Nesting songbirds assess spatial heterogeneity of predatory chipmunks by eavesdropping on their vocalizations

Emmering, Quinn C.; Schmidt, Kenneth A.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01869.x

Cited by 67 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Site familiarity, private information (i.e., information from previous breeding experience; Piper 2011), information on predator activity (Emmering and Schmidt 2011), natal habitat preference (Davis and Stamps 2004), social information (Danchin et al 2004, Pa¨rt et al 2011), or PLATE 1. A color-banded male Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) delivering food to the nest.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental evidence for an ideal free distribution in a breeding population of a territorial songbird

Haché¹,

Villard²,

Bayne³

2013

Ecology

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Abstract. According to the ideal despotic distribution (IDD), dominant individuals gain a fitness advantage by acquiring territories that are of higher quality, thereby forcing other individuals into lower quality habitat. In contrast, the ideal free distribution (IFD) predicts that local density is a function of habitat quality, but that individuals achieve the same fitness in different habitat types as a result of density-dependent variation in territory size. Although the IFD represents an alternative, population dynamics of territorial species are generally expected to be driven by an IDD. We tested the predictions of IFD and IDD by monitoring the demographic response of the Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) to selection harvesting (30-40% tree removal) during the first five years postharvest in five pairs of 25-ha study plots, each comprising a control (undisturbed) and a treatment (harvested plot). In the first year following harvesting, Ovenbird territory size increased in treatment plots relative to controls, whereas density, productivity per unit area, and the abundance of litter invertebrates decreased. Treatment effects declined consistently as stands regenerated, and most effects were no longer significant by the fifth year postharvest. However, there was no treatment effect on daily nest survival rate nor on per capita productivity. These results are consistent with the IFD, whereby similar per capita productivity is achieved across habitat types through density adjustments facilitated by changes in territory size. To our knowledge, this is the first study providing evidence for an IFD in a territorial bird species.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental evidence for an ideal free distribution in a breeding population of a territorial songbird

Haché¹,

Villard²,

Bayne³

2013

Ecology

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“…Thus even small increases in nest predator populations, mediated by small increases in woody cover, have detrimental and lasting impacts on pheasant populations. Improving nest success requires reducing nest predator populations [110], [111], potentially by removing trees, or reducing nest predator efficacy [112]. Indeed, the latter possibility likely underlies the positive impact of small grains in the landscape, which increase predator search area and likely nest dispersion, both of which reduce the positive feedback-loop inherent in predator search effort [113].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Landscape Constraints on Species Abundance: Does the Neighborhood Limit Species Response to Local Habitat Conservation Programs?

et al. 2014

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Landscapes in agricultural systems continue to undergo significant change, and the loss of biodiversity is an ever-increasing threat. Although habitat restoration is beneficial, management actions do not always result in the desired outcome. Managers must understand why management actions fail; yet, past studies have focused on assessing habitat attributes at a single spatial scale, and often fail to consider the importance of ecological mechanisms that act across spatial scales. We located survey sites across southern Nebraska, USA and conducted point counts to estimate Ring-necked Pheasant abundance, an economically important species to the region, while simultaneously quantifying landscape effects using a geographic information system. To identify suitable areas for allocating limited management resources, we assessed land cover relationships to our counts using a Bayesian binomial-Poisson hierarchical model to construct predictive Species Distribution Models of relative abundance. Our results indicated that landscape scale land cover variables severely constrained or, alternatively, facilitated the positive effects of local land management for Ring-necked Pheasants.

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“…Density-dependent nest predation could arise from either functional or numeric responses of nest predators to increasing prey density (Holling 1959) or from a form of site dependence in which areas with lower nest predation risk are preferentially occupied (Rodenhouse et al 2003; Emmering and Schmidt 2011). This latter mechanism could arise if warblers can accurately assess spatial variation in nest predation risk, but testing this hypothesis is difficult because the probability of nest predation risk may shift spatially between years so particular territories may not consistently be favored.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Partitioning the sources of demographic variation reveals density‐dependent nest predation in an island bird population

Sofaer

Sillett

Langin

et al. 2014

Ecology and Evolution

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Ecological factors often shape demography through multiple mechanisms, making it difficult to identify the sources of demographic variation. In particular, conspecific density can influence both the strength of competition and the predation rate, but density-dependent competition has received more attention, particularly among terrestrial vertebrates and in island populations. A better understanding of how both competition and predation contribute to density-dependent variation in fecundity can be gained by partitioning the effects of density on offspring number from its effects on reproductive failure, while also evaluating how biotic and abiotic factors jointly shape demography. We examined the effects of population density and precipitation on fecundity, nest survival, and adult survival in an insular population of orange-crowned warblers (Oreothlypis celata) that breeds at high densities and exhibits a suite of traits suggesting strong intraspecific competition. Breeding density had a negative influence on fecundity, but it acted by increasing the probability of reproductive failure through nest predation, rather than through competition, which was predicted to reduce the number of offspring produced by successful individuals. Our results demonstrate that density-dependent nest predation can underlie the relationship between population density and fecundity even in a high-density, insular population where intraspecific competition should be strong.

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Nesting songbirds assess spatial heterogeneity of predatory chipmunks by eavesdropping on their vocalizations

Cited by 67 publications

References 65 publications

Experimental evidence for an ideal free distribution in a breeding population of a territorial songbird

Experimental evidence for an ideal free distribution in a breeding population of a territorial songbird

Assessing Landscape Constraints on Species Abundance: Does the Neighborhood Limit Species Response to Local Habitat Conservation Programs?

Partitioning the sources of demographic variation reveals density‐dependent nest predation in an island bird population

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