Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition
The knowledge about the mortality rate of offspring is crucial for estimating bird population dynamics and conserving species with declining populations. Parents of predatory birds provide food for their offspring during the post-fledging dependency period, which is frequently described as essential...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1151622/full |
| _version_ | 1827981786456522752 |
|---|---|
| author | Marek Kouba Luděk Bartoš Luděk Bartoš Filip Tulis Filip Tulis Michal Ševčík Michal Ševčík Simona Sovadinová Simona Sovadinová Tomáš Bušina Martin Janouš Petr Kouba Jitka Bartošová Jitka Bartošová Kari Hongisto Erkki Korpimäki |
| author_facet | Marek Kouba Luděk Bartoš Luděk Bartoš Filip Tulis Filip Tulis Michal Ševčík Michal Ševčík Simona Sovadinová Simona Sovadinová Tomáš Bušina Martin Janouš Petr Kouba Jitka Bartošová Jitka Bartošová Kari Hongisto Erkki Korpimäki |
| author_sort | Marek Kouba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The knowledge about the mortality rate of offspring is crucial for estimating bird population dynamics and conserving species with declining populations. Parents of predatory birds provide food for their offspring during the post-fledging dependency period, which is frequently described as essential due to inexpert flying skills. Using radio telemetry, we studied fledglings’ probability of dying by starvation and predation in Tengmalms’ owls (Aegolius funereus). Nestlings (21 and 39) from 10 and 14 broods in 2019 and 2021, respectively, were equipped with leg-mounted tags and monitored throughout the post-fledging dependency period in west-central Finland. In total, 28 out of 60 fledglings did not survive the post-fledging dependency period (12 died due to starvation, and 16 were predated). The fledglings’ probability of dying by starvation and predation was 3.7 and 2.4 times higher, respectively, in the decreasing (2019) than during the increasing (2021) abundance of main foods (voles), showing that prey availability is essential for survival during the post-fledging dependency period. The probability of starvation increased with augmenting agricultural lands in the home range and increasing precipitation after fledging, which indicated that parent owls avoided hunting in open areas and during rainy nights. The predation rate during the post-fledging dependency period increased with augmenting cover of old-growth forests in the home range. This result suggested that coverage of old-growth forests is nowadays so small in the study area that they act as ecological traps for newly-fledged owlets. The reason is that the main avian enemies of Tengmalm’s owls’ (goshawks and Ural owls) also prefer old-growth forests for breeding and hunting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:14:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f07f5d928e5349c1aad42da30420f0d5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:14:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-f07f5d928e5349c1aad42da30420f0d52023-03-23T05:13:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2023-03-011110.3389/fevo.2023.11516221151622Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat compositionMarek Kouba0Luděk Bartoš1Luděk Bartoš2Filip Tulis3Filip Tulis4Michal Ševčík5Michal Ševčík6Simona Sovadinová7Simona Sovadinová8Tomáš Bušina9Martin Janouš10Petr Kouba11Jitka Bartošová12Jitka Bartošová13Kari Hongisto14Erkki Korpimäki15Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Nitra, SlovakiaDepartment of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Nitra, SlovakiaDepartment of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaLaboratory of Anaerobic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, CzechiaIndependent Researcher, Tampere, FinlandSection of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, FinlandThe knowledge about the mortality rate of offspring is crucial for estimating bird population dynamics and conserving species with declining populations. Parents of predatory birds provide food for their offspring during the post-fledging dependency period, which is frequently described as essential due to inexpert flying skills. Using radio telemetry, we studied fledglings’ probability of dying by starvation and predation in Tengmalms’ owls (Aegolius funereus). Nestlings (21 and 39) from 10 and 14 broods in 2019 and 2021, respectively, were equipped with leg-mounted tags and monitored throughout the post-fledging dependency period in west-central Finland. In total, 28 out of 60 fledglings did not survive the post-fledging dependency period (12 died due to starvation, and 16 were predated). The fledglings’ probability of dying by starvation and predation was 3.7 and 2.4 times higher, respectively, in the decreasing (2019) than during the increasing (2021) abundance of main foods (voles), showing that prey availability is essential for survival during the post-fledging dependency period. The probability of starvation increased with augmenting agricultural lands in the home range and increasing precipitation after fledging, which indicated that parent owls avoided hunting in open areas and during rainy nights. The predation rate during the post-fledging dependency period increased with augmenting cover of old-growth forests in the home range. This result suggested that coverage of old-growth forests is nowadays so small in the study area that they act as ecological traps for newly-fledged owlets. The reason is that the main avian enemies of Tengmalm’s owls’ (goshawks and Ural owls) also prefer old-growth forests for breeding and hunting.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1151622/fullbirds of preymortality ratepost-fledging dependence periodpredationradio telemetrysmall mammal abundance |
| spellingShingle | Marek Kouba Luděk Bartoš Luděk Bartoš Filip Tulis Filip Tulis Michal Ševčík Michal Ševčík Simona Sovadinová Simona Sovadinová Tomáš Bušina Martin Janouš Petr Kouba Jitka Bartošová Jitka Bartošová Kari Hongisto Erkki Korpimäki Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution birds of prey mortality rate post-fledging dependence period predation radio telemetry small mammal abundance |
| title | Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition |
| title_full | Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition |
| title_fullStr | Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition |
| title_short | Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition |
| title_sort | post fledging survival of tengmalm s owl offspring in boreal forests interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition |
| topic | birds of prey mortality rate post-fledging dependence period predation radio telemetry small mammal abundance |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1151622/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marekkouba postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT ludekbartos postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT ludekbartos postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT filiptulis postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT filiptulis postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT michalsevcik postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT michalsevcik postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT simonasovadinova postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT simonasovadinova postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT tomasbusina postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT martinjanous postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT petrkouba postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT jitkabartosova postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT jitkabartosova postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT karihongisto postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition AT erkkikorpimaki postfledgingsurvivaloftengmalmsowloffspringinborealforestsinteractiveeffectsofvaryingdynamicsofmainpreyandhabitatcomposition |