Effect of Habitat Management on Duck Behavior and Distribution During Spring Migration in Indiana

Abstract Spring migration is an important life stage for ducks because their ability to find and acquire nutrients can affect subsequent reproductive success. Therefore, providing sufficient habitat to support the energetic needs of ducks and facilitate efficient feeding is a goal of habitat management and restoration. The rapid, unpredictable flood events that regularly occur in highly modified landscapes can make habitat management challenging and justify diverse management strategies. We examined the effect of habitat management on dabbling duck behavior and distribution during spring migration in southwest Indiana. We investigated three management options for wetlands: active management, passive management, and unmanaged agricultural food plots. We assessed duck behavior and density on 14 wetlands at Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area. The agricultural food-plot areas had the lowest estimates of food availability followed by the actively managed areas; the passively managed wetlands had the greatest estimate. Dabbling duck density was greatest on the actively managed wetlands followed by food plots coming in second and passively managed wetlands third. Most dabbling ducks fed more intensively while on the passively managed wetlands followed by the actively managed and food-plot wetlands. Conservation prioritization of passively managed areas would provide larger areas for dabbling ducks to feed, but active management provides habitat regardless of climatic variability. Moving forward, wetland complexes encompassing diverse wetland management approaches would be the best option for spring-migrating waterfowl as these complexes can provide high-quality habitats and buffer against uncontrollable climactic conditions.

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Food Habits of Dabbling Ducks During Fall Migration in a Prairie Pothole System, Heron Lake, Minnesota

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v119i4.186 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 119 (4) ◽

pp. 546 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ryan M. Wersal ◽

Brock R. McMillan ◽

John D. Madsen

Keyword(s):

Food Habits ◽

Food Item ◽

Dabbling Ducks ◽

Prairie Pothole ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Food Items ◽

Dabbling Duck ◽

Stuckenia Pectinata ◽

Polygonum Lapathifolium ◽

Volume Method

We conducted an analysis of dabbling duck food habits in the fall of 2002 and 2003 in the Heron Lake system. Gizzard contents of hunter-harvested birds were analyzed using the percent aggregate volume method to determine what food items were consumed and in what quantity. Curltop Ladysthumb (Polygonum lapathifolium) was the food item consumed most often (82.2%) and in the greatest volume (34.2 ml). Sago Pondweed (Stuckenia pectinata) was the only food item of which multiple plant parts were consumed. However, the seeds and tubers only comprised 1.27 and 0.07 of the total aggregate percent.

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Expert knowledge assessment of threats and conservation strategies for breeding Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl across Europe

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270920000349 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

DARÍO FERNÁNDEZ-BELLON ◽

JOHN LUSBY ◽

JULES BOS ◽

TONIO SCHAUB ◽

ALAN MCCARTHY ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Habitat Management ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Prey Availability ◽

Active Management ◽

Conservation Strategy ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Conservation Threats ◽

The Impact ◽

Hen Harrier

Summary Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus and Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus are open-country birds of prey with overlapping distributions. Although both species face similar conservation threats across their ranges, work to date has largely been undertaken at a national scale with few attempts to collate and assess factors relevant to their conservation at an international scale. Here we use an expert knowledge approach to evaluate the impact of conservation threats and the effectiveness of conservation strategies for each species across Europe. We report results of responses to a questionnaire from 23 Hen Harrier experts from nine countries and 12 Short-eared Owl experts from six countries. The majority of responses for both species reported declines in breeding numbers. The perceived impact of threats was broadly similar for both species: ecological factors (predation, extreme weather and prey availability), changes in land use (habitat loss and agricultural intensification) and indirect persecution (accidental nest destruction) were considered to be the greatest threats to breeding Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl. Short-eared Owl experts also highlighted lack of knowledge and difficulties associated with monitoring as a major conservation challenge. Despite broad-scale similarities, geographical variation was also apparent in the perceived importance of conservation threats, with some threats (such as direct persecution, large-scale afforestation or habitat degradation) requiring country-specific actions. Implementation of different conservation strategies also varied between countries, with the designation of protected areas reported as the most widespread conservation strategy adopted, followed by species and habitat management. However, protected areas (including species-specific protected areas) were perceived to be less effective than active management of species and habitats. These findings highlight the overlap between the conservation requirements of these two species, and the need for collaborative international research and conservation approaches that prioritise pro-active conservation strategies subject to continued assessment and with specific conservation goals.

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Scenarios of habitat management options to reduce predator impacts on nesting waders

Journal of Applied Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2664.12838 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 1219-1229 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Rebecca A. Laidlaw ◽

Jennifer Smart ◽

Mark A. Smart ◽

Jennifer A. Gill

Keyword(s):

Habitat Management ◽

Management Options

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Interspecific Aggression By Barrow's Goldeneye: a Descriptive and Functional Analysis

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/156853986x00108 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 102 (3-4) ◽

pp. 168-183 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

JEAN-PIERRE L. Savard ◽

James N.M. Smith

Keyword(s):

Functional Analysis ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Breeding Habitat ◽

Dabbling Ducks ◽

Interspecific Aggression ◽

Diving Duck ◽

Diving Ducks ◽

Dabbling Duck ◽

Common Goldeneye ◽

Intraspecific Aggressiveness

AbstractWe describe interspecific aggression and territoriality by a diving duck, the Barrow's goldeneye. Males of this species are strongly interspecifically territorial early during the breeding season, and in winter. Females are interspecifically territorial while tending broods of ducklings. Aggression was strongest against conspecifics, and against the con-generic bufflehead, which shares the same breeding habitat. Other diving ducks, which overlap in diet with goldeneyes, were frequently attacked, while dabbling ducks, with differing feeding habits, were generally tolerated, and were seldom attacked. One dabbling duck, the blue-winged teal, in which the drake resembles the Barrow's goldeneye drake in plumage, was attacked more strongly than other dabblers. We propose that the strong interspecific aggressiveness exhibited by the Barrow's goldeneye, and its congeners the bufflehead and common goldeneye, is a consequence of the strong intraspecific aggressiveness of these species. Selectivity in aggression towards victims of different species can be explained by two hypotheses. Species that have (1) similar diets, and (2) similar plumages to Barrow's goldeneye are selectively attacked.

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The contribution of nasal receptors to the cardiac response to diving in restrained and unrestrained redhead ducks (Aythya americana)

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.121.1.227 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 121 (1) ◽

pp. 227-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. A. Furilla ◽

D. R. Jones

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Local Anaesthesia ◽

Cardiac Response ◽

Dabbling Ducks ◽

Diving Ducks ◽

Cardiac Responses ◽

Aythya Americana ◽

Dabbling Duck ◽

Redhead Ducks ◽

A Minor

In restrained redhead ducks, forced submergence caused heart rate to fall from 100 +/− 3 beats min-1 (mean +/− S.E.M., N = 12) to a stable underwater rate of 35 +/− 4 beats min-1 (N = 12) within 5 s after submergence. Bradycardia was unaffected by breathing oxygen before a dive, but was virtually eliminated by local anaesthesia of the narial region. In contrast, in a dabbling duck (Anas platyrhynchos) bradycardia in short dives was eliminated by breathing oxygen before a dive. In unrestrained diving, on a man-made pond, heart rate in redheads diving voluntarily (y) was related to pre-dive heart rate (x) by the equation y = 76 + 0.29 +/− 0.05x +/− 17 (r2 = 0.71). Chasing, to induce submergence, had variable effects on this relationship. Local anaesthesia of the narial region inhibited voluntary diving but heart rates in chase-induced dives after nasal blockade were significantly higher, by 10–30%, than those obtained from untreated ducks in chase-induced dives. Breathing oxygen before voluntary dives had no apparent effect on heart rate after 2–5 s submergence. Voluntary head submersion by dabbling ducks caused no change in heart rate. We conclude that nasal receptors make only a minor contribution to cardiac responses in unrestrained dives, compared with forced dives, in diving ducks. Furthermore, these results show that little can be learned about cardiac responses in free diving ducks from studies of forced dives in dabblers or divers.

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Hybridization between the Mallard and native dabbling ducks: causes, consequences and management.

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc140041 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 41 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

P-J Guay ◽

A Taysom ◽

R Robinson ◽

J P Tracey

Keyword(s):

Introduced Species ◽

Anas Platyrhynchos ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Dabbling Ducks ◽

Monitoring Techniques ◽

Duck Species ◽

Black Duck ◽

Dabbling Duck ◽

The Pacific ◽

The World

Waterbirds are currently facing various threats throughout the world. One threat that is often overlooked is hybridization with introduced species. This threatening process is especially significant for dabbling ducks (Genus Anas). The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) has been introduced to various parts of the world and now hybridizes and threatens numerous Anas species. In this paper, we review hybridization between Mallards and dabbling ducks with a specific emphasis on threats to the Pacific Black Duck (A. superciliosa). We then present an overview of the potential mechanisms of hybridization and discuss monitoring techniques. We conclude by proposing management strategies and speculating on the future of native dabbling duck species.

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Financial Assessment of Future Stand Conditions Required to Recover the Opportunity Costs of a North Louisiana Streamside Management Zone

Forest Products Journal ◽

10.13073/fpj-d-19-00040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 39-49

Author(s):

T. Eric McConnell ◽

Michael K. Crosby ◽

Jason J. Holderieath ◽

Curtis L. VanderSchaaf

Keyword(s):

Management Strategies ◽

Timber Harvest ◽

Complete Information ◽

Active Management ◽

Opportunity Costs ◽

Management Scenarios ◽

Management Options ◽

Price Changes ◽

Financial Assessment ◽

North Louisiana

Abstract Understanding the costs that residual habitat spaces carry into future rotations can provide managers more complete information when financially assessing timber management options that often extend for many decades. This case study assessed a streamside management zone's (SMZ) opportunity costs for a timber harvest site in north Louisiana. Timber removal occurred in summer 2018 by clearcut. A wooded buffer extending 50 feet on each side of a streambank and totaling 7.52 acres was retained; partial harvesting of pine timber was allowed. A timber inventory revealed that 99.6 tons per acre of standing hardwoods resided within the SMZ. Excluding noncommercial species placed its current present value (opportunity cost) at $1,803. Two future active management scenarios, “controlled” and “intensive,” were modeled over the next rotation at a 4 percent real discount rate, where price changes occurred at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 percent annually. Both management strategies consistently produced positive land expectation values (LEV) when SMZ opportunity costs were not included in the assessment. However, inclusion of SMZ protection under “controlled” management required timber price changes of 4 percent annually, while the “intensive” management option required timber price changes of at least 3 percent annually to return positive LEVs.

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Cowbird parasitism of Pale-headed Brush-finch Atlapetes pallidiceps: implications for conservation and management

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270904000103 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 63-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

STEFFEN OPPEL ◽

H. MARTIN SCHAEFER ◽

VERONIKA SCHMIDT ◽

BORIS SCHRÖDER

Keyword(s):

Breeding Success ◽

Habitat Management ◽

Reproductive Output ◽

Microhabitat Use ◽

Conservation Action ◽

Management Options ◽

Molothrus Bonariensis ◽

Parasitism Rates ◽

Cowbird Parasitism ◽

Atlapetes Pallidiceps

Pale-headed Brush-finch Atlapetes pallidiceps is a restricted-range species that is threatened with extinction due to habitat loss. The total population of 60–80 individuals achieved a reproductive output of only 0.74 young per breeding pair in 2002. Brood parasitism by Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis was a major factor reducing breeding success, affecting 38.5% of broods. Parasitism rates reached 50% in an ungrazed reserve, but only 14% on an adjacent grazed plot. The resulting difference in breeding success was not, however, attributable to vegetation parameters used to describe microhabitat use. Cowbird parasitism rates therefore seem to be influenced largely by factors operating at the landscape level. These may include grazing scheme, topography, humidity and host availability. It is suggested that lower species diversity and bird abundance rendered the grazed site less attractive to cowbirds. Current parasitism rates are of great conservation concern due to the low population size of Pale-headed Brush-finch, and the initiation of controlling measures is pressing. Management options described from intensive cowbird control programmes in North America are reviewed and evaluated for their applicability here. To combine the possibility of further data collection with commencement of immediate conservation action, we consider two alternative approaches. Nest monitoring and cowbird egg removal would enable the study of the distribution of parasitism in relation to landscape and vegetation variables, whereas cowbird shooting and nest monitoring might provide a larger short-term benefit to reproductive output. Habitat management, resumption of some grazing in the reserve and cowbird removal should be considered for the intermediate future.

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Modelling the extinction risk of isolated populations of natterjack toad <i>Bufo calamita</i>

Web Ecology ◽

10.5194/we-2-47-2001 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 47-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

T. Stephan ◽

K. Ulbrich ◽

W.-R. Grosse ◽

F. Meyer

Keyword(s):

Habitat Management ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Leslie Matrix ◽

Isolated Populations ◽

Management Options ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Bufo Calamita ◽

Stochastic Simulation Model ◽

Toad Bufo ◽

Better Than

Abstract. Many local populations of the natterjack toad Bufo calamita in Germany are endangered. Due to the fragmentation and destruction of natural habitats by man, toads have often been forced to switch to secondary habitats. The permanent existence of these habitats is uncertain. Habitat and area requirements have been investigated in various parts of Germany in recent years. Our study uses field observations from sites in Halle (Saxony-Anhalt) and List (Schleswig-Holstein) as a basis for analyses of the population dynamics under different environmental conditions. Deterministic trends of these populations are calculated with the help of a Leslie matrix consisting of average parameters for mortality and reproduction. For a more thorough analysis we use a stochastic simulation model in order to assess survival probabilities of local toad populations. This model also takes into account environmental fluctuations affecting mortality and reproduction. Using scenarios from different locations, a sensitivity analysis of the parameters indicates which management options are the most promising to preserve a population. Our results indicate that the mortality rates of juveniles and the availability of spawning ground have the greatest influence on a population’s survival. Consequently, habitat management should focus on these aspects. In addition, we investigate the risk of extinction for different reproductive strategies. Natterjack toad populations observed in the field actually follow a strategy with three breeding periods. We find that this strategy supports the survival of the population better than strategies with less periods, which are more likely to result in a complete breeding failure during one season.

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Getting Humans Off Monkeys’ Backs: Using Primate Acclimation as a Guide for Habitat Management Efforts

Integrative and Comparative Biology ◽

10.1093/icb/icaa048 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 413-424 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cynthia L Thompson ◽

Susan H Williams ◽

Kenneth E Glander ◽

Mark F Teaford ◽

Christopher J Vinyard

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Habitat Loss ◽

Habitat Management ◽

Alouatta Palliata ◽

Active Management ◽

Food Sources ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Mass Extinctions ◽

Weight Changes ◽

Behavioral Mechanisms

Synopsis Wild primates face grave conservation challenges, with habitat loss and climate change projected to cause mass extinctions in the coming decades. As large-bodied Neotropical primates, mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) are predicted to fare poorly under climate change, yet are also known for their resilience in a variety of environments, including highly disturbed habitats. We utilized ecophysiology research on this species to determine the morphological, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms howlers employ to overcome ecological challenges. Our data show that howlers at La Pacifica, Costa Rica are capable of modifying body size. Howlers displayed reduced mass in warmer, drier habitats, seasonal weight changes, frequent within-lifetime weight fluctuations, and gradual increases in body mass over the past four decades. These within-lifetime changes indicate a capacity to modify morphology in a way that can impact animals’ energetics and thermodynamics. Howlers are also able to consume foods with a wide variety of food material properties by altering oral processing during feeding. While this capability suggests some capacity to cope with the phenological shifts expected from climate change and increased habitat fragmentation, data on rates of dental microwear warn that these acclimations may also cost dental longevity. Lastly, we found that howlers are able to acclimate to changing thermal pressures. On shorter-term daily scales, howlers use behavioral mechanisms to thermoregulate, including timing activities to avoid heat stress and utilizing cool microhabitats. At the seasonal scale, animals employ hormonal pathways to influence heat production. These lines of evidence cumulatively indicate that howlers possess morphological, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms to acclimate to environmental challenges. As such, howlers’ plasticity may facilitate their resilience to climate change and habitat loss. While habitat loss in the tropics is unlikely to abate, our results point to a potential benefit of active management and selective cultivation to yield large, interconnected forest fragments with targeted phenology that provides both a complex physical structure and a diversity of food sources. These steps could assist howlers in using their natural acclimation potential to survive future conservation threats.

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