No overall benefit of predator exclosure cages for the endangered <scp>S</scp>t. <scp>H</scp>elena <scp>P</scp>lover <i><scp>C</scp>haradrius sanctaehelenae</i>

Burns, Fiona; McCulloch, Neil; Székely, Tamás; Bolton, Mark

doi:10.1111/ibi.12021

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In addition to climate, living on an island may also increase the annual survival of the Malagasy species, as has been shown in other studies (Beauchamp 2021). Indeed, a remote island species, the Saint Helena plover C. sanctaehelenae, a close relative of the Kittlitz's plover, has relatively high rates of adult survival (φ = 0.83); despite its small body size and in the face of declines due to invasive predators (Burns et al 2013). However, with an area of 587 041 km 2 and a diverse guild of native and introduced predators (Madagascar harrier Circus macroceles, peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus, feral cat Felis catus and Dumeril's boa Acrantophis dumerili) (Zefania, pers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Exceptionally high apparent adult survival in three tropical species of plovers in Madagascar

Jones

Eberhart‐Hertel

Freckleton

et al. 2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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Adult survival is a key component of population dynamics, and understanding variation in and the drivers of adult survival rates and longevity is critical for ecological and evolutionary studies, as well as for conservation biology and practice. Tropical species of landbirds are often selected to have higher adult survival due to high nest predation rates, but it is unclear if the same patterns occur in other avian lineages with different life history strategies. Here, we investigate adult survival of three sympatrically breeding species of shorebirds in south-west Madagascar: the endemic and endangered Madagascar plover Charadrius thoracicus and two more widely distributed African species: the white-fronted plover C. marginatus and the Kittlitz's plover C. pecuarius. Using mark-recapture data from 1843 individuals breeding at an intensely monitored saltmarsh over a 13-year period, we estimated annual rates of apparent survival (φ) corrected for encounter probability. Adult apparent survival rates were high for all three species (mean ± SE): Madagascar (φ = 0.899 ± 0.010) and whitefronted plovers (φ = 0.923 ± 0.008). Kittlitz's plovers showed a difference between the first (φ 1 = 0.719 ± 0.026) and subsequent transitions (φ 2+ = 0.892 ± 0.014), suggesting that transient breeders are common in this species. For birds first captured as adults, these survival estimates translate to life expectancies of 9.72 (±1.11) years in Kittlitz's plovers, 9.36 (±0.98) years in Madagascar plovers and 12.48 (±1.32) in white-fronted plovers. We hypothesise that a long lifespan could be an adaptation arising from the unique climatic pressures on the island of Madagascar that would otherwise lead to reduced fitness. However, long lifespans may not sufficiently compensate for a reduction in breeding opportunities due to possible climatic disruption in the future. Consequently, at least two of these plover species seem vulnerable to ongoing habitat destruction and changing climate cycles.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Exceptionally high apparent adult survival in three tropical species of plovers in Madagascar

Jones

Eberhart‐Hertel

Freckleton

et al. 2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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“…Comparing the annual productivity of St Helena Plovers at our four study sites (range: 0.0425–0.213 fledglings adult -1 year -1 ; additional information from Burns 2011) to the average annual adult mortality (0.171; Burns et al 2013) indicate that some populations are producing insufficient fledglings to counterbalance adult mortality, even before mortality in the first year post-fledging is taken into consideration. This variation between populations in their ability to offset adult mortality through production is largely due to differences in nest survival.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Indeed, several aspects of the species’ life history indicate that the St Helena Plover may exhibit greater resilience to introduced predators than other insular endemics. The annual survival rate of adult St Helena Plovers is high (Burns et al 2013) and therefore predation is likely to primarily influence productivity. The plovers breed throughout the year, however (McCulloch and Norris 2001), and therefore may re-nest many times following both breeding failure and success.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of introduced predators on an island endemic, the St Helena Plover, Charadrius sanctaehelenae

Burns

McCulloch

Székely

et al. 2013

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryWe investigated the impact of introduced predators on the productivity of the St Helena Plover Charadrius sanctaehelenae, a shorebird endemic to the South Atlantic island of St Helena. The nest predator species identified have all been introduced to St Helena in the last 510 years, and all are species that are known to be invasive on other islands. The species responsible for taking the largest proportion of eggs was the domestic cat Felis catus, with rats (Rattus rattus or R. norvegicus) and Common Myna Acridotheres tristis taking smaller proportions. Nest survival varied spatially and was correlated with an index of cat density. No relationship was observed between the number of nesting attempts per pair in a year and predator density. The resulting estimates of productivity were insufficient in some areas to allow stable populations to persist locally. Future work should focus on assessing the population level impacts of current and reduced predator densities to St Helena Plovers, and understanding the influence of resource availability and habitat structure on the densities and impacts of predators.

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“…Birds of known sex make up only a subset of birds ringed (around 60% of ringed adults are of known sex). Equivalent values for the full dataset, including unsexed birds, give annual U A = 0.829 (0.748-0.887) and fledging to 1-year U J = 0.471 (0.325-0.606) (Burns et al 2013b). Burnham and Anderson (2002) suggest that models within two AIC units of the minimum should be considered for model averaging.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in incubation behaviour but not mortality risk in a threatened shorebird

Burns

McCulloch

Remedios

et al. 2013

Ibis

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Sex-related variation in survival is common in birds and, as it influences effective population size and population growth, is important for conservation and species management. Here we assessed incubation behaviour and sex-related survival in a threatened sexually monomorphic shorebird, the St Helena Plover Charadrius sanctaehelenae. Males incubated at night, the period of highest activity of cats, which are likely to be predators of breeding birds. In spite of behavioural differences between the sexes, adult survival was not significantly different between males and females, suggesting that sex-biased behaviour need not lead to sex-related survival, and thus behavioural differences may not impact upon the adult sex ratio.

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No overall benefit of predator exclosure cages for the endangered St. Helena Plover Charadrius sanctaehelenae

Cited by 9 publications

References 13 publications

Exceptionally high apparent adult survival in three tropical species of plovers in Madagascar

Exceptionally high apparent adult survival in three tropical species of plovers in Madagascar

The impact of introduced predators on an island endemic, the St Helena Plover, Charadrius sanctaehelenae

Sex differences in incubation behaviour but not mortality risk in a threatened shorebird

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