Tide and habitat features affect salt marsh songbird nest survival in northeast Florida, USA

Cox, W. Andrew; Schwarzer, Amy C.; Tornwall, Brett; Chicalo, Roxan

doi:10.3354/esr01021

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Despite numerous other responses to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in Seaside Sparrows and salt marsh ecosystems [ 8 , 14 , 29 , 31 , 32 , 40 , 65 ], our analyses revealed no definitive effects of marsh oiling on Seaside Sparrow daily nest survival rates in southeastern Louisiana in the 2 to 8 years following the DWH spill. Our daily nest survival estimates are low relative to other temperate passerines (e.g., [ 66 – 68 ]), but are within the range of other estimates for Seaside Sparrows [ 45 , 46 , 69 ]). Predation accounted for 91% of all known nest failures at our sites, in contrast to several studies on the Atlantic coast, where flooding is often the main cause of Seaside Sparrow nest failure [ 45 , 46 , 70 ] (but see also [ 71 , 72 ]).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Nest survival of Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

et al. 2021

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In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, damaging coastal ecosystems. Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima)—a year-round resident of Gulf Coast salt marshes—were exposed to oil, as shown by published isotopic and molecular analyses, but fitness consequences have not been clarified. We monitored nests around two bays in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, USA from 2012–2017 to assess possible impacts on the nesting biology of Seaside Sparrows. A majority of nests failed (76% of known-fate nests, N = 252 nests, 3521 exposure-days) during our study, and predation was the main cause of nest failure (~91% of failed nests). Logistic exposure analysis revealed that daily nest survival rate: (1) was greater at nests with denser vegetation at nest height, (2) was higher in the more sheltered bay we studied, (3) decreased over the course of the breeding season in each year, and (4) was not correlated with either sediment polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations or estimated predator abundance during the years for which we had those data. Although the Deepwater Horizon spill impacted other aspects of Seaside Sparrow ecology, we found no definitive effect of initial oiling or oiled sediment on nest survival during 2012–2017. Because predation was the overwhelming cause of nest failure in our study, additional work on these communities is needed to fully understand demographic and ecological impacts of storms, oil spills, other pollutants, and sea-level rise on Seaside Sparrows and their predators.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Nest survival of Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

et al. 2021

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“…While this type of vegetation and structure likely confers some fitness benefit to both species, it appears that other negative effects (e.g., high tide) may be swamping any gains from selecting these features. Although our previous data did not suggest a positive influence of tall cordgrass on daily survival of wren nests, daily nest survival was negatively correlated with the amount of needlerush at the nest and with the amount of needlerush and short cordgrass within 50 m of the nest (Cox et al 2020). Yet, none of these factors had the strongest influence on nest survival when compared to daily high tide height or nest site elevation (Cox et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…Although our previous data did not suggest a positive influence of tall cordgrass on daily survival of wren nests, daily nest survival was negatively correlated with the amount of needlerush at the nest and with the amount of needlerush and short cordgrass within 50 m of the nest (Cox et al 2020). Yet, none of these factors had the strongest influence on nest survival when compared to daily high tide height or nest site elevation (Cox et al 2020). Daily survival of sparrow nests was not associated with any of these habitat features, but there was no way to test the effect of needlerush because we did not find any sparrow nests in needlerush despite extensive searching.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…This may be an adaptation to avoid predation (Borgmann and Conway 2015) and possibly flooding. Our earlier work (Cox et al 2020) showed that both nest height and nest concealment did have a slight but positive effect on daily nest survival, but nest height was not significant for wren nest selection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…The effect of tides on this shift was less substantial than we had predicted, but their continued use of tall cordgrass along creek edges as they developed highlights the importance of this cover type. We were unable to incorporate needlerush into our analysis because too few birds nested in needlerush‐dominated areas, and those that did failed at higher rates (Cox et al 2020), which suggests that needlerush is not a preferred species of vegetation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat selection of nesting and fledgling salt marsh songbirds in northeast Florida

2022

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Understanding habitat selection by breeding birds and their newly fledged young can be an essential aspect of the conservation of vulnerable species. During 2015-2017, we examined nest site selection of Worthington's marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris griseus) and MacGillivray's seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima macgillivraii), and fledgling habitat use by Worthington's marsh wren, 2 imperiled species in northeast Florida, USA. We compared vegetation at unused points to vegetation at nests of both subspecies and at locations used by radio-tagged marsh wren fledglings. Vegetation was taller and stem counts were greater at nest sites compared to unused points. Worthington's marsh wrens also used nest sites with a greater proportion of tall-form smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) than was observed at unused points. Worthington's marsh wren fledglings also used locations with taller, denser vegetation, but vegetation use changed with fledgling age and tidal stage; older fledglings more frequently used areas with short-form smooth cordgrass and bare ground (and more so during low tides). In contrast, so few nests and nestlings were in black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus) that we could not consider it in our analysis despite its prevalence within our study sites. Our results indicate that tall, dense cordgrass is an important habitat component for these subspecies during the nesting and fledgling life stages in southeastern Atlantic salt marshes.

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Habitat edges influence the distribution of nest predators for Seaside Sparrows, but not nest placement or success

Newsome

Hunter

2022

Ornithological Applications

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Nest failure for coastal marsh bird species is primarily caused by predation and nest flooding. As sea level rise makes nest flooding more likely, the threat of nest predation will constrain the potential adaptive responses of marsh nesting species. Thus, understanding the predictors of nest predation is important for the conservation of salt marsh-dwelling bird species, such as the Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima). Predator activity may be influenced by landscape features (particularly habitat edges), potentially making nest predation predictable. We aimed to understand the predictability of Seaside Sparrow nest predation relative to two major landscape features: roads and tidal rivers, as both of these edges may be entryways or attractants for predators in marshes. In coastal Georgia, USA, we assessed mammalian predator activity relative to the two features of interest, and hypothesized that mammalian predator activity would be greater close to roads and tidal rivers. We also recorded Seaside Sparrow nest locations and nest predation events and hypothesized that nest predation events would increase with increasing predator activity. Consistent with our first hypothesis, mammalian predator activity increased close to roads and tidal rivers, but mammalian predator distribution did not explain the spatial variation in Seaside Sparrow nest predation thus not supporting our second hypothesis. Seaside Sparrow also placed their nests in locations with high mammalian predator activity, indicating that the ability to avoid nesting in high-risk areas may be constrained by habitat or resource limitations. Additionally, mammals may not be the primary nest predators, as we found that one bird species—Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)—contributed substantially to nest predation rates. Understanding the predictability of mammalian predator distribution can allow for focused predator management efforts, such as exclusion, to habitat edges where we found the highest mammalian predator activity, which could relax the constraint of nest predation on Seaside Sparrow’s ability to respond to the intensifying threat of sea level rise.

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Tide and habitat features affect salt marsh songbird nest survival in northeast Florida, USA

Cited by 6 publications

References 35 publications

Nest survival of Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Nest survival of Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Habitat selection of nesting and fledgling salt marsh songbirds in northeast Florida

Habitat edges influence the distribution of nest predators for Seaside Sparrows, but not nest placement or success

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