Local Weather, Regional Climate, and Annual Survival of The Northern Spotted Owl

Glenn, Elizabeth M.; Anthony, Robert G.; Forsman, Eric D.; Olson, Gail S.

doi:10.1525/cond.2011.100118

Cited by 22 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The meta-analysis of survival suggested that regional climate cycles were strongly associated with apparent survival across all study areas, consistent with previous findings for Northern Spotted Owls (Forsman et al 2011) Millon et al 2014). We observed higher survival rates when winters were warm (positive association with PDO) and dry (negative association with SOI), rather than higher survival when conditions were warm (positive association with PDO) and wet (positive association with SOI) as observed in a meta-analysis of 6 Northern Spotted Owl study areas by Glenn et al (2011a). Regional climate cycles have been associated with vital rates for other birds (e.g., Wright et al 1999, Sillett et al 2000, LaManna et al 2012, Wolfe et al 2015, including other raptors (e.g., Franke et al 2011, Jonker et al 2014), but in most cases a clear understanding of the environmental change that climatic cycles represent (i.e.…”

Section: Habitatsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…These variables included measures of seasonal and annual weather, as well as long-term climatic conditions. Specific covariates included total precipitation and mean minimum temperature during various life-history stages, the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO; Franklin et al 2000, Seamans et al 2002, Glenn 2010, 2011a, 2011b, Forsman et al 2011. Mean temperature and precipitation data were obtained from PRISM (Parameter Elevated Regression on Independent Slope Models) maps of each study area (PRISM Climate Group, http://prism.…”

Section: Development Of Covariatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(3) Weather and climate: At the local climate scale, previous research has documented negative relationships between cold, wet weather in winter or early spring and fecundity and survival of Spotted Owls (Franklin et al 2000, Forsman et al 2011). On a regional scale, large-scale climate indices, such as the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), also have been correlated with Spotted Owl demographic rates (Glenn et al 2010, 2011a, 2011b, Forsman et al 2011. With a few exceptions at the northern end of the Spotted Owl's distribution, these large-scale relationships have suggested the positive effect of wetter growing seasons (PDSI) or cooler, wetter winters (SOI, PDO) on demographic rates, probably as an index to overall productivity and prey population cycles in the system (Glenn et al 2010, 2011a, 2011b, Forsman et al 2011.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Condor

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Section: Habitatsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Development Of Covariatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Condor

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“…, Glenn et al . ). It is therefore critical to take into account the impacts of winter conditions to evaluate the fate of bird populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Tawny Owl Strix aluco as an indicator of Barn Owl Tyto alba breeding biology and the effect of winter severity on Barn Owl reproduction

Chausson

Henry

Ducret³

et al. 2014

Ibis

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In the temperate zone, food availability and winter weather place serious constraints on European Barn Owl Tyto alba populations. Using data collected over 22 years in a Swiss population, we analysed the influence of early pre-breeding food conditions and winter severity on between-year variations in population size and reproductive performance. To estimate pre-breeding food conditions, we attempted a novel approach based on an index that combines Tawny Owl Strix aluco reproductive parameters and the occurrence of wood mice Apodemus sp. in their diet. Tawny Owls breed earlier in the season than Barn Owls and are strongly dependent on the abundance of wood mice for breeding. This index was strongly positively associated with the number of breeding pairs and early breeding in the Barn Owl. Winter severity, measured by snow cover and low temperatures, had a pronounced negative influence on the size of the breeding population and clutch size. Food conditions early in the breeding season and winter severity differentially affect the Barn Owl life cycle. We were able to use aspects of the ecology and demography of the Tawny Owl as an indicator of the quality of the environment for a related species of similar ecology, in this case the Barn Owl.A major goal for ecologists is to monitor population trends and make predictions about them. This is not an easy exercise because it not only requires a precise knowledge of ecological factors that are responsible for population size fluctuations but also the ability to measure these factors reliably. Given the complexity of ecosystems and the need to distinguish changes due to anthropogenic activities from those caused by natural processes (Magurran et al. 2010), we need to derive integrative measures of the factors that influence the population dynamics of the species of interest. The difficulties in monitoring some ecological factors known to drive population size variation may require consideration of surrogate measures. This approach may be particularly fruitful in ornithology when, for instance, the aim is to identify the determinant role of food supply on reproductive parameters. In many species, such as passerines and raptors, measuring the availability of caterpillars or rodents is time-consuming and technically difficult when applied at a large scale and over many years.To address these problems, we tested the ecological correlates of reproductive success and population dynamics of one bird species using as a proxy the reproductive parameters of a second species that is highly sensitive to certain ecological factors. Specifically, our aim was to investigate the role played by food supply early in the season on the breeding performance of Western Barn Owls Tyto alba. This species shows pronounced inter-annual variation in population size (Taylor 1994) but the extent to which pre-breeding food conditions account for these inter-annual variations is unclear,

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“…Inclement weather on the breeding grounds may also reduce breeding success (Steenhof et al 1997, Wellicome 2000, thereby increasing subsequent breeding dispersal (Catlin and Rosenberg 2006)-which, in turn, can reduce estimated apparent survival. The majority of research linking winter weather (e.g., storm events, precipitation, and temperature) and climate (e.g., El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadel Oscillation) to annual survival has been conducted on nonmigratory birds (e.g., Northern Spotted Owl [Strix occidentalis caurina]; Seamans et al 2002, Glenn et al 2011), but evidence is accumulating that weather on the wintering grounds also influences annual survival in migratory species (Sillett et al 2000, Nevoux et al 2007, Macías-Duarte and Panjabi 2013. The influence that weather conditions during migration have on adult apparent survival is not well established (but see Franke et al 2011, Klaassen et al 2014, despite evidence that storms contribute to mass avian mortality (Newton 2006(Newton , 2007 or cause individuals to be pushed off course so that they breed elsewhere (Lens 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%