Effects of agricultural lands on habitat selection and breeding success of American kestrels in a boreal context

Touihri, Moez; Séguy, Marion; Imbeau, Louis; Mazerolle, Marc J.; Bird, David M.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2018.11.017

Cited by 18 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This is similar to the relationship observed between body condition and dispersal distance in Spanish imperial eagles (Aquila adalberti) (Ferrer, 1993, Ferrer & Morandini, 2017 and Eurasian eagle owls (Bubo bubo) (del Mar Delgado et al, 2010), in which better nourished juveniles dispersed earlier and moved farther than poorly fed juveniles. Alternatively, areas with high percentage of agricultural land cover could attract high densities of nesting kestrels (Touihri et al, 2019), so individuals disperse from these areas to avoid competition, although we did not find correlation between relative population density and percentage of agricultural cover. Additionally, because there is evidence that dispersal distance is correlated with parental dispersal distance in kestrels (Steenhof & Heath, 2013), this pattern could arise because parents with greater dispersal ability select higher quality habitat than kestrels that disperse shorter distances.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

“…This pattern suggests that migration and dispersal distances may be positively correlated. Kestrels frequently nest near agricultural areas that are open landscapes suitable for hover hunting and have high abundances of prey species like small mammals and insects (Shave & Lindell, 2017;Smallwood, 1987;Smallwood, Winkler, Fowles, & Craddock, 2009;Touihri, Séguy, Imbeau, Mazerolle, & Bird, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long‐distance natal dispersal is relatively frequent and correlated with environmental factors in a widespread raptor

McCaslin

Caughlin

Heath

2020

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Dispersal is a critical process influencing population dynamics and responses to global change. Long‐distance dispersal (LDD) can be especially important for gene flow and adaptability, although little is known about the factors influencing LDD because studying large‐scale movements is challenging and LDD tends to be observed less frequently than shorter‐distance dispersal (SDD). We sought to understand patterns of natal dispersal at a large scale, specifically aiming to understand the relative frequency of LDD compared to SDD and correlates of dispersal distances. We used bird banding and encounter data for American kestrels (Falco sparverius) to investigate the effects of sex, migration strategy, population density, weather, year and agricultural land cover on LDD frequency, LDD distance and SDD distance in North America from 1961 to 2015. Nearly half of all natal dispersal (48.9%) was LDD (classified as >30 km), and the likelihood of LDD was positively associated with the proportion of agricultural land cover around natal sites. Correlates of distance differed between LDD and SDD movements. LDD distance was positively correlated with latitude, a proxy for migration strategy, suggesting that migratory individuals disperse farther than residents. Distance of LDD in males was positively associated with maximum summer temperature. We did not find sex‐bias or an effect of population density in LDD distance or frequency. Within SDD, females tended to disperse farther than males, and distance was positively correlated with density. Sampling affected all responses, likely because local studies more frequently capture SDD within study areas. Our findings that LDD occurs at a relatively high frequency and is related to different proximate factors from SDD, including a lack of sex‐bias in LDD, suggest that LDD may be more common than previously reported, and LDD and SDD may be distinct processes rather than two outcomes originating from a single dispersal distribution. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that LDD and SDD may be separate processes in an avian species, and suggests that environmental change may have different outcomes on the two processes.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐distance natal dispersal is relatively frequent and correlated with environmental factors in a widespread raptor

McCaslin

Caughlin

Heath

2020

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…Despite being lower than in traditional farming areas, breeding parameters of American kestrels in the intensive farmland were still good for the species 47 . However, if the tendency of turning pastures to soybean continue, kestrels breeding success in intensive farmland will probably get lower in the future 16 . As we expected, high temperatures during the nestling period and high levels of precipitation in the month when most nestlings hatch, which is the period most energetically demanding 71 , negatively affected productivity and breeding success of kestrels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weather and agricultural intensification determine the breeding performance of a small generalist predator

Orozco-Valor

Grande

2020

Sci Rep

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Land-use changes due to agricultural intensification and climatic factors can affect avian reproduction. We use a top predator of agroecosystems, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) breeding in nest boxes in Central Argentina as a study subject to identify if these two drivers interact to affect birds breeding. We analyzed their breeding performance across a gradient of agricultural intensification from native forest, traditional farmland to intensive farmland. The surface devoted to soybean was used as a proxy of agriculture intensification; however, it did not affect the breeding performance of American kestrels. Even though the presence of pastures was important to determine the probability of breeding successfully. Climatic variables had strong effects on the species breeding timing, on the number of nestlings raised by breeding pairs and on the probability of those pairs to breed successfully (raising at least one fledgling). Our results highlight the relevance of pastures and grasslands for American kestrel reproduction. These environments are the most affected by land-use change to intensive agriculture, being transformed into fully agricultural lands mostly devoted to soybean production. Therefore, future expansion of intensive agriculture may negatively affect the average reproductive parameters of American Kestrels, at least at a regional scale. Further research will be needed to disentangle the mechanisms by which weather variables affect kestrel breeding parameters.

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“…Understanding how species use their habitats is therefore helpful to orientate management and planning of protected areas [2]. Most studies on habitat utilization of terrestrial vertebrates have focused on mammals (e.g., [3]) and birds (e.g., [4]), with amphibians [5] and reptiles receiving less attention (e.g., [6]). In snakes, patterns of habitat use are most commonly interpreted through the lens of size-dependent trophic niche partitioning, i.e., ontogenetic differences in diet [7] or, sometimes, by variation in thermoregulatory strategies [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age-Dependent Utilization of Shelters and Habitat in Two Reptile Species with Contrasting Intraspecific Interactions

Kolanek

Bury

Turniak³

et al. 2019

Animals

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Simple SummaryIntraspecific interactions are known to affect habitat use in birds and mammals but their role in spatial ecology of reptiles is far less recognized. Our comparative study shows that species known to exhibit intraspecific predation (smooth snake Coronella austriaca) express clearly different patterns of habitat and shelter occupancy than a species with no such cannibalistic behavior (slow worm Anguis fragilis). Specifically, juvenile smooth snakes prefer sites and shelters not occupied by the adults, even despite suboptimal habitat conditions. We propose that such division indicates an avoidance of predation pressure set by larger individuals on the younger and smaller ones. On the contrary, in slow worms no tendency for intraspecific avoidance are observed, since specimens of different ages commonly share the same area and shelters. This points to higher flexibility in habitat use in slow worms, while the smooth snake population is spatially structured, with juveniles dispersed to the margins of the population range. For endangered smooth snakes, habitat conservation should therefore include a wide buffer zone to maintain the youngest fraction of the population. Future studies on habitat utilization in squamates needs to pay more attention to the social cues, a commonly overlooked aspect in the spatial ecology of reptiles.AbstractReptiles undergo worldwide decline driven mostly by habitat change. Detailed recognition of factors underlying spatial structure and habitat utilization is therefore a prerequisite of effective conservation of this group. While the body of data on spatial ecology of reptiles is rapidly growing, studies on social factors remain still underrepresented. We studied age-specific patterns of shelter use, range size, and habitat preferences in the context of intraspecific interactions in the smooth snake Coronella austriaca—known to exhibit intraspecific predation—and the limbless lizard slow worm Anguis fragilis—with no such behavior observed. Despite smaller availability of preferred microhabitats, juveniles of smooth snakes occupied habitat and shelters located at the edge of the population range that did not overlap with adults. No such pattern was observed in the slow worm. Our study indicates that intraspecific interactions affect the spatial ecology of squamates. Passive and active protection of habitat must include wide buffers to preserve the poorly detectable young fraction of the population.

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Effects of agricultural lands on habitat selection and breeding success of American kestrels in a boreal context

Cited by 18 publications

References 47 publications

Long‐distance natal dispersal is relatively frequent and correlated with environmental factors in a widespread raptor

Long‐distance natal dispersal is relatively frequent and correlated with environmental factors in a widespread raptor

Weather and agricultural intensification determine the breeding performance of a small generalist predator

Age-Dependent Utilization of Shelters and Habitat in Two Reptile Species with Contrasting Intraspecific Interactions

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