Experimental Removal of Strong and Weak Predators: Mice and Chipmunks Preying on Songbird Nests

Schmidt, Kenneth A.; Goheen, Jacob R.; Naumann, Robert K.; Ostfeld, Richard S.; Schauber, Eric M.; Berkowitz, Alan

doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2001)082[2927:erosaw]2.0.co;2

Cited by 57 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…First, we might have missed an important dilution host. Second, given that summer densities of mice and ground-nesting birds are inversely correlated because of strong predation by mice on nests (35,36), birds may feed a larger proportion of the ticks at low mouse densities than is indicated in our model, resulting in lower NIP. Third, the deterministic nature of our model excludes the possibility that aggregated distributions of ticks on host individuals would reduce NIP faster than our model predicts.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

The ecology of infectious disease: Effects of host diversity and community composition on Lyme disease risk

LoGiudice

Ostfeld²,

Schmidt³

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

983

979

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The extent to which the biodiversity and community composition of ecosystems affect their functions is an issue that grows ever more compelling as human impacts on ecosystems increase. We present evidence that supports a novel function of vertebrate biodiversity, the buffering of human risk of exposure to Lymedisease-bearing ticks. We tested the Dilution Effect model, which predicts that high species diversity in the community of tick hosts reduces vector infection prevalence by diluting the effects of the most competent disease reservoir, the ubiquitous white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus). As habitats are degraded by fragmentation or other anthropogenic forces, some members of the host community disappear. Thus, species-poor communities tend to have mice, but few other hosts, whereas species-rich communities have mice, plus many other potential hosts. We demonstrate that the most common nonmouse hosts are relatively poor reservoirs for the Lyme spirochete and should reduce the prevalence of the disease by feeding, but rarely infecting, ticks. By accounting for nearly every host species' contribution to the number of larval ticks fed and infected, we show that as new host species are added to a depauperate community, the nymphal infection prevalence, a key risk factor, declines. We identify important ''dilution hosts'' (e.g., squirrels), characterized by high tick burdens, low reservoir competence, and high population density, as well as ''rescue hosts'' (e.g., shrews), which are capable of maintaining high disease risk when mouse density is low. Our study suggests that the preservation of vertebrate biodiversity and community composition can reduce the incidence of Lyme disease.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

The ecology of infectious disease: Effects of host diversity and community composition on Lyme disease risk

LoGiudice

Ostfeld²,

Schmidt³

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

983

979

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show abstract

“…In conclusion, the relationships between spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability in mouse abundance/activity and nest predation on veeries suggest that inferences regarding the importance of mice as nest predators from artificial nest studies (Schmidt et al 2001b;Schmidt and Ostfeld 2003b) were warranted. At the same time, the presence of spatial heterogeneity in mouse activity and mouse-free space provides veeries a means to potentially avoid their nest predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Spatial heterogeneity in predator activity, nest survivorship, and nest-site selection in two forest thrushes

2006

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The ability of prey to find and use predator-free space has far-reaching consequences for their persistence and interactions with their predators. We tested whether nest survivorship of the ground-nesting veery (Catharus fuscescens) and shrub-nesting wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) was related to the local absence of a major nest predator, the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus). Mouse-free space was defined by trap stations that failed to trap a mouse during the avian breeding season (approximately May through July). In addition, mouse activity was quantified at individual trap stations based on the number of captures during the same period (six 2.25-ha trapping grids, each containing 121 trap stations trapped repeatedly throughout the summer between 1998 and 2002.) Annual mouse-free space was correlated with other measures of mouse activity based on trapping data. Both mouse-free space and activity metrics were significantly related to annual rates of nest predation (i.e., nest daily mortality rate) in veery but not wood thrush. Likewise, mouse-free space and mouse activity within the nest neighborhood (approximately 30x30 m2 surrounding each nest) was significantly related to nest survivorship in veery but not wood thrush. More trap stations had consistently greater (hotspots) and lesser (coldspots) mouse activity than expected by chance, and veeries were significantly more likely to nest near stations that had below the grid-average trapping success. Our study thus documented significant spatial variability in predator activity and its relationship to nest predation and nest-site selection in a ground-nesting songbird.

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“…A number of experimental field studies using natural and artificial nests reveal that mice and chipmunks are common predators on songbird eggs and nestlings (Maxson and Oring 1978;Guillory 1987;Haskell 1995;Hanski et al 1996;Ketterson et al 1996;Hannon and Cotterill 1998;Schmidt et al 2001). For at least two ground-nesting species (dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) and wood warblers (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)), summer densities are significantly negatively correlated with those of mouse predators (Ketterson et al 1996;Jdrzejewska and Jdrzejewski 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the role of songbirds and rodents in the ecology of Lyme disease

Giardina¹,

Schmidt²,

Schauber³

et al. 2000

Can. J. Zool.

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Small rodents such as the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) efficiently transmit Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, to feeding ticks, whereas other hosts of ticks are less efficient reservoirs of B. burgdorferi. We examined the roles of ground-foraging and groundnesting songbirds as alternative hosts for ticks, focusing on their potential to dilute the infection prevalence of ticks (Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged tick) with B. burgdorferi. We developed a mathematical model based on the relative use by ticks of rodent and bird hosts across varying host densities. We parameterized the model for sites in southeastern New York State using original data and for the northeastern United States using published values. Our results indicate that American robins (Turdus migratorius), ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapillus), veeries (Catharus fuscescens), and wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) have a low capacity to dilute the prevalence of tick infection, particularly when rodents are at moderate to high densities. We attribute this result to low use by ticks of birds and a low density of birds relative to that of rodents. Only when rodents constitute less than ca. 10-20% of the combined rodent and songbird host community are birds capable of substantially reducing the infection prevalence of ticks. In years or habitat types in which the density of rodents is low but that of ground-dwelling songbirds is high, the risk of human exposure to Lyme disease may reduced because birds dilute the infection prevalence of tick vectors.Résumé : Les petits rongeurs tels la Souris à pattes blanches (Peromyscus leucopus) et le Tamia rayé (Tamias striatus) assurent efficacement la transmission de Borrelia burgdorferi, l'agent étiologique de la maladie de Lyme, aux tiques hématophages, alors que d'autres hôtes des tiques sont des réservoirs moins efficaces de B. burgdorferi. Nous avons examiné le rôle des oiseaux passereaux qui s'alimentent et nichent au sol comme hôtes de rechange pour les tiques, portant une attention particulière à leur capacité de diluer la prévalence des borrélioses transmises par Ixodes scapularis. Nous avons conçu un modèle mathématique basé sur l'utilisation relative que les tiques font des rongeurs et des oiseaux comme hôtes à différentes densités d'hôtes. Nous avons déterminé les paramètres du modèle pour des endroits situés dans le sud-est de l'état de New-York à partir de données originales et à partir de données publiées pour les sites du nord-est des États-Unis. Nos résultats indiquent que le Merle d'Amérique (Turdus migratorius), la Paruline couronnée (Seiurus aurocapillus), la Grive fauve (Catharus fuscescens) et la Grive des bois (Hylocichla mustelina) ont un faible potentiel de dilution de la prévalence des infections de tiques, particulièrement lorsque les rongeurs sont présents à des densités moyennes ou fortes. Nous attribuons ce résultat au faible taux d'utilisation des oiseaux comme hôtes par les tiques et à la faible...

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Experimental Removal of Strong and Weak Predators: Mice and Chipmunks Preying on Songbird Nests

Cited by 57 publications

References 35 publications

The ecology of infectious disease: Effects of host diversity and community composition on Lyme disease risk

The ecology of infectious disease: Effects of host diversity and community composition on Lyme disease risk

Spatial heterogeneity in predator activity, nest survivorship, and nest-site selection in two forest thrushes

Modeling the role of songbirds and rodents in the ecology of Lyme disease

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