Diurnal space use and seasonal movement patterns of greater sage-grouse in Northeastern California

Davis, Dawn M.; Reese, Kerry P.; Gardner, Scott

doi:10.1002/wsb.467

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…The extent of large-scale wildfires can exceed the range of movements exhibited by typical sage-grouse populations, which may constrain adaptive behaviors such as nest foraging and lead to maladaptive selection patterns (Remeš 2000;O'Neil et al 2020). Before the Rush Fire, female sage-grouse nested on average 3.7 km (SD = 2.9) from the nearest lek (Davis et al 2014), which is significantly less than the average distance between the fire perimeter edge and affected leks used in this analysis (mean = 4.7 km, range = 0.2 to 9.0 km). Hens that continue to attend fire-affected leks are less likely to access resources and nest beyond the fire perimeter due to strong patterns of site fidelity (Connelly et al 2011a), and may instead settle in sub-optimal habitats that Relative change below 1 (black vertical line) indicates a decrease of λ for leks in impact areas (burned) relative to control (unburned) areas after the Rush Fire, whereas relative change above 1 indicates an increase of λ for leks in impact areas relative to control area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse

et al. 2021

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Background Drastic increases in wildfire size and frequency threaten western North American sagebrush (Artemisia L. spp.) ecosystems. At relatively large spatial scales, wildfire facilitates type conversion of sagebrush-dominated plant communities to monocultures of invasive annual grasses (e.g., Bromus tectorum L.). Annual grasses provide fine fuels that promote fire spread, contributing to a positive grass–fire feedback cycle that affects most sagebrush ecosystems, with expected habitat loss for resident wildlife populations. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus Bonaparte, 1827) are sagebrush obligate species that are indicators of sagebrush ecosystem function because they rely on different components of sagebrush ecosystems to meet seasonal life history needs. Because wildfire cannot be predicted, chronic impacts of wildfire on sage-grouse populations have been largely limited to correlative studies. Thus, evidence from well-designed experiments is needed to understand the specific mechanisms by which wildfire is detrimental to sage-grouse population dynamics. Results Following a significant wildfire event in the southwest periphery of sage-grouse range, we implemented a before-after-control-impact study with long-term paired (BACIP) datasets of male sage-grouse surveyed from traditional breeding grounds (leks) within and outside the wildfire boundary. We estimated sage-grouse population rate of change in apparent abundance ($$ \hat{\uplambda} $$ λ ̂ ) at burned and unburned areas before and after wildfire and derived BACIP ratios, which provide controlled evidence of wildfire impact. We found that $$ \hat{\uplambda} $$ λ ̂ at leks within the wildfire boundary decreased approximately 16% relative to leks at control sites. Furthermore, we estimated a 98.5% probability that the observed change in $$ \hat{\uplambda} $$ λ ̂ could be attributed to the wildfire. Conclusions We demonstrated adverse wildfire impacts on sage-grouse population growth using an experimental BACIP design, which disentangled the effect of wildfire disturbance from natural population fluctuations. Our results underscore the importance of active and comprehensive management actions immediately following wildfire (i.e., seeding coupled with planting sagebrush), that might offset short-term impacts of wildfire by timing rapid recovery of sagebrush to meet short-term species’ habitat requirements. Burned leks likely have substantial immediate impacts that may extend beyond wildfire boundaries, especially if critical source habitats are removed. Such impacts could fragment habitat and disrupt connectivity, thereby affecting larger populations and possibly contributing to more widespread declines in sage-grouse populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse

et al. 2021

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“…Our third distance measure described the spatial arrangement of different seasonal ranges (Connelly et al ) by estimating the distance a grouse moved between seasonal centers within a year. We used the median center tool in ArcGIS (version 10.5.1, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA, USA) to identify seasonal central tendency locations, and then measured the Euclidean distance between each consecutive seasonal center for each individual (Beck et al , Fedy et al , Davis et al ). We averaged these distances annually for each grouse and subsequently used them in models.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instances in which individual transmitters stopped emitting signals before a mortality was documented (e.g., malfunction, low battery life, or inaudible transmitter), we right censored data to their last known location. We separated each year into 4 seasons: spring (Mar–May), summer (Jun–Aug), fall (Sep–Nov), and winter (Dec–Feb; Davis et al ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of post‐release movements on survival of translocated sage‐grouse

et al. 2019

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Translocation is a vital tool in conservation and recovery programs, and knowledge of factors that determine demographic rates of translocated organisms is important for assessing the efficacy of translocations. Greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have been the subject of recent translocation efforts because of their declining range and their usefulness as an umbrella species for conservation. Using a long‐term data set on sage‐grouse in central Washington, USA, we compared movement and demographic rates of translocated and resident birds. Because newly translocated birds experience physiological stress during translocation and are released in unfamiliar habitat, we hypothesized their demographic rates would differ from residents. We analyzed 18 years of radio‐tracking data acquired from resident, newly translocated (<1 yr post‐translocation; T1), and previously translocated (>1 yr post‐translocation; T2) sage‐grouse between 1989 and 2017 to estimate movement rates, survival, and productivity. Newly translocated sage‐grouse exhibited farther daily movements (0.58 km/day) and smaller 95% home ranges (89 km2) than residents and previously translocated birds. Daily movements and sex influenced survival, but survival did not differ according to residency status. Furthermore, birds that survived to a second year after translocation exhibited shorter daily movements compared to their first year (trueβˆ = −0.727 ± 0.157 [SE]), which corresponded with increased survival the second year (T1 = 0.526, T2 = 0.610). This decrease in movements and increase in survival the second year was not apparent in the control group of resident birds, indicating a possible behavioral link to survival of newly translocated sage‐grouse. Most productivity metrics were similar for translocated and resident birds, except for nest propensity (i.e., nest initiation rate), which was lower for newly translocated birds (35%) compared to residents and previously translocated birds. Our results reveal that translocated sage‐grouse exhibit temporary differences in some demographic parameters in their first year, which later align with those of resident birds in subsequent years. Similarities in adult and nest survival according to residency status further suggest that translocation may prove to be a viable tool for restoring and conserving this species. Continued declines in sage‐grouse populations in Washington, however, indicate that habitat conversion and fragmentation may be reducing demographic rates of residents and translocated birds, which warrants further study. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

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“…Having knowledge of animal use of space can help us to better understand key ecological and evolutionary processes (Naef-Denzer 1994), as well as identify habitat requirements for conservation planning and management (Davis et al 2014). Animal movements can be influenced by many factors such as topography (Westcott 1994), food distribution (Pyke 1984), competition (MacArthur & Levins 1964, predation (Jefferies & Lawton 1984;Suhonen et al 1994), mate availability (Bradbury & Gibson 1983), among others.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

White‐crowned Manakin (Dixiphia Pipra) Use of Space in the Ecuadorian Amazon

et al. 2016

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∙ Animal patterns of space use have fundamental consequences for ecological processes such as animal‐ mediated seed dispersal. This study examines the use of space of an understory frugivore: the White‐crowned Manakin (Dixiphia pipra) during the non‐breeding season at Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador. We radio‐tracked seven individuals of different sexes and ages. We found that White‐crowned Manakins have relatively small home ranges varying from 1.19 to 5.73 ha. The home ranges of male juveniles (2.25 ± 0.62 SE) were larger than that of the adult males (1.20 ± 0.01 SE), but smaller than those of females (4.27 ± 0.77 SE). Females and second‐year males were found to perform more long distance flights outside their core home range than hatch‐year or adult males. These movement differences suggest that they disperse seeds longer distances and more evenly across their home range. Adult and hatch‐year males appear to perform more short distance seed dispersal events. We argue that these contributions are complementary, and that White‐crowned Manakins are key dispersal agents that have a significantly influence in the structure and composition of understory plant communities in the Amazon rainforest.Resumen ∙ Uso de espacio del Saltarín Coroniblanco (Dixiphia pipra) en la Amazonía Ecuatoriana Los patrones de uso espacial utilizados por animales tienen consecuencias fundamentales en procesos ecológicos, tales como la dispersión de semillas. Este estudio examina el uso espacial de una especie frugívora de sotobosque: el Saltarín Coroniblanco (Dixiphia pipra) durante el ciclo no‐reproductivo en la Estación de Biodiversidad de Tiputini en Ecuador. Seguimos por radio telemetría a siete individuos de diferentes sexos y edades. Encontramos que el Saltarín Coroniblanco tiene un rango de hogar relativamente pequeño, variando entre 1,19 a 5,73 ha. El rango de hogar de los machos juveniles (2,25 ± 0,62 EE) es más grande que el de los machos adultos (1,20 ± 0,01 EE), pero más pequeño que el de las hembras (4,27 ± 0,77 EE). El estudio encontró que las hembras y los machos de segundo año realizaron vuelos más largos fuera del núcleo de su rango de hogar, comparado con machos juveniles del año o machos adultos. Estas diferencias sugieren que podrían dispersar semillas a mayores distancias y de manera más homogénea a lo largo de su rango de hogar. Los machos adultos y los juveniles del año parecen llevar a cabo eventos de dispersión de semillas a distancias más cortas. Nosotros argumentamos que estas contribuciones son complementarias y que los Saltarines Coroniblancos son agentes de dispersión claves, influenciando considerablemente la estructura y la composición de las comunidades de plantas del sotobosque en el bosque tropical lluvioso de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana.

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Diurnal space use and seasonal movement patterns of greater sage-grouse in Northeastern California

Cited by 6 publications

References 36 publications

Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse

Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse

Effects of post‐release movements on survival of translocated sage‐grouse

White‐crowned Manakin (Dixiphia Pipra) Use of Space in the Ecuadorian Amazon

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