Fire Ants, Cattle Grazing, and the Endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow

Schrott, Gregory R.; Bowman, Reed

doi:10.1656/058.009.0203

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Direct com parisons with more pristine habitats are limited by both a paucity of published reports and by differences in sampling methodology. Mound densities in this study were comparable to those of a longleaf pine savanna of Georgia (<50 mounds ha-1 , Stuble et al 2011), greater than those reported for historically grazed, dry prairies in Florida (means of 4.5 and 11.9 mounds ha-1; Tucker et al 2010), and less than den sities reported for Texas coastal prairie (mean of 208.5 mounds ha-1; Forbes et al 2000) and Texas blackland prairies (200-300 mounds ha-1, Morris and Steigman 1993;400 mounds ha^1 in "prime habitat," Porter et al 1988). Monogyne colonies inhabited the pine savanna (Stuble et al 2011), and polygyne colonies inhabited the blackland prairies (Morris andSteigman 1993, Porter et al 1988).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…Dur ing June and July 2010, line transects and distance sampling were used to estimate mound density of active colonies. Distance sampling has been effective in estimating colony density in areas of dense ground cover (Forbes et al 2000, Tucker et al 2010. Each site was divided into four quadrants (intersecting at the center) using topographic software (3D TopoQuads Copyright 1999, DeLorme, Yarmouth, ME).…”

Section: Materials Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These intact habitats support native communities and have both structural and functional complexity. S. invicta has become established in lon gleaf pine savannas (Colby 2002, Lubertazzi and Tschinkel 2003, Stuble et al 2009, King and Tschinkel 2013, prairies (Morris and Steigman 1993, Forbes et al 2000, Tucker et al 2010, and semiarid mesquite savanna (LeBrun et al 2012) in the United States. The only strict limitation for colony establishment may be aridity (Hung and Vinson 1978) or the presence of a closed canopy Porter 2007, Plowes et al 2007), yet fire ants can forage in closed canopy forests , Ness 2004.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Abundance and Distribution of the Invasive Ant,Solenopsis invicta(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in Cypress Savannas of North Carolina

Kelly

Sellers

2014

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ecological effects of invasive ants on ecosystems will depend largely on ant abundance. Cypress savannas of the southeastern United States have high conservation worth, supporting diverse and rare assemblages of species. Distance sampling was used to determine the abundance and distribution of colonies of the invasive ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, in cypress savannas of two Carolina bays. Colonies were distributed throughout the savannas, save for areas of dense tree or shrub cover. Colony densities were much less than those reported for disturbed habitats and were similar between bays. Free-standing mounds were more common in the historically less flooded bay, and they had significantly greater volume and colony biomass as compared with these mounds in the other bay. Unlike previous studies, reporting only monogyne colonies for intact habitats of the southeast, both monogyne and polygyne colonies were present in the cypress savannas; <60% of the colonies were monogyne. Cypress savannas join a growing list of habitats, having wet sandy or loamy soils and little canopy, that have become invaded by S. invicta in the absence of anthropogenic soil disturbances. Cypress savannas resemble invaded longleaf pine savannas in vegetation physiognomy, history of fire, and dense herbaceous ground cover. While fires are critical for biodiversity, the resulting dense herbaceous ground cover may favor S. invicta. As generalist consumers and likely the most abundant ant species in these habitats, S. invicta could have important direct and indirect effects on the native communities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Materials Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Abundance and Distribution of the Invasive Ant,Solenopsis invicta(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in Cypress Savannas of North Carolina

Kelly

Sellers

2014

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although factors responsible for the decline of the APAFR population are not fully understood, land managers at APAFR began several restoration activities in 2004 that included removal of trees encroaching into dry prairie habitat, removal of pine plantations, and implementation of lightning‐season (i.e., summer) fires. Although direct evidence is lacking, anecdotal information suggests that cattle grazing probably negatively affects FGSPs (Pranty and Tucker 2006, Tucker et al 2010). In addition, the primary difference in management strategies at APAFR, KPPSP, and TLWMA is a longer history of lightning‐season fires and exclusion of cattle at KPPSP and TLWMA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metapopulation structure, population trends, and status of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows

Tucker

Schrott

Delany

et al. 2010

Journal of Field Ornithology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

P < 0.001). Estos patrones sugieren que existe una metapoblación de A. s. floridanus cual consiste de tres poblaciones distintas (APAFR, KPPSP, y TLWMA), y que las agregaciones espacialmente distintas en APAFR constituyen una población cual utiliza diferentes parches de hábitat. La población en APAFR esta bajo riesgo de extirpación, y se necesita de acción inmediata para recuperarla. Tomando en cuenta las dinámicas metapoblaciones mas amplias será util para guiar los esfuerzos de manejo enfocados en la conservación de A. s. floridanus en el paisaje del centro de la Florida.

show abstract

“…There are also at least two records of nests that were likely predated by red imported fire ants ( Solenopsis invicta , hereafter, fire ants; Tucker et al. ). Bachman's Sparrows ( Peucaea aestivalis ) are another ground‐nesting songbird with declining populations (Dunning et al.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exclosure fences around nests of imperiled Florida Grasshopper Sparrows reduce rates of predation by mammals

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing nest survival by excluding predators is a goal of many bird conservation programs. However, new exclosure projects should be carefully evaluated to assess the potential risks of disturbance. We tested the effectiveness of predator exclosure fences (hereafter, fences) for nests of critically endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) at a dry prairie site (Three Lakes; 2015-2018) and a pasture site (the Ranch;-2016 in Osceola County, Florida, USA. We installed fences at nests an average of 8 days after the start of incubation, and nest abandonment after fence installation was rare (2 of 149 installations). Predation was the leading cause of failure for unfenced nests at both sites (48-73%). At Three Lakes, nest cameras revealed that mammals and snakes were responsible for 61.5% and 38.5% of predation events, respectively, at unfenced nests. Fences reduced the daily probability of predation (0.016 for fenced nests vs. 0.074 for unfenced nests). The probability that a fenced nest would survive from discovery to fledging was more than double that of unfenced nests (60.4% vs. 27.7%). However, we found no difference in daily nest survival at the Ranch between the year before nests were fenced (2015; 0.874) and the year when all but one nest were fenced (2016; 0.867) because red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) were responsible for 86% of predation events at fenced nests at the Ranch. The use of cameras at fenced nests revealed that site-specific differences in nest predators explained variation in fence efficiency between sites. Our fence design may be useful for other species of grassland birds, but site-specific predator communities and species-specific response of target bird species to fences should be assessed before installing fences at other sites. RESUMEN.Cercas de exclusi on alrededor de nidos de Ammodramus savannarum floridianus en riesgo disminuyen las tasas de depredaci on por mam ıferos Incrementar la supervivencia de los nidos mediante la exclusi on de depredadores es uno de los objetivos de muchos programas de conservaci on de aves. Sin embargo, nuevos proyectos de exclusi on deben ser evaluados cuidadosamente para determinar el riesgo potencial del disturbio. Evaluamos la efectividad de cercas excluyentes de depredadores (cercas de aqu ı en adelante) para nidos del cr ıticamente amenazado Ammodramus savannarum floridianus en un sitio de pradera seca (Three Lakes; 2019-2018) y un sitio de potrero (the Ranch; 2015-2016) en el condado de Osceola, Florida, USA. Instalamos cercas en los nidos en promedio ocho d ıas despu es del inicio de la incubaci on y el abandono del nido despu es de la instalaci on del acerca fue raro (2 de 149 instalaciones). Depredaci on fue la causa principal de fracaso de los nidos sin cercas en los dos sitios (60.4% vs. 27.7%). Sin embargo, no encontramos diferencias en la supervivencia diaria de los nidos en "the Ranch" entre los años anteriores a la instalaci on de las cercas (2016; 0.874) y el año en el que todos los nidos excepto...

show abstract

Fire Ants, Cattle Grazing, and the Endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow

Cited by 11 publications

References 26 publications

Abundance and Distribution of the Invasive Ant,Solenopsis invicta(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in Cypress Savannas of North Carolina

Abundance and Distribution of the Invasive Ant,Solenopsis invicta(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in Cypress Savannas of North Carolina

Metapopulation structure, population trends, and status of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows

Exclosure fences around nests of imperiled Florida Grasshopper Sparrows reduce rates of predation by mammals

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About