Incubating snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus) exhibit site-specific patterns of disturbance from human activities

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara A. Faillace ◽  
Bradley W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Human Activities ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Beach Width ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Snowy Plovers ◽  
Range Of Variation

Context Many shorebirds are threatened by human-caused disturbance. For snowy plovers, disturbance within nesting habitats has been implicated as a major contributing factor in their population decline through deleterious effects on breeding success. Very little is known about site specificity of disturbance from human activities for this species. Aims We examined the disturbance of incubating snowy plovers to determine if nesting shorebirds within one breeding population exhibited site-specific patterns of disturbance from human activities. Methods We recorded flush (i.e. flight or escape from a perceived threat) distances and time spent off the nest following approach by a single person on Sanibel and Cayo Costa Islands, two islands in south-west Florida that differ in daily human visitation, and by a person walking a dog on Sanibel. We used a Bayesian model framework to determine effects of location and approach type on flush distance and time spent off of the nest. Key results Birds nesting on Sanibel flushed at shorter distances from a solitary person without a dog than did birds nesting on Cayo Costa, but spent similar amounts of time off of nests following a flush. On Sanibel, nesting birds also flushed at significantly greater distances and spent significantly more time off of nests when flushed by a person walking a dog rather than by a person alone. Conclusions Within a population, nesting snowy plovers exhibit site- and stimulus-dependent patterns of disturbance. The intraspecific variation falls within the range of variation recorded among species of birds studied elsewhere. Although we cannot determine causation, we suggest habituation to human activities from a combination of high beach usage, smaller nesting exclusion zones, and narrower beach width on Sanibel compared to Cayo Costa as a likely explanation for this difference. Implications Set-back distances for symbolic fencing have been generalised across species and nesting locations. Our results suggest that disturbance of nesting shorebirds can be site-dependent even within one breeding population of a species. Set-back distances around shorebird nests must account for location and types of activities encountered, implying the need for more conservative implementation of set-back distances.

scholarly journals A systematic review of biodiversity and demographic change: A misinterpreted relationship?

AMBIO ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 1297-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Mehring ◽  
Nicolai Mehlhaus ◽  
Edward Ott ◽  
Diana Hummel
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Demographic Change ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Functional Relation ◽  
Context Dependency ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Complex Relation ◽  
Demographic Processes

AbstractDemographic change is supposed to be the most important indirect driver for changing biodiversity. In this article, a systematic review of 148 studies was conducted to examine the scientific evidence for this relationship and to identify potential gaps in research. We explored the spatial distribution of studies, the categories addressed with respect to biodiversity and demographic change, and the ways in which their relationships were conceptualised (spatially and temporally) and valued. The majority of studies were carried out in Africa, Europe and North America. Our analysis confirms the trend that demographic phenomena were mostly found to negatively influence biodiversity. However, a considerable number of studies also point towards impacts that were context dependent, either positive or negative under certain circumstances. In addition to that we identified significant gaps in research. In particular, there is a lack of addressing (1) other demographic aspects such as population decline, age structure or gender differences, (2) spatial variability of, e.g. human population growth, (3) long-term effects of demographic processes, and (4) the context dependency (e.g. regulations/law enforcement, type of human activities, and choice of scale or proxy). We conclude there is evidence that the relationship between biodiversity and demographic change is much more complex than expected and so far represented in research. Thus, we call for a social–ecological biodiversity research that particularly focusses on the functional relation between biodiversity and human activities, namely the different types, context, and interdependent dynamics (spatial and temporal) of this complex relation.

scholarly journals Direct evidence of poison-driven widespread population decline in a wild vertebrate

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (28) ◽  
pp. 16418-16423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Mateo-Tomás ◽  
Pedro P. Olea ◽  
Eva Mínguez ◽  
Rafael Mateo ◽  
Javier Viñuela
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Regulatory Control ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Lead Ammunition ◽  
Organochlorine Insecticides ◽  
Local Extinctions

Toxicants such as organochlorine insecticides, lead ammunition, and veterinary drugs have caused severe wildlife poisoning, pushing the populations of several apex species to the edge of extinction. These prime cases epitomize the serious threat that wildlife poisoning poses to biodiversity. Much of the evidence on population effects of wildlife poisoning rests on assessments conducted at an individual level, from which population-level effects are inferred. Contrastingly, we demonstrate a straightforward relationship between poison-induced individual mortality and population changes in the threatened red kite (Milvus milvus). By linking field data of 1,075 poisoned red kites to changes in occupancy and abundance across 274 sites (10 × 10-km squares) over a 20-y time frame, we show a clear relationship between red kite poisoning and the decline of its breeding population in Spain, including local extinctions. Our results further support the species listing as endangered, after a breeding population decline of 31% to 43% in two decades of this once-abundant raptor. Given that poisoning threatens the global populations of more than 2,600 animal species worldwide, a greater understanding of its population-level effects may aid biodiversity conservation through increased regulatory control of chemical substances. Our results illustrate the great potential of long-term and large-scale on-ground monitoring to assist in this task.

scholarly journals Breeding population decline and associations with nest site use of Leach’s Storm-Petrels on Kent Island, New Brunswick from 2001 to 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle J. N. d'Entremont ◽  
Laura Minich Zitske ◽  
Alison J. Gladwell ◽  
Nathan K. Elliott ◽  
Robert A. Mauck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Site Use

A population decline in Weddell seals: real or sampling artefact?

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Green ◽  
V Wong ◽  
HR Burton
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Population Trends ◽  
Weddell Seals ◽  
Population Sizes

Aerial counts of Weddell seals during the moult did not provide a useful index of population trends. Seals may spent longer foraging in the water in some years than in others (possibly because of changes in food availability), with the result that differing proportions of the population are counted in different years. It is concluded that little can be inferred about interannual differences in population sizes without reference to the size of the breeding population.

scholarly journals Trend in an isolated population of the red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) at the edge of its breeding range (south-western Slovakia)

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-89
Author(s):  
Roman Slobodník ◽  
Jozef Chavko ◽  
Jozef Lengyel ◽  
Michal Noga ◽  
Boris Maderič ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Decline ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Isolated Population ◽  
Breeding Range ◽  
The Core ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Slovak Population ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact ◽  
North Western

Abstract The population of the red-footed falcon in Slovakia inhabits the north-western edge of the species' breeding range. This breeding population is relatively small and came near to extinction during the population decline of this species in central Europe in recent decades. Thanks to increasing numbers of breeding pairs in Hungary, the Slovak population began to grow again. Moreover, some differences in breeding biology associated with breeding in nest boxes were found. Here we describe the dependence of the small isolated breeding population in Slovakia on the core population in the more eastern parts of the Carpathian Basin, and the impact of supporting activities (nest boxes) on this raptor species in Slovakia.

scholarly journals Human Activities and Flood Hazards and Risks in the South West Pacific: a Case Study of the Navua Catchment Area, Fiji Islands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katalaine Duaibe
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Flood Hazards ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Catchment Areas

<p>Human activity is increasingly becoming a factor contributing to 'disasters' that occur worldwide. As evident in the Asian Tsunami of 2004, the high levels of loss of life and livelihood, and damage to property were largely due to the population density and human development of the physical landscape of the stricken region. The magnitude of natural hazards coupled with the high population density and low levels of development can have disastrous or catastrophic impacts on a nation as a whole, especially in small island states. Furthermore, the lack of governance structures, legislative compliance, and regulatory land use and planning coupled with the perception of risk of the general public, can all contribute to the magnitude of disasters. The flood plains of Navua, a small rural town outside of Fiji's capital and prone to all types of flooding, are explored to determine the extent to which human activities impact on the magnitude of flooding and flood damage. Human activities such as land degradation, deforestation of catchment areas, increased population density along the Navua riverbanks inadequate land use planning, zoning, and control of flood plain development; and inadequate drainage, and management of discharges are examined when determining the factors that have contributed to the increased incidence of flooding of the past 100 years until 2004. The evolution of different governmental approaches to hazard and risk management in Fiji is also explored. It is observed that while considerable progress has been made to address the factors causing high risk, there is still an emphasis on hazard mitigation rather than risk reduction. A model framework for flood risk management is referred to, where the elements at risk are the land-use characteristics of the Navua Catchment. As such, part of the treatment of risks is seen as requiring adequate risk management standards that fit into the broader 'all-hazards management' approach adopted by the Pacific Island Nations including Fiji.</p>

scholarly journals Purchasing under threat: Changes in shopping patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253231
Author(s):  
Sebastian Schmidt ◽  
Christoph Benke ◽  
Christiane A. Pané-Farré
Keyword(s):  
Media Exposure ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Purchasing Behavior ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Related Personality

The spreading of COVID-19 has led to panic buying all over the world. In this study, we applied an animal model framework to elucidate changes in human purchasing behavior under COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Purchasing behavior and potential predictors were assessed in an online questionnaire format (N = 813). Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the role of individually Perceived Threat of COVID-19, anxiety related personality traits (trait-anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty) and the role of media exposure in predicting quantity and frequency of purchasing behavior. High levels of Perceived Threat of COVID-19 were associated significantly with a reported reduction in purchasing frequency (b = -.24, p < .001) and an increase in the quantity of products bought per purchase (b = .22, p < .001). These results are comparable to observed changes in foraging behavior in rodents under threat conditions. Higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty (b = .19, p < .001) and high extend of media exposure (b = .27, p < .001) were positively associated with Perceived Threat of COVID-19 and an increase in purchasing quantity. This study contributes to our understanding of aberrated human purchasing behavior and aims to link findings from animal research to human behavior beyond experimental investigations.

scholarly journals Dynamics and reproduction of a nest-box breeding population of Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca in a subalpine birch forest in Swedish Lapland during a period of 46 years

Ornis Svecica ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (2–4) ◽  
pp. 133-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Erik I Nyholm
Keyword(s):  
Nest Predation ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Ficedula Hypoleuca ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Birch Forest ◽  
Pied Flycatcher ◽  
Yearly Variation ◽  
Nest Box

A nest-box breeding population of Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca in subalpine birch forest at Ammarnäs in northern Sweden was studied in 1965–2010. The population showed on average a significantly decreasing trend during the initial 25 years, after which it remained on a static level. The yearly variation of the population size was significantly correlated with breeding result in preceding years, which in turn was affected by e.g. nest predation, adverse climatic factors, clutch size, and incidence of defective egg shell formation. It is also suggested that the population decline during the initial 10–15 study years followed from over-establishment of the breeding habitat. The average breeding result was 2.3 fledglings per pair, which is far below the number needed for the population to be self-reproducing. The occurrence of unusually high rates of nest predation and defective egg shells seems to be passing phenomena, predicted to approach zero after about 30 and 60 years, respectively, after the start of the study. But even with these factors eliminated and with other conditions remaining unchanged, the Ammarnäs population will continue to be a sink population.

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