Demography of a California Least Tern Colony including Effects of the 1982-1983 El Niño

Massey, Barbara W.; Bradley, David W.; Atwood, Jonathan L.

doi:10.2307/1369293

Cited by 43 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Demographic data of long-lived birds with delayed maturity show that survival probability differs between age-classes. Pre-breeding survival (defined as the probability of surviving the time before accession to reproduction) is most frequently lower than survival after the individual has reached breeding age (Massey et al 1992;Spendelow et al 2002;Lebreton et al 2003;Collins and Doherty 2006;Szostek and Becker 2012). The lower survival rate of prebreeding birds relative to adult birds is a consequence of the higher mortality of inexperienced young birds (Spendelow 1991;Lebreton et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult and pre-breeding survival estimates of the Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida breeding in southern Poland

Ledwoń

Neubauer

Betleja³

2013

J Ornithol

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We present the first-ever survival estimates of the Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida, based on the analysis of capture-recapture data (403 adults and 1,484 chicks ringed) collected between 1993 and 2011 in an increasing breeding population in southern Poland. Data were modelled using multistate models with an unobservable state, accounting for the period during which young terns remain at their winter quarters. Model-averaged prebreeding and breeding survival were estimated to be 0.54 [standard error (SE) 0.28] and 0.80 (SE = 0.05), respectively. All models were in agreement that the relative proportion of breeders was nearly zero in the second calendar year, increasing to reach values close to 0.8 in the fifth calendar year, which confirms the observation of a much delayed maturation of the Whiskered Tern. Our data indicate that most Whiskered Tern start to breed about 1 year earlier than members of genera Sterna and Onychoprion. However, the precision of the estimates for the parameter describing the transition probability from the unobservable pre-breeding to the observable breeding state was extremely poor; therefore, these estimates should be treated as tentative until more data are collected. The three best-supported models indicated significant annual variation in recapture probability. The results also suggested that forced exchange of breeding colonies is frequent in the study area; consequently, a large proportion of birds ringed as chicks are breeding in colonies other than their respective natal colony. This exchange is best explained not by the trapping and ringing activity but by human management of the environment, such as water level changes in dam reservoirs and carp Cyprinus carpio farming at fish ponds, both of which result in breeding habitats becoming unstable and periodically unavailable, possibly forcing birds to change breeding sites.Keywords Whiskered Tern Á Chlidonias hybrida Á Capture-mark-recapture modelling Á Apparent survival Á Age at first breeding Á Fidelity Á Bird trapping

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult and pre-breeding survival estimates of the Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida breeding in southern Poland

Ledwoń

Neubauer

Betleja³

2013

J Ornithol

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“…A portion of the snowy plover population is present on the breeding grounds yearround, while the remainder winters along the Pacific Coast south into Baja California, Mexico (Stenzel et al 1994). Least terns winter primarily along the Pacific Coast of Central America (Massey et al 1992). This study was designed to evaluate the effects that contaminants acquired on the breeding or wintering grounds might be having on reproduction by snowy plovers and least terns.…”

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confidence: 99%

Contaminants in Eggs of Western Snowy Plovers and California Least Terns: Is There a Link to Population Decline?

Hothem

Powell

2000

Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.

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“…Summer floods may have only minor effects on least tern population dynamics, as the species is relatively long-lived (ca. 9 years; Massey et al, 1992) and presumably adapted to ephemeral habitats associated with dynamic hydrologic cycles. Understanding the causal relationship between lower water levels and the gradient of tern fledging success we observed is important and additional research during wetter portions of the long-term hydrologic cycle is warranted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive success of the interior least tern (Sterna antillarum) in relation to hydrology on the Lower Mississippi River

Dugger

Ryan

Galat

et al. 2002

River Research & Apps

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The annual hydrograph of large rivers, including flood pulses and low-flow periods, is believed to play a primary role in the productivity of biota associated with these ecosystems. We investigated the relationship between river hydrology and Interior least tern (Sterna antillarum) reproductive success on the Lower Mississippi River from April to July 1986-1993. The number of fledglings produced per adult pair was negatively correlated with July mean (r= −0.95, p=0.0004) and July maximum river elevation (r= −0.97, p=0.0001), but no other aspects of river hydrology were related to tern reproduction. Low-water elevations in July may benefit least tern reproductive success by increasing sand island area or the area of shallow-water habitat that surrounds islands. Loss of deep-water habitats in conjunction with an increase in shallow habitat during stage decreases may concentrate fish prey in shallow-water habitats and backwater areas, thereby increasing food availability during chick-rearing.

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Demography of a California Least Tern Colony including Effects of the 1982-1983 El Niño

Cited by 43 publications

References 8 publications

Adult and pre-breeding survival estimates of the Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida breeding in southern Poland

Adult and pre-breeding survival estimates of the Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida breeding in southern Poland

Contaminants in Eggs of Western Snowy Plovers and California Least Terns: Is There a Link to Population Decline?

Reproductive success of the interior least tern (Sterna antillarum) in relation to hydrology on the Lower Mississippi River

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