Hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in Lesser Scaup
Components of reproductive success such as clutch size and nest survival may greatly affect avian population growth rates. Understanding how environmental conditions influence temporal variation in these demographic parameters could thus provide valuable insight into best management practices for sp...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Avian Conservation and Ecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ace-eco.org/vol17/iss2/art29/ |
| _version_ | 1797969505539850240 |
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| author | Kelsey L. Navarre Jeffrey M. Warren David N. Koons |
| author_facet | Kelsey L. Navarre Jeffrey M. Warren David N. Koons |
| author_sort | Kelsey L. Navarre |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Components of reproductive success such as clutch size and nest survival may greatly affect avian population growth rates. Understanding how environmental conditions influence temporal variation in these demographic parameters could thus provide valuable insight into best management practices for species of concern. One such species that could benefit from a better understanding of such processes is Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis), whose overall abundance in North America has declined since the early 1980s. We used a long-term study (2005–2019) of Lesser Scaup demography at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana, USA, to examine how the management of wetland conditions influenced within- and across-year temporal variation in clutch size and nest survival. Predicted clutch size varied more across nest initiation dates (6.18–10.05 eggs) within years than it did across years (7.51–8.38 eggs), and none of the covariates we examined were significantly related to clutch size across years. Nest daily survival rates varied substantially across days within breeding seasons (e.g., 2018: 0.38–0.985), and annual mean nest survival varied greatly across years (0.27–0.58). Furthermore, seasonal chronology of managed wetland water levels influenced nest survival such that years when water levels gradually rose to a maximum late in the breeding season, relative to mean nest initiation date, resulted in the highest nest survival. These findings collectively suggest that when flows can be manipulated with water control structures, efforts to manage the chronology of water levels at watershed and local wetland scales could improve nest survival, whereas such management efforts will not likely affect clutch sizes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:03:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dd68a45e5de04aafa39f302d774df571 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1712-6568 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:03:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Avian Conservation and Ecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-dd68a45e5de04aafa39f302d774df5712023-01-02T13:46:38ZengResilience AllianceAvian Conservation and Ecology1712-65682022-12-01172292268Hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in Lesser ScaupKelsey L. Navarre0Jeffrey M. Warren1David N. Koons2Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State UniversityU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceDepartment of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State UniversityComponents of reproductive success such as clutch size and nest survival may greatly affect avian population growth rates. Understanding how environmental conditions influence temporal variation in these demographic parameters could thus provide valuable insight into best management practices for species of concern. One such species that could benefit from a better understanding of such processes is Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis), whose overall abundance in North America has declined since the early 1980s. We used a long-term study (2005–2019) of Lesser Scaup demography at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana, USA, to examine how the management of wetland conditions influenced within- and across-year temporal variation in clutch size and nest survival. Predicted clutch size varied more across nest initiation dates (6.18–10.05 eggs) within years than it did across years (7.51–8.38 eggs), and none of the covariates we examined were significantly related to clutch size across years. Nest daily survival rates varied substantially across days within breeding seasons (e.g., 2018: 0.38–0.985), and annual mean nest survival varied greatly across years (0.27–0.58). Furthermore, seasonal chronology of managed wetland water levels influenced nest survival such that years when water levels gradually rose to a maximum late in the breeding season, relative to mean nest initiation date, resulted in the highest nest survival. These findings collectively suggest that when flows can be manipulated with water control structures, efforts to manage the chronology of water levels at watershed and local wetland scales could improve nest survival, whereas such management efforts will not likely affect clutch sizes.https://www.ace-eco.org/vol17/iss2/art29/<span style="font-style: normal">aythya affinis</span> breedingdemographyenvironmentreproductionvital rateswetland |
| spellingShingle | Kelsey L. Navarre Jeffrey M. Warren David N. Koons Hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in Lesser Scaup Avian Conservation and Ecology <span style="font-style: normal">aythya affinis </span> breeding demography environment reproduction vital rates wetland |
| title | Hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in Lesser Scaup |
| title_full | Hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in Lesser Scaup |
| title_fullStr | Hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in Lesser Scaup |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in Lesser Scaup |
| title_short | Hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in Lesser Scaup |
| title_sort | hydrology management influences nest survival but not clutch size in lesser scaup |
| topic | <span style="font-style: normal">aythya affinis </span> breeding demography environment reproduction vital rates wetland |
| url | https://www.ace-eco.org/vol17/iss2/art29/ |
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