The Effects of Habitat Type and Volcanic Eruptions on the Breeding Demography of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus.
Distinct preference of species for habitats is most often driven by long term differences in demographic rates between habitats. Estimating variation in those rates is key for developing successful conservation strategies. Stochastic events can interact with underlying variation in habitat quality i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2015-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4498681?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818178891747950592 |
|---|---|
| author | Borgný Katrínardóttir José A Alves Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir Páll Hersteinsson Tómas G Gunnarsson |
| author_facet | Borgný Katrínardóttir José A Alves Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir Páll Hersteinsson Tómas G Gunnarsson |
| author_sort | Borgný Katrínardóttir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Distinct preference of species for habitats is most often driven by long term differences in demographic rates between habitats. Estimating variation in those rates is key for developing successful conservation strategies. Stochastic events can interact with underlying variation in habitat quality in regulating demography but the opportunities to explore such interactions are rare. Whimbrels in Iceland show a strong preference for sparsely vegetated riverplains. Such habitats in Iceland face various threats, e.g., climate change, river regulation and spread of alien plant species. In this study we compared demographic parameters of breeding Whimbrels between riverplains and other habitats before, during and after volcanic eruption events to estimate the importance of the habitats for the species and the effect of ash deposit on breeding success. We found that an estimated minimum of 23% of the Icelandic population of Whimbrels and c. 10% of the world population of the species breed in riverplain habitats in Iceland. Whimbrels bred consistently at much higher densities in riverplain habitats than in other habitats and riverplains also had higher densities of pairs with fledglings although the proportion of successful breeders was similar between habitats. Predation by livestock may have had a considerable negative effect on breeding success on our study sites. Breeding was negatively affected by the volcanic activity, probably through the effects of ash on the invertebrate food supply, with breeding success being gradually worse closer to the eruption. Breeding success was equally affected by volcanism across habitats which differed in underlying habitat quality. This study gives an example of how populations can be regulated by factors which operate at different spatial scales, such as local variation in habitat quality and stochastic events which impact larger areas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T20:55:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ac2c5415371049d182de4430b0ef030e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T20:55:11Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-ac2c5415371049d182de4430b0ef030e2022-12-22T00:51:08ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01107e013139510.1371/journal.pone.0131395The Effects of Habitat Type and Volcanic Eruptions on the Breeding Demography of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus.Borgný KatrínardóttirJosé A AlvesHrefna SigurjónsdóttirPáll HersteinssonTómas G GunnarssonDistinct preference of species for habitats is most often driven by long term differences in demographic rates between habitats. Estimating variation in those rates is key for developing successful conservation strategies. Stochastic events can interact with underlying variation in habitat quality in regulating demography but the opportunities to explore such interactions are rare. Whimbrels in Iceland show a strong preference for sparsely vegetated riverplains. Such habitats in Iceland face various threats, e.g., climate change, river regulation and spread of alien plant species. In this study we compared demographic parameters of breeding Whimbrels between riverplains and other habitats before, during and after volcanic eruption events to estimate the importance of the habitats for the species and the effect of ash deposit on breeding success. We found that an estimated minimum of 23% of the Icelandic population of Whimbrels and c. 10% of the world population of the species breed in riverplain habitats in Iceland. Whimbrels bred consistently at much higher densities in riverplain habitats than in other habitats and riverplains also had higher densities of pairs with fledglings although the proportion of successful breeders was similar between habitats. Predation by livestock may have had a considerable negative effect on breeding success on our study sites. Breeding was negatively affected by the volcanic activity, probably through the effects of ash on the invertebrate food supply, with breeding success being gradually worse closer to the eruption. Breeding success was equally affected by volcanism across habitats which differed in underlying habitat quality. This study gives an example of how populations can be regulated by factors which operate at different spatial scales, such as local variation in habitat quality and stochastic events which impact larger areas.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4498681?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Borgný Katrínardóttir José A Alves Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir Páll Hersteinsson Tómas G Gunnarsson The Effects of Habitat Type and Volcanic Eruptions on the Breeding Demography of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus. PLoS ONE |
| title | The Effects of Habitat Type and Volcanic Eruptions on the Breeding Demography of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus. |
| title_full | The Effects of Habitat Type and Volcanic Eruptions on the Breeding Demography of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus. |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of Habitat Type and Volcanic Eruptions on the Breeding Demography of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Habitat Type and Volcanic Eruptions on the Breeding Demography of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus. |
| title_short | The Effects of Habitat Type and Volcanic Eruptions on the Breeding Demography of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus. |
| title_sort | effects of habitat type and volcanic eruptions on the breeding demography of icelandic whimbrels numenius phaeopus |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4498681?pdf=render |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT borgnykatrinardottir theeffectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT joseaalves theeffectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT hrefnasigurjonsdottir theeffectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT pallhersteinsson theeffectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT tomasggunnarsson theeffectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT borgnykatrinardottir effectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT joseaalves effectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT hrefnasigurjonsdottir effectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT pallhersteinsson effectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus AT tomasggunnarsson effectsofhabitattypeandvolcaniceruptionsonthebreedingdemographyoficelandicwhimbrelsnumeniusphaeopus |