Effects of tourism on nest survival rate of Galliformes based on artificial nest experiment

Abstract Background Investigating the ecological factors and processes shaping nest survival is of great importance for assessing the breeding success of bird populations and understanding their spatio-temporal dynamics. Here, this question is addressed for the Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis), an expanding Afro-tropical bird in the Tunisian oasis habitat. Methods This study took place in Kettana oasis, in south-eastern Tunisia. Natural Laughing Dove nests were searched for and monitored by means of regular visits, from the discovery date until the end of the breeding attempt (i.e. fledging or failure). Data were then used to investigate the relevance of laying date, nest age (days after clutch initiation), nest height and vegetation structure in the close nest tree environment as predictors of daily nest survival rate, using logistic-exposure models that accounted for heterogeneity in monitoring period among the studied nests. Models including different combinations of covariates were ranked according to their AICc scores, and the model-averaging technique was used for the assessment of the effects of covariates on daily nest survival rate. Results Vegetation structure in the close nest tree environment and nest age provided important predictors of daily nest survival rate, whereas neither nest height nor laying date showed significant effects. Daily nest survival rate was negatively associated with the presence of date palm trees in the close nest tree environment, but it was positively related to nest age. Daily nest survival rate was higher during the post-hatching stage than during the pre-hatching stage. Conclusions Nests placed on fruit trees close to clumps of palm trees suffered higher predation risks compared to those placed on fruit trees situated far from palm trees. This is probably because palm tree clumps provided refuges for nest predators, notably the Black Rat (Rattus rattus) which has been reported to be the main nest predator in the oasis habitat. The predatory activity of this rodent seemed more directed against eggs than nestlings, which may explain the observed increase in daily survival rate with nest age.

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Urban predation: a case study assessing artificial nest survival in a neotropical city

Urban Ecosystems ◽

10.1007/s11252-015-0523-z ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 649-655 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Anayani Rivera-López ◽

Ian MacGregor-Fors

Keyword(s):

Nest Survival ◽

Artificial Nest

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Nest survival patterns in Eurasian Bittern: effect of nest age, time and habitat variables

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.2047 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. e2047 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Marcin Polak

Keyword(s):

Survival Rate ◽

Endangered Species ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Species Conservation ◽

High Water ◽

Water Levels ◽

Vegetation Density ◽

Rare And Endangered Species ◽

Rare And Endangered ◽

Habitat Variables

Determining the key factors affecting the reproductive success of nesting birds is crucial in order to better understand the population dynamics of endangered species and to introduce effective conservation programmes for them. Inhabiting a variety of wetland habitats, aquatic birds actively select safe nesting sites so as to protect their nests against predators. The main aim of the present work was to assess the effect of temporal and habitat variables on the daily nest survival rate of Eurasian Bitterns colonizing semi--natural fishpond habitat in eastern Poland. MARK software was used for the modelling. Eurasian Bittern nests were most vulnerable to depredation at the beginning of the breeding season. This was probably because the reedbed vegetation at this time was not yet dense enough to effectively conceal the nests. There was a positive relationship between nest age and the daily survival rate. Two of the habitat variables analysed were of the greatest significance: water depth and vegetation density. In the Eurasian Bittern population studied here, nests built over deep water and in dense vegetation had the best chances of survival. The results of this work may be useful in the preparation of plans for the conservation and management of populations of this rare and endangered species. Conservation and restoration efforts that attempt to maintain high water levels will be especially beneficial to this avian species that is dependent on wetland ecosystems for breeding.

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The allocation between egg size and clutch size depends on local nest survival rate in a mean of bet-hedging in a shorebird

Avian Research ◽

10.1186/s40657-020-00225-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zitan Song ◽

Xin Lin ◽

Pinjia Que ◽

Naerhulan Halimubieke ◽

Qin Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Survival Rate ◽

Ambient Temperature ◽

Clutch Size ◽

Egg Size ◽

Life History Theory ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Offspring Size ◽

High Survival ◽

Allocation Of Resources ◽

Bet Hedging

Abstract Background The allocation of resources between offspring size and number is a central question of life-history theory. Although several studies have tested the existence of this trade-off, few studies have investigated how environmental variation influences the allocation of resources to offspring size and offspring number. Additionally, the relationship between population dynamics and the offspring size and number allocation is far less understood. Methods We investigate whether resource allocation between egg size and clutch size is influenced by the ambient temperature and whether it may be related to apparent nest survival rate. We measured 1548 eggs from 541 nests of two closely related shorebird species, the Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and the White-faced Plover (C. dealbatus) in China, in four populations that exhibit contrasting ambient environments. We weighed females, monitored nest survival, and calculated the variance of ambient temperature. Results Although we found that egg size and clutch size were all different between the four breeding populations, the reproductive investment (i.e. total clutch volume) was similar between populations. We also found that populations with a high survival rate had relatively larger eggs and a smaller clutch than populations with a low nest survival rate. The latter result is in line with a conservative/diversified bet-hedging strategy. Conclusions Our findings suggest that plovers may increasing fitness by investing fewer, larger or many, small according local nest survival rate to make a similar investment in reproduction, and thereby may have an impact on population demography.

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Artificial nest experiment reveals inter-guild facilitation in duck nest predation

Global Ecology and Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01305 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. e01305

Author(s):

Sari Holopainen ◽

Veli-Matti Väänänen ◽

Anthony D. Fox

Keyword(s):

Nest Predation ◽

Artificial Nest ◽

Artificial Nest Experiment

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EGG TYPE INFLUENCES PREDATION RATES IN ARTIFICIAL NEST EXPERIMENT

Journal of Field Ornithology ◽

10.1648/0273-8570-71.1.16 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 16-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Catherine Lindell

Keyword(s):

Artificial Nest ◽

Artificial Nest Experiment ◽

Predation Rates

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Predator search image and the dilution effect: When is the best time to nest?

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/ukz009 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 136 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Charles Duca ◽

Walquiria A Brunelli ◽

Paul F Doherty

Keyword(s):

Survival Rate ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Survival Function ◽

Dilution Effect ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Artificial Nests ◽

Search Image ◽

Nonbreeding Season ◽

Effect Hypothesis

AbstractThe predator search image hypothesis predicts that predators will focus on prey that are abundant and with which they have had success. However, the predator dilution effect hypothesis predicts a decrease in the per capita chance of being depredated with an increasing amount of prey. We evaluated these hypotheses through an artificial nest survival study. We estimated nest survival during both the non-breeding and breeding seasons of 2014 at a restinga (sand-coastalplain) area in southeastern Brazil. We installed 450 artificial nests (cup shaped) in each season and placed a Common quail (Coturnix coturnix) egg in each nest, totaling 900 nests. During the non-breeding season, our nests were the only ones present and thus the predator dilution effect should be absent. We estimated daily survival rate (DSR) using the “Nest Survival” function in the program MARK. We found a decrease in DSR at the middle and end in comparison with the onset of the non-breeding season, which supports the predator search image hypothesis. In comparison with the nonbreeding season, we also found that DSR of artificial nests was lower at the onset and end of the breeding season, but higher in the middle of the breeding season. This pattern matched the higher availability of prey (i.e. natural nests) in the middle of the breeding season in the study site, supporting the dilution effect hypothesis. The survival rate of artificial nests suggests that both the search image and the dilution effect may occur during the breeding season, and that the predator dilution effect masks the predator search image in the middle of the breeding season. Our results expand our understanding regarding the effects of the search image and predator dilution effect hypotheses on nest predation, showing that both are density-dependent and may occur during the breeding season

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