greatest for neonatal offspring, with some suggesting that predators can key in on adult activity to locate hidden neonates. However, few field studies to date have been able to directly assess the influence of maternal care on ungulate neonate survival. Using a population of white-tailed deer under heavy coyote predation pressure, we tested the maternal dispersion hypothesis, which suggests the dispersion of maternal activity temporally and spatially attenuates risk of predation for ungulate neonates during this vulnerable altricial phase. We compared support for this hypothesis with more commonly tested hypotheses regarding the influence of habitat conditions and intrinsic factors on neonatal survival. Fawn survival to 16 weeks was 27.7%, with coyotes accounting for 59% of fawn mortalities. In support of our maternal temporal diffusion hypothesis, we found that neonatal survival decreased as more maternal visits (proportionally) occurred at night. The only other significant (p < .1) predictor of fawn survival was birth timing, with fawn survival decreasing as the season progressed. Given that fawn survival declined as the proportion of nighttime visits increased, and that wild pig presence and human disturbance can push doe and fawn activity toward nocturnal hours, additional research is needed to determine whether managing pig and human disturbance can decrease fawn mortality. More broadly, given the importance of recruitment in ungulate population dynamics, our finding opens a potentially important new line of inquiry on how maternal behaviors influence predation risk in large animal predator-prey ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Muthersbaugh
- Department of Forestry and Environmental ConservationClemson UniversityClemsonSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Wesley W. Boone
- Department of Forestry and Environmental ConservationClemson UniversityClemsonSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Elizabeth A. Saldo
- Department of Forestry and Environmental ConservationClemson UniversityClemsonSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Alex J. Jensen
- Department of Forestry and Environmental ConservationClemson UniversityClemsonSouth CarolinaUSA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural SciencesRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Jay Cantrell
- South Carolina Department of Natural ResourcesColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Charles Ruth
- South Carolina Department of Natural ResourcesColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - John C. Kilgo
- USDA Forest ServiceSouthern Research StationNew EllentonSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - David S. Jachowski
- Department of Forestry and Environmental ConservationClemson UniversityClemsonSouth CarolinaUSA
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Goßmann A, Ambrožová L, Cizek L, Drag L, Georgiev K, Neudam L, Perlík M, Seidel D, Thorn S. Habitat openness and predator abundance determine predation risk of warningly colored longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) in temperate forest. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2023; 23:7146570. [PMID: 37116058 PMCID: PMC10146197 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iead027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Organisms have evolved different defense mechanisms, such as crypsis and mimicry, to avoid detection and recognition by predators. A prominent example is Batesian mimicry, where palatable species mimic unpalatable or toxic ones, such as Clytini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) that mimic wasps. However, scientific evidence for the effectiveness of Batesian mimicry in Cerambycids in natural habitats is scarce. We investigated predation of warningly and nonwarningly colored Cerambycids by birds in a temperate forest using beetle dummies. Dummies mimicking Tetropium castaneum, Leptura aethiops, Clytus arietis, and Leptura quadrifasciata were exposed on standing and laying deadwood and monitored predation events by birds over one season. The 20 surveyed plots differed in their structural complexity and canopy openness due to different postdisturbance logging strategies. A total of 88 predation events on warningly colored beetle dummies and 89 predation events on nonwarningly colored beetle dummies did not reveal the difference in predation risk by birds. However, predation risk increased with canopy openness, bird abundance, and exposure time, which peaked in July. This suggests that environmental factors have a higher importance in determining predation risk of warningly and nonwarningly colored Cerambycidae than the actual coloration of the beetles. Our study showed that canopy openness might be important in determining the predation risk of beetles by birds regardless of beetles' warning coloration. Different forest management strategies that often modify canopy openness may thus alter predator-prey interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika Goßmann
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), Julius Maximilians University Würzburg, Glashüttenstraße 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agriculture, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lucie Ambrožová
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Lukas Cizek
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Lukas Drag
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Kostadin Georgiev
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), Julius Maximilians University Würzburg, Glashüttenstraße 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany
- Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology, Biodiversity center, Europastrasse 10, D-35394 Giessen, Germany
| | - Liane Neudam
- Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michal Perlík
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Dominik Seidel
- Department for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Simon Thorn
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), Julius Maximilians University Würzburg, Glashüttenstraße 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology, Biodiversity center, Europastrasse 10, D-35394 Giessen, Germany
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3
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Maag N, Mallord JW, Burgess MD, Lüpold S, Cristinacce A, Arlettaz R, Carlotti S, Davis TM, Grendelmeier A, Orsman CJ, Riess M, Stelbrink P, Pasinelli G. Accounting for predator species identity reveals variable relationships between nest predation rate and habitat in a temperate forest songbird. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e7411. [PMID: 36254300 PMCID: PMC9557003 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nest predation is the primary cause of nest failure in most ground-nesting bird species. Investigations of relationships between nest predation rate and habitat usually pool different predator species. However, such relationships likely depend on the specific predator involved, partly because habitat requirements vary among predator species. Pooling may therefore impair our ability to identify conservation-relevant relationships between nest predation rate and habitat. We investigated predator-specific nest predation rates in the forest-dependent, ground-nesting wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix in relation to forest area and forest edge complexity at two spatial scales and to the composition of the adjacent habitat matrix. We used camera traps at 559 nests to identify nest predators in five study regions across Europe. When analyzing predation data pooled across predator species, nest predation rate was positively related to forest area at the local scale (1000 m around nest), and higher where proportion of grassland in the adjacent habitat matrix was high but arable land low. Analyses by each predator species revealed variable relationships between nest predation rates and habitat. At the local scale, nest predation by most predators was higher where forest area was large. At the landscape scale (10,000 m around nest), nest predation by buzzards Buteo buteo was high where forest area was small. Predation by pine martens Martes martes was high where edge complexity at the landscape scale was high. Predation by badgers Meles meles was high where the matrix had much grassland but little arable land. Our results suggest that relationships between nest predation rates and habitat can depend on the predator species involved and may differ from analyses disregarding predator identity. Predator-specific nest predation rates, and their relationships to habitat at different spatial scales, should be considered when assessing the impact of habitat change on avian nesting success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nino Maag
- Swiss Ornithological InstituteSempachSwitzerland
| | | | | | | | | | - Raphaël Arlettaz
- Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | | | | | | | | | - Michael Riess
- Department of BiologyUniversity of MarburgMarburgGermany
| | | | - Gilberto Pasinelli
- Swiss Ornithological InstituteSempachSwitzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZürichSwitzerland
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Malone KM, Terhune TM, Sieving KE. Bachman's Sparrow survival and nest predation response to a hardwood canopy reduction experiment. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M. Malone
- Game Bird Program Tall Timbers 13093 Henry Beadel Drive Tallahassee Florida32312USA
- Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida32611USA
| | - Theron M. Terhune
- Game Bird Program Tall Timbers 13093 Henry Beadel Drive Tallahassee Florida32312USA
| | - Kathryn E. Sieving
- Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida32611USA
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5
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Nest site selection and breeding ecology of the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) in Algeria. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Does Habitat Diversity Modify the Dietary and Reproductive Response to Prey Fluctuations in a Generalist Raptor Predator, the Eurasian Buzzard Buteo buteo? BIRDS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/birds2010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators can modify their diet and demography in response to changes in food availability and habitat quality. I tested the prediction that some species can change their predation pattern, between specialist type and generalist type, depending on the complexity of habitat structure. It was hypothesized that their dietary response is stronger in diversified habitats than in simplified ones, but the opposite tendency occurs in the case of reproductive response. The nestling diet and breeding success of the Eurasian Buzzard Buteo buteo, the abundance of its main prey (the common vole Microtus arvalis), and that of the most important alternative prey group (passerines) were estimated over ten years in two types of agricultural habitat in western Poland, i.e., in the diversified habitat of small fields and the simplified habitat of large fields. The vole abundance was higher in large fields, but the abundance of passerines was greater in small fields. The frequency of voles in the Eurasian Buzzard nestling diet was higher in large fields than in small fields and increased with the abundance of this prey in crop fields. However, no difference in the relationship between the vole frequency in the diet of Eurasian Buzzards and the abundance of voles was found between the two habitat types. The breeding success of Eurasian Buzzards was dependent on the vole abundance, but this relationship did not differ between the two field types. It seems that the pattern of dietary and reproductive response of Eurasian Buzzards depends on the actual availability of individual prey species, which can be modified by habitat quality, rather than on relative prey abundance.
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7
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Vernouillet A, Fortin MJ, Fiola ML, Villard MA. Do Female Songbirds Avoid a Mammalian Nest Predator When Selecting Their Nest Site? Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.571456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceived predation risk can elicit strong behavioral responses in potential prey. During nest building, songbirds exhibit anti-predator behaviors under experimental conditions. Here, we hypothesized that females of two ground-nesting songbird species, the Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) and the Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus), would use naturally available cues of predation risk when selecting their nest site, thereby avoiding activity hotspots of Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus), a predator on songbird nests and fledglings. Chipmunks are highly vocal, thus providing cues of their presence. We mapped chipmunk detections and songbird nests over four successive years in study plots located in mature deciduous forest of New Brunswick, Canada. Chipmunk activity varied by an order of magnitude among study plots and years. Nests were built further away from chipmunk detections than expected by chance in some, but not all, plot-year combinations. When comparing study plots, the proportion of nests built within hotspots of chipmunk activity was four times lower in the two plots where chipmunk activity was highest. Yet, we did not find clear evidence that chipmunk avoidance provided fitness benefits, possibly because this behavior procured little protection at high chipmunk densities. The persistence of this avoidance behavior in our focal species of ground-nesting songbirds might be linked to the benefits it procures at intermediate chipmunk densities.
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8
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Barlow NL, Kirol CP, Doherty KE, Fedy BC. Evaluation of the Umbrella Species Concept at Fine Spatial Scales. J Wildl Manage 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natasha L. Barlow
- University of Waterloo 200 University Avenue West Waterloo ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | | | - Kevin E. Doherty
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 134 Union Blvd 400 Lakewood CO 80228 USA
| | - Bradley C. Fedy
- University of Waterloo 200 University Avenue West Waterloo ON N2L 3G1 Canada
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Lewis WB, Cooper RJ. Nesting Ecology of a Range-Edge Population of Veeries in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. SOUTHEAST NAT 2019. [DOI: 10.1656/058.018.0403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- William B. Lewis
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
| | - Robert J. Cooper
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
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10
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Patch use in the arctic ground squirrel: effects of micro-topography and shrub encroachment in the Arctic Circle. Oecologia 2019; 190:243-254. [PMID: 31016381 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04400-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the roles of vegetation structure, micro-topographic relief, and predator activity patterns (time of day) on the perception of predatory risk of arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii), an abundant pan-Arctic omnivore, in Arctic Circle tundra on the North Slope of Alaska, where tundra vegetation structure has been predicted to change in response to climate. We quantified foraging intensity by measuring the giving-up densities (GUDs) of the arctic ground squirrels in experimental foraging patches along a heath-graminoid-shrub moist tundra gradient. We hypothesized that foraging intensity of arctic ground squirrels would be greatest and GUDs lowest, where low-stature vegetation or raised micro-topography improves sightlines for predator detection. Furthermore, GUDs should vary with time of day and reflect 24-h cycles of varying predation risk. Foraging intensity varied temporally, being highest in the afternoon and lowest overnight. During the morning, foraging intensity was inversely correlated with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a proxy for vegetation productivity and cover. Foraging was additionally measured within landscapes of fear, confirming that vegetative and topographic obstructions of sightlines reduces foraging intensity and increases GUDs. We conclude that arctic ground squirrels may affect Arctic Circle vegetation of tundra ecosystems, but these effects will vary spatially and temporally.
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11
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Shew JJ, Nielsen CK, Sparling DW. Finer‐scale habitat predicts nest survival in grassland birds more than management and landscape: A multi‐scale perspective. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin J. Shew
- Cooperative Wildlife Research LaboratorySouthern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois
- Department of ZoologySouthern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois
| | - Clayton K. Nielsen
- Cooperative Wildlife Research LaboratorySouthern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois
- Department of ForestrySouthern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois
| | - Donald W. Sparling
- Cooperative Wildlife Research LaboratorySouthern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois
- Department of ZoologySouthern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois
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12
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Squires KA, Bunnell FL. Early breeders choose differently - Refining measures of habitat quality for the yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), a keystone species in the mixedwood boreal forest. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0203683. [PMID: 30208081 PMCID: PMC6135400 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the prevalent use of nest-site selection studies to define habitat quality for birds, many studies relying on use-availability analysis have found poor correlations between selected vegetation and reproductive success. Using 3 years of data from northeastern British Columbia (2007–2009), we determined timing of breeding from hatching dates and contrasted the nest-site selection of earlier (n = 22) with later-nesting pairs (n = 36) of yellow-bellied sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius), because early breeders were expected to be more reproductively successful. We then compared these choices with those identified from use-availability analysis, and determined whether reproductive performance (fledgling production) was related to selected vegetation. None of the vegetation characteristics selected for nest sites from available vegetation predicted reproductive performance. Earlier-nesting pairs fledged more young on average than later breeders (4.41, SE = 0.18 versus 3.92, SE = 0.16), and chose less decayed aspen trees for nesting, that were surrounded on average by 3 times the number of food trees (paper birch, Betula papyrifera). Potential preference for birch trees was masked in the use-availability analysis, because the selection rate was dominated by the choices of the larger number of later-nesting pairs. Similarly, the majority (69%) of nest cavity entrances faced south, but earlier breeding pairs excavated northward-oriented cavities more frequently than did later breeding pairs, which strongly predicted their higher fledgling production. To our knowledge, our study is the first to compare the choices of early versus later breeders to test the efficacy of use-availability studies in defining habitat quality. We found that use-availability analysis was inadequate for determining vegetation characteristics related to reproductive performance. In contrast, measuring the distinct preferences of earlier breeders resulted in an improved ability to measure habitat quality and explain the spatial distribution of yellow-bellied sapsuckers, a keystone species of the mixedwood boreal forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A. Squires
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Faculty of Environment, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Fred L. Bunnell
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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13
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Connell LC, Scasta JD, Porensky LM. Prairie dogs and wildfires shape vegetation structure in a sagebrush grassland more than does rest from ungulate grazing. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- L. C. Connell
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management University of Wyoming Ag C 2004, Dept. 3354, 1000 E. University Ave Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - J. D. Scasta
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management University of Wyoming Ag C 2004, Dept. 3354, 1000 E. University Ave Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - L. M. Porensky
- USDA‐ARS Rangeland Resources Research Unit 1701 Centre Avenue Fort Collins Colorado 80526 USA
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Syiem BLN, Goswami VR, Vasudev D. "In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings": Woodlands in an agricultural matrix maintain functionality of a wintering bird community. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201657. [PMID: 30071074 PMCID: PMC6072076 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The agricultural matrix has increasingly been recognized for its potential to supplement Protected Areas (PAs) in biodiversity conservation. This potential is highly contextual, depending on composition and spatial configuration of matrix elements and their mechanistic relationship with biological communities. We investigate the effects of local vegetation structure, and proximity to a PA on the site-use of different guilds in a wintering bird community within the PA, and in wooded land-use types in the surrounding matrix. We used occupancy models to estimate covariate–guild relationships and predict site-use. We also compared species richness (estimated through capture–recapture models) and species naïve site-use between the PA and the matrix to evaluate taxonomic changes. We found that tree cover did not limit the site-use of most guilds of the community, probably due to high canopy cover across all chosen sites. Exceptions to this were guilds comprising generalist species. Shrub cover and bamboo cover had important effects on some woodland-associated guilds, suggesting a change in limiting factors for site-use under adequate tree cover. Site-use across the matrix was high for all analyzed guilds. This was found to be due to three non-exclusive reasons: (i) presence of one or more ubiquitous species (found all across the landscape) within some guilds, (ii) redundancy of species within guilds that buffered against a decrease in site-use, and (iii) turnover in guild composition/abundances to more generalist species from PA to matrix. Estimated species richness was higher in the matrix (107± 11; mean ± SE) than in the PA (90± 7), which may have been in part due to the addition of generalist species in the matrix. Understanding factors that limit biological communities is crucial to better managing the ever-increasing matrix for biodiversity conservation. Our study provides insights into the effects of different components of vegetation structure on the bird community in wooded land-use types in the matrix. We highlight the value of woodlands surrounding PAs in maintaining multiple guilds, and hence, the functionality of a wintering bird community. However, we caution that the matrix may fall short in retaining some specialized species of the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biang La Nam Syiem
- Post-graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society India Program and National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India
- Wildlife Conservation Society, India Program, Bangalore, India
- Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, India
- * E-mail:
| | - Varun R. Goswami
- Wildlife Conservation Society, India Program, Bangalore, India
- Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, India
- Conservation Initiatives, Guwahati, India
| | - Divya Vasudev
- Wildlife Conservation Society, India Program, Bangalore, India
- Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, India
- Conservation Initiatives, Guwahati, India
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15
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Foggia JR, Rush SA, Miller DA, Wigley TB, Martin JA. Effects of forest structure and harvest-induced edges on predation risk. WILDLIFE SOC B 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jenny R. Foggia
- College of Forest Resources; Mississippi State University, Mississippi State; MS 39762 USA
| | - Scott A. Rush
- College of Forest Resources; Mississippi State University, Mississippi State; MS 39762 USA
| | | | - T. Bently Wigley
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; Incorporated; Clemson SC 29634-0317 USA
| | - James A. Martin
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; University of Georgia; Athens GA 30602 USA
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16
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Moore D, Kearney MR, Paltridge R, McAlpin S, Stow A. Feeling the pressure at home: Predator activity at the burrow entrance of an endangered arid-zone skink. AUSTRAL ECOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Danae Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; North Ryde 2109 New South Wales Australia
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy; Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary; Alice Springs Northern Territory Australia
| | - Michael Ray Kearney
- School of BioSciences; The University of Melbourne; Parkville Victoria Australia
| | - Rachel Paltridge
- Desert Wildlife Services; Alice Springs Northern Territory Australia
| | - Steve McAlpin
- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences; University of New England; Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Adam Stow
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; North Ryde 2109 New South Wales Australia
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17
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Bleicher SS. The landscape of fear conceptual framework: definition and review of current applications and misuses. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3772. [PMID: 28929015 PMCID: PMC5600181 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Landscapes of Fear (LOF), the spatially explicit distribution of perceived predation risk as seen by a population, is increasingly cited in ecological literature and has become a frequently used "buzz-word". With the increase in popularity, it became necessary to clarify the definition for the term, suggest boundaries and propose a common framework for its use. The LOF, as a progeny of the "ecology of fear" conceptual framework, defines fear as the strategic manifestation of the cost-benefit analysis of food and safety tradeoffs. In addition to direct predation risk, the LOF is affected by individuals' energetic-state, inter- and intra-specific competition and is constrained by the evolutionary history of each species. Herein, based on current applications of the LOF conceptual framework, I suggest the future research in this framework will be directed towards: (1) finding applied management uses as a trait defining a population's habitat-use and habitat-suitability; (2) studying multi-dimensional distribution of risk-assessment through time and space; (3) studying variability between individuals within a population; (4) measuring eco-neurological implications of risk as a feature of environmental heterogeneity and (5) expanding temporal and spatial scales of empirical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonny S. Bleicher
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America
- Tumamoc People and Habitat, Tumamoc Desert Research Laboratory, University of Arizona, United States of America
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Using a novel method of potential available energy to determine masting condition influence on sex-specific habitat selection by Asiatic black bears. MAMMALIA 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2015-0172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Habitat selection is assumed to accrue fitness benefits. Where resource availability is variable, individuals should respond by changing habitat selection to increase resource availability. However, direct links between observed changes in habitat selection and energetic benefits of this behavior are rarely detected. We used a novel method whereby we converted interannual production levels of three hard-mast-producing Fagaceae species into a comparative energetic productivity score to investigate potential energetic benefits of Asiatic black bear habitat selection. We captured and fitted GPS collars on 19 bears between 2006 and 2010 in the Ashio-Nikko Mountains, Japan. We also collected data on hard-mast production and integrated these data with fine-scale vegetation maps. Then we mapped the potential available mast energetic production for each vegetation type to evaluate their potential energetic benefit for bears. Habitat use differed between poor and good mast years. Bears mostly used Japanese oak in good mast years, and there were sexual differences in September of poor mast years; females used mostly Japanese oak, whereas males used Konara oak. In those years, bears may have benefitted energetically by changing habitat use; however, the mean potential available energy to bears never exceeded that in good mast years, even if they used different habitats.
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Atuo FA, O'Connell TJ. The landscape of fear as an emergent property of heterogeneity: Contrasting patterns of predation risk in grassland ecosystems. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:4782-4793. [PMID: 28690807 PMCID: PMC5496548 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The likelihood of encountering a predator influences prey behavior and spatial distribution such that non‐consumptive effects can outweigh the influence of direct predation. Prey species are thought to filter information on perceived predator encounter rates in physical landscapes into a landscape of fear defined by spatially explicit heterogeneity in predation risk. The presence of multiple predators using different hunting strategies further complicates navigation through a landscape of fear and potentially exposes prey to greater risk of predation. The juxtaposition of land cover types likely influences overlap in occurrence of different predators, suggesting that attributes of a landscape of fear result from complexity in the physical landscape. Woody encroachment in grasslands furnishes an example of increasing complexity with the potential to influence predator distributions. We examined the role of vegetation structure on the distribution of two avian predators, Red‐tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), and the vulnerability of a frequent prey species of those predators, Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). We mapped occurrences of the raptors and kill locations of Northern Bobwhite to examine spatial vulnerability patterns in relation to landscape complexity. We use an offset model to examine spatially explicit habitat use patterns of these predators in the Southern Great Plains of the United States, and monitored vulnerability patterns of their prey species based on kill locations collected during radio telemetry monitoring. Both predator density and predation‐specific mortality of Northern Bobwhite increased with vegetation complexity generated by fine‐scale interspersion of grassland and woodland. Predation pressure was lower in more homogeneous landscapes where overlap of the two predators was less frequent. Predator overlap created areas of high risk for Northern Bobwhite amounting to 32% of the land area where landscape complexity was high and 7% where complexity was lower. Our study emphasizes the need to evaluate the role of landscape structure on predation dynamics and reveals another threat from woody encroachment in grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fidelis Akunke Atuo
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| | - Timothy John O'Connell
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
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Jedlikowski J, Brambilla M. The adaptive value of habitat preferences from a multi-scale spatial perspective: insights from marsh-nesting avian species. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3164. [PMID: 28367380 PMCID: PMC5372843 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Habitat selection and its adaptive outcomes are crucial features for animal life-history strategies. Nevertheless, congruence between habitat preferences and breeding success has been rarely demonstrated, which may result from the single-scale evaluation of animal choices. As habitat selection is a complex multi-scale process in many groups of animal species, investigating adaptiveness of habitat selection in a multi-scale framework is crucial. In this study, we explore whether habitat preferences acting at different spatial scales enhance the fitness of bird species, and check the appropriateness of single vs. multi-scale models. We expected that variables found to be more important for habitat selection at individual scale(s), would coherently play a major role in affecting nest survival at the same scale(s). Methods We considered habitat preferences of two Rallidae species, little crake (Zapornia parva) and water rail (Rallus aquaticus), at three spatial scales (landscape, territory, and nest-site) and related them to nest survival. Single-scale versus multi-scale models (GLS and glmmPQL) were compared to check which model better described adaptiveness of habitat preferences. Consistency between the effect of variables on habitat selection and on nest survival was checked to investigate their adaptive value. Results In both species, multi-scale models for nest survival were more supported than single-scale ones. In little crake, the multi-scale model indicated vegetation density and water depth at the territory scale, as well as vegetation height at nest-site scale, as the most important variables. The first two variables were among the most important for nest survival and habitat selection, and the coherent effects suggested the adaptive value of habitat preferences. In water rail, the multi-scale model of nest survival showed vegetation density at territory scale and extent of emergent vegetation within landscape scale as the most important ones, although we found a consistent effect with the habitat selection model (and hence evidence for adaptiveness) only for the former. Discussion Our work suggests caution when interpreting adaptiveness of habitat preferences at a single spatial scale because such an approach may under- or over-estimate the importance of habitat factors. As an example, we found evidence only for a weak effect of water depth at territory scale on little crake nest survival; however, according to the multi-scale analysis, such effect turned out to be important and appeared highly adaptive. Therefore, multi-scale approaches to the study of adaptive explanations for habitat selection mechanisms should be promoted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Jedlikowski
- Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw , Warsaw , Poland
| | - Mattia Brambilla
- Settore Biodiversità e Aree protette, Fondazione Lombardia per l'Ambiente, Seveso (MB), Italy; Sezione Zoologia dei Vertebrati, Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy
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Ceradini JP, Chalfoun AD. When perception reflects reality: Non-native grass invasion alters small mammal risk landscapes and survival. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:1823-1835. [PMID: 28331590 PMCID: PMC5355188 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Modification of habitat structure due to invasive plants can alter the risk landscape for wildlife by, for example, changing the quality or availability of refuge habitat. Whether perceived risk corresponds with actual fitness outcomes, however, remains an important open question. We simultaneously measured how habitat changes due to a common invasive grass (cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum) affected the perceived risk, habitat selection, and apparent survival of a small mammal, enabling us to assess how well perceived risk influenced important behaviors and reflected actual risk. We measured perceived risk by nocturnal rodents using a giving‐up density foraging experiment with paired shrub (safe) and open (risky) foraging trays in cheatgrass and native habitats. We also evaluated microhabitat selection across a cheatgrass gradient as an additional assay of perceived risk and behavioral responses for deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) at two spatial scales of habitat availability. Finally, we used mark‐recapture analysis to quantify deer mouse apparent survival across a cheatgrass gradient while accounting for detection probability and other habitat features. In the foraging experiment, shrubs were more important as protective cover in cheatgrass‐dominated habitats, suggesting that cheatgrass increased perceived predation risk. Additionally, deer mice avoided cheatgrass and selected shrubs, and marginally avoided native grass, at two spatial scales. Deer mouse apparent survival varied with a cheatgrass–shrub interaction, corresponding with our foraging experiment results, and providing a rare example of a native plant mediating the effects of an invasive plant on wildlife. By synthesizing the results of three individual lines of evidence (foraging behavior, habitat selection, and apparent survival), we provide a rare example of linkage between behavioral responses of animals indicative of perceived predation risk and actual fitness outcomes. Moreover, our results suggest that exotic grass invasions can influence wildlife populations by altering risk landscapes and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Ceradini
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie WY USA
| | - Anna D Chalfoun
- U.S. Geological Survey Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie WY USA
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Understory avifauna exhibits altered mobbing behavior in tropical forest degraded by selective logging. Oecologia 2016; 182:743-54. [PMID: 27417548 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3695-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
In understanding the impacts of selective logging on biodiversity, relatively little is known about the critical behavioral link between altered forest conditions and population persistence. Predator-mobbing is a widespread anti-predator behavior in birds that expresses a well-known trade-off influencing prey survival under predation risk. Here, we ask whether the predator-mobbing behavior of understory forest birds is altered by selective logging and associated forest structural changes in the highly endangered lowland rainforest of Sumatra. At four study sites spanning a gradient of logging-induced forest degradation, we used standardized mobbing and owl call playbacks with predator model presentation to elicit the predator-mobbing behavior of understory prey birds, compared birds' mobbing intensity across sites, and related variation in this intensity to forest vegetation structure. We found that selective logging altered birds' predator-mobbing intensity (measured by behavioral conspicuousness and propensity to approach the predator) as well as forest structure, and that vegetative changes to canopy and understory were correlated with contrasting responses by the two major bird foraging guilds, gleaning versus flycatching birds. We additionally discuss the implications of our findings for further hypothesis testing pertaining to the impacts of selective logging on the ecological processes underlying prey mobbing behavior, particularly with regards to predator-prey interactions and prey accruement of energy reserves.
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Norris AR, Martin K. Red-breasted nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) increase cavity excavation in response to a mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreak. ECOSCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.2980/19-4-3519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Anthropogenically-Mediated Density Dependence in a Declining Farmland Bird. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139492. [PMID: 26431173 PMCID: PMC4592266 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2015] [Accepted: 09/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Land management intrinsically influences the distribution of animals and can consequently alter the potential for density-dependent processes to act within populations. For declining species, high densities of breeding territories are typically considered to represent productive populations. However, as density-dependent effects of food limitation or predator pressure may occur (especially when species are dependent upon separate nesting and foraging habitats), high territory density may limit per-capita productivity. Here, we use a declining but widespread European farmland bird, the yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella L., as a model system to test whether higher territory densities result in lower fledging success, parental provisioning rates or nestling growth rates compared to lower densities. Organic landscapes held higher territory densities, but nests on organic farms fledged fewer nestlings, translating to a 5 times higher rate of population shrinkage on organic farms compared to conventional. In addition, when parental provisioning behaviour was not restricted by predation risk (i.e., at times of low corvid activity), nestling provisioning rates were higher at lower territory densities, resulting in a much greater increase in nestling mass in low density areas, suggesting that food limitation occurred at high densities. These findings in turn suggest an ecological trap, whereby preferred nesting habitat does not provide sufficient food for rearing nestlings at high population density, creating a population sink. Habitat management for farmland birds should focus not simply on creating a high nesting density, but also on ensuring heterogeneous habitats to provide food resources in close proximity to nesting birds, even if this occurs through potentially restricting overall nest density but increasing population-level breeding success.
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Djomo Nana E, Sedláček O, Doležal J, Dančák M, Altman J, Svoboda M, Majeský Ľ, Hořák D. Relationship between Survival Rate of Avian Artificial Nests and Forest Vegetation Structure along a Tropical Altitudinal Gradient on Mount Cameroon. Biotropica 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Djomo Nana
- Department of Ecology; Faculty of Science; Charles University in Prague; Viničná 7 128 44 Praha 2 Czech Republic
- IRTC - International Research and Training Center; PO Box 3055 Messa Yaoundé Cameroon
| | - Ondřej Sedláček
- Department of Ecology; Faculty of Science; Charles University in Prague; Viničná 7 128 44 Praha 2 Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Doležal
- Department for Botany; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Zámek 1 25243 Průhonice Czech Republic
| | - Martin Dančák
- Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Zámek 1 25243 Průhonice Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Faculty of Science; Palacký University in Olomouc; Šlechtitelů 27 78371 Olomouc-Holice Czech Republic
| | - Jan Altman
- Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Zámek 1 25243 Průhonice Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Svoboda
- Department of Forest Ecology; Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences; Czech University of Life Sciences; Kamýcká 129, Praha 6 16521 Suchdol Czech Republic
| | - Ľuboš Majeský
- Department of Botany; Faculty of Science; Palacký University in Olomouc; Šlechtitelů 27 78371 Olomouc-Holice Czech Republic
| | - David Hořák
- Department of Ecology; Faculty of Science; Charles University in Prague; Viničná 7 128 44 Praha 2 Czech Republic
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LaManna JA, Hemenway AB, Boccadori V, Martin TE. Bird species turnover is related to changing predation risk along a vegetation gradient. Ecology 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/14-1333.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Germain RR, Schuster R, Delmore KE, Arcese P. Habitat preference facilitates successful early breeding in an open‐cup nesting songbird. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan R. Germain
- Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences University of British Columbia 2424 Main MallVancouver British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Richard Schuster
- Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences University of British Columbia 2424 Main MallVancouver British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Kira E. Delmore
- Department of Zoology University of British Columbia 6270 University Boulevard Vancouver British Columbia V6T 1Z4Canada
| | - Peter Arcese
- Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences University of British Columbia 2424 Main MallVancouver British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada
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Flesch AD, Hutto RL, van Leeuwen WJD, Hartfield K, Jacobs S. Spatial, temporal, and density-dependent components of habitat quality for a desert owl. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119986. [PMID: 25786257 PMCID: PMC4364994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial variation in resources is a fundamental driver of habitat quality but the realized value of resources at any point in space may depend on the effects of conspecifics and stochastic factors, such as weather, which vary through time. We evaluated the relative and combined effects of habitat resources, weather, and conspecifics on habitat quality for ferruginous pygmy-owls (Glaucidium brasilianum) in the Sonoran Desert of northwest Mexico by monitoring reproductive output and conspecific abundance over 10 years in and around 107 territory patches. Variation in reproductive output was much greater across space than time, and although habitat resources explained a much greater proportion of that variation (0.70) than weather (0.17) or conspecifics (0.13), evidence for interactions among each of these components of the environment was strong. Relative to habitat that was persistently low in quality, high-quality habitat buffered the negative effects of conspecifics and amplified the benefits of favorable weather, but did not buffer the disadvantages of harsh weather. Moreover, the positive effects of favorable weather at low conspecific densities were offset by intraspecific competition at high densities. Although realized habitat quality declined with increasing conspecific density suggesting interference mechanisms associated with an Ideal Free Distribution, broad spatial heterogeneity in habitat quality persisted. Factors linked to food resources had positive effects on reproductive output but only where nest cavities were sufficiently abundant to mitigate the negative effects of heterospecific enemies. Annual precipitation and brooding-season temperature had strong multiplicative effects on reproductive output, which declined at increasing rates as drought and temperature increased, reflecting conditions predicted to become more frequent with climate change. Because the collective environment influences habitat quality in complex ways, integrated approaches that consider habitat resources, stochastic factors, and conspecifics are necessary to accurately assess habitat quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron D. Flesch
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Richard L. Hutto
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Willem J. D. van Leeuwen
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Kyle Hartfield
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Sky Jacobs
- Watershed Management Group, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
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Germain RR, Arcese P. Distinguishing individual quality from habitat preference and quality in a territorial passerine. Ecology 2014; 95:436-45. [PMID: 24669736 DOI: 10.1890/13-0467.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Gołąb MJ, Śniegula S, Drobniak SM, Zając T, Serrano-Meneses M. Where do floaters settle? An experimental approach in odonates. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Walker J, Rotella JJ, Stephens SE, Lindberg MS, Ringelman JK, Hunter C, Smith AJ. Time-lagged variation in pond density and primary productivity affects duck nest survival in the Prairie Pothole Region. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2013; 23:1061-1074. [PMID: 23967575 DOI: 10.1890/12-1755.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is the primary breeding region for most species of North American dabbling ducks (Anas spp.). Conservation of these species is guided in part by knowledge of relationships between nest survival probability and habitat features. Positive relationships between duck nest survival and amount and configuration of herbaceous perennial vegetation have been observed in previous studies, but these 2- to 4-year studies might not have adequately characterized the temporal effect of wet-dry episodes on nest survival. Over an eight-year period, we studied nest survival of five species of ducks in the PPR relative to spatial and temporal variation in pond density, primary productivity, and hydrologic status of wetlands, soil, and vegetation on 52 study sites selected to span a gradient of spatial variation in proportion of herbaceous perennial vegetation and in number of wetland basins. We observed the fate of 12 754 nests. Consistent with past studies, 90% of nests that failed to hatch were destroyed by predators. Nest survival probability was positively related to current-year pond density and primary productivity, negatively related to pond density and primary productivity during the previous two years, and positively related to the number of wetland basins on the study site. Predicted relationships between nest survival and proportion or configuration of herbaceous perennial vegetation in the surrounding landscape were not supported. For mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), median estimated nest survival probability ranged from 0.02 (SE = 0.01) to 0.22 (SE = 0.02). Estimated nest survival was greatest on sites with numerous wetland basins that had transitioned from dry, unproductive conditions to wet, productive conditions in the previous 1-2 years. Our results were consistent with time-lagged responses of food webs to resource pulses in a broad array of ecosystems. Our study highlighted the importance of wetland basins and wet-dry episodes to duck nest survival in the PPR. Current habitat conservation efforts focus on landscapes with numerous wetland basins and a high proportion of herbaceous perennial vegetation. Our results suggest that future conservation efforts should focus on preserving high-density wetland complexes across as large a geographic extent as possible even in cropland-dominated landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johann Walker
- Great Plains Regional Office, Ducks Unlimited, 2525 River Road, Bismarck, North Dakota 58503-9011, USA.
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Lumpkin HA, Pearson SM, Turner MG. Effects of climate and exurban development on nest predation and predator presence in the southern Appalachian Mountains (USA). CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2012; 26:679-688. [PMID: 22624665 DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01851.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In the eastern United States, land-use and climate change have likely contributed to declines in the abundance of Neotropical migrant birds that occupy forest interiors, but the mechanisms are not well understood. We conducted a nest-predation experiment in southern Appalachian Mountain forests (North Carolina, U.S.A.) during the 2009 and 2010 breeding seasons to determine the effects of exurban development and temperature on predator presence and the average number of days until eggs in an artificial nest were disturbed by predators. We baited artificial nests with quail (Excalfactoria chinensi) eggs and monitored them for 18 days. We used clay eggs, track plates, and motion-triggered cameras to detect and identify nest predators. The average number of days a nest was undisturbed decreased as mean temperature increased and, to a lesser extent, as the density of buildings increased. Nests on the ground were more often depredated than those in trees, likely due to increased predation by opossum (Didelphis virginiana) and other carnivores. Raccoons (Procyon lotor), opossums, corvids (Corvus brachyrhynchos and Cyanocitta cristata), chipmunks (Tamias striatus), black bears (Ursus americanus), and domestic cats (Felis catus) were the most commonly detected predators. Presence of these predators did not vary as a function of mean temperature. Domestic cats and corvids were detected more frequently in plots with high rather than low densities of buildings. Forest-interior specialists and Neotropical migrants often nest in cool, high-elevation areas with low housing density. These bird species, especially those that nest on the ground, may be most vulnerable to increased nest predation if temperature and exurban development increase at higher elevations as anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather A Lumpkin
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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Johnson TN, Kennedy PL, Etterson MA. Nest success and cause-specific nest failure of grassland passerines breeding in prairie grazed by livestock. J Wildl Manage 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Conover RR, Burger LW, Linder ET. Grassland bird nest ecology and survival in upland habitat buffers near wooded edges. WILDLIFE SOC B 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.87] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Habitat fragmentation reduces nest survival in an Afrotropical bird community in a biodiversity hotspot. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:11488-93. [PMID: 21709237 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1104955108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecologists have long hypothesized that fragmentation of tropical landscapes reduces avian nest success. However, this hypothesis has not been rigorously assessed because of the difficulty of finding large numbers of well-hidden nests in tropical forests. Here we report that in the East Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, which are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot, that daily nest survival rate and nest success for seven of eight common understory bird species that we examined over a single breeding season were significantly lower in fragmented than in continuous forest, with the odds of nest failure for these seven species ranging from 1.9 to 196.8 times higher in fragmented than continuous forest. Cup-shaped nests were particularly vulnerable in fragments. We then examined over six breeding seasons and 14 study sites in a multivariable survival analysis the influence of landscape structure and nest location on daily nest survival for 13 common species representing 1,272 nests and four nest types (plate, cup, dome, and pouch). Across species and nest types, area, distance of nest to edge, and nest height had a dominant influence on daily nest survival, with area being positively related to nest survival and distance of nest to edge and nest height being both positively and negatively associated with daily nest survival. Our results indicate that multiple environmental factors contribute to reduce nest survival within a tropical understory bird community in a fragmented landscape and that maintaining large continuous forest is important for enhancing nest survival for Afrotropical understory birds.
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Gilbert MM, Chalfoun AD. Energy development affects populations of sagebrush songbirds in Wyoming. J Wildl Manage 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Chalfoun AD, Martin TE. Facultative nest patch shifts in response to nest predation risk in the Brewer’s sparrow: a “win-stay, lose-switch” strategy? Oecologia 2010; 163:885-92. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1679-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2009] [Accepted: 05/24/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Pelech SA, Smith JN, Boutin S. A predator's perspective of nest predation: predation by red squirrels is learned, not incidental. OIKOS 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.17786.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Roper JJ, Sullivan KA, Ricklefs RE. Avoid nest predation when predation rates are low, and other lessons: testing the tropical-temperate nest predation paradigm. OIKOS 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.18047.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Harrison ML, Green DJ. Vegetation influences patch occupancy but not settlement and dispersal decisions in a declining migratory songbird. CAN J ZOOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1139/z09-125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Territorial clustering within larger, continuous patches of seemingly appropriate habitat could indicate that a species has additional, finer scale habitat requirements. Studying fine-scale (e.g., territory-level) habitat selection using methods that elucidate individual preferences may allow us to identify resources that influence species distributions. We examined breeding territory selection in the sagebrush Brewer’s Sparrow ( Spizella breweri Cassin, 1856) at the northern extent of its range to test for influences on fine-scale habitat selection. We used an information–theoretic approach to evaluate models relating a suite of vegetation characteristics to breeding habitat selection. We employed two methods: (1) assessment of patch occupancy at a territory scale and (2) examination of individual decisions relating to settlement and dispersal. We found that patch occupancy was most consistently predicted by models that included the cover of big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) with the greatest likelihood of occupancy at 20%–25% cover. However, assessment of settlement and dispersal decisions did not identify additional fine-scale preferences for other vegetation characteristics. Vegetation cover also did not influence breeding success, indicating that within the vegetation range found in Brewer’s Sparrow territory clusters, there is little benefit in basing individual settlement or dispersal decisions on vegetation cover.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. L. Harrison
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - D. J. Green
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
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Benson TJ, Brown JD, Bednarz JC. Identifying predators clarifies predictors of nest success in a temperate passerine. J Anim Ecol 2010; 79:225-34. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01604.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Pelech SA, Smith JN, Boutin S. A predator's perspective of nest predation: predation by red squirrels is learned, not incidental. OIKOS 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-1706.2009.17786.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Martin TE, Briskie JV. Predation on dependent offspring: a review of the consequences for mean expression and phenotypic plasticity in avian life history traits. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2009; 1168:201-17. [PMID: 19566709 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04577.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Predation on dependent offspring (i.e., offspring that depend on parents for care) forms a critical source of natural selection that may shape a diversity of life history traits. Selection from predation risk on dependent offspring can influence life history strategies of both offspring and parents. Such selection may act on both the form of plastic responses (e.g., the shape of norms of reaction) and mean expression of traits. Consideration of both levels of responses is key to understanding the ecological and evolutionary role of predation on dependent offspring. Here, we discuss how plastic responses and mean expression of life history traits may respond to selection from predation on dependent offspring in nests of birds (i.e., nest predation). We then review the expected effects and evidence for a diversity of life history traits, including clutch size, egg size, renesting rates, onset of incubation, parental incubation behavior, development rates and period lengths, parental feeding behavior, nestling begging, and nest conspicuousness. The evidence demonstrates a broad role of nest predation on both phenotypic plasticity and mean expression of diverse traits, but evidence remains limited to a few studies on a limited variety of species for almost all traits, and much broader experimental tests are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Martin
- United States Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA.
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