To aid managers in assessing status of Pacific black brant Branta bernicla nigricans, I examined preexisting long-term data series from summer, fall staging and wintering areas to infer overall population processes and assessed the utility of the various data sources. Variation in demographic parameters measured in sub-Arctic and Arctic locations suggests some form of meta-population structure likely exists for Pacific brant. I used serial autocorrelation coefficients assess the ability of various indices to track population processes. Based on this approach, the Lincoln-Petersen estimator and the fall aerial survey estimate partitioned using age ratios of staging brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska appear to be the best indicators. However, these two indexes show different trends for the overall Pacific black brant population. The Lincoln-Petersen estimates showed biologically implausible changes in size among sequential years, whereas the fall Izembek index did not. Annual estimates of survival and productivity fit the patterns of annual variation in the fall Izembek index better than the Lincoln-Petersen estimates. I conclude that the fall age partitioned Izembek Lagoon index appears to be the best for tracking population process in Pacific black brant.
{"title":"Comparison of Indices to infer Population Dynamics of Black Brant","authors":"P. Flint","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-088","url":null,"abstract":"To aid managers in assessing status of Pacific black brant Branta bernicla nigricans, I examined preexisting long-term data series from summer, fall staging and wintering areas to infer overall population processes and assessed the utility of the various data sources. Variation in demographic parameters measured in sub-Arctic and Arctic locations suggests some form of meta-population structure likely exists for Pacific brant. I used serial autocorrelation coefficients assess the ability of various indices to track population processes. Based on this approach, the Lincoln-Petersen estimator and the fall aerial survey estimate partitioned using age ratios of staging brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska appear to be the best indicators. However, these two indexes show different trends for the overall Pacific black brant population. The Lincoln-Petersen estimates showed biologically implausible changes in size among sequential years, whereas the fall Izembek index did not. Annual estimates of survival and productivity fit the patterns of annual variation in the fall Izembek index better than the Lincoln-Petersen estimates. I conclude that the fall age partitioned Izembek Lagoon index appears to be the best for tracking population process in Pacific black brant.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46416718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kevin M. Ringelman, M. G. Brasher, Joseph R. Marty, D. Butler, Stephen K. McDowell, Richard A. Temple
Geolocators are small devices that record and store time-stamped light-levels, and are typically used to approximate the latitude and longitude of small birds across the annual cycle. However, when geolocators are placed on leg bands of larger-bodied birds, the daily pattern of light and darkness is interrupted while females are incubating a nest. Thus, geolocators can provide information on nesting propensity, nest success, and renesting intensity; these demographic parameters are both difficult to measure unobtrusively and are critically important in determining population dynamics of birds, especially ducks. Here, we deployed 240 geolocators on mottled ducks Anas fulvigula in Louisiana and Texas 2018–2019 to evaluate their utility in providing nesting data. From July 2018–January 2022, we recovered 16 geolocators from hunter-harvested birds, and were made aware of 6 other unreported recoveries, yielding a realized recovery rate of 7.1% (9.1% unrealized). Three of the recovered units provided breeding season data. Two of these clearly indicated a single nest initiation in the early spring of 2019, and one of the units also logged an attempt in spring of 2020. All three nests were incubated for approximately a month, suggesting that they all successfully hatched. The final geolocator logged five putative nest attempts over the course of two years. In 2019, both attempts were unsuccessful (incubated ≤10 days). In 2020, we documented three attempts spanning 20 February–10 June, all of which appeared to have failed. For all failed attempts, the hen left the nest at dusk or overnight and did not return, which is suggestive of mammalian predation. Geolocators successfully provided information on breeding season activities of mottled ducks, and we documented renesting rates following nest depredation. However, we achieved a smaller sample size than anticipated (three usable returns), resulting in an effective cost of $11,800 per usable return. Where possible in other species, capturing birds immediately prior to the breeding season, and improvements to geolocator attachment have the potential to improve recovery rates and increase cost effectiveness of the technique.
{"title":"Evaluation of light-logging geolocators to study mottled duck nesting ecology","authors":"Kevin M. Ringelman, M. G. Brasher, Joseph R. Marty, D. Butler, Stephen K. McDowell, Richard A. Temple","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-22-014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-22-014","url":null,"abstract":"Geolocators are small devices that record and store time-stamped light-levels, and are typically used to approximate the latitude and longitude of small birds across the annual cycle. However, when geolocators are placed on leg bands of larger-bodied birds, the daily pattern of light and darkness is interrupted while females are incubating a nest. Thus, geolocators can provide information on nesting propensity, nest success, and renesting intensity; these demographic parameters are both difficult to measure unobtrusively and are critically important in determining population dynamics of birds, especially ducks. Here, we deployed 240 geolocators on mottled ducks Anas fulvigula in Louisiana and Texas 2018–2019 to evaluate their utility in providing nesting data. From July 2018–January 2022, we recovered 16 geolocators from hunter-harvested birds, and were made aware of 6 other unreported recoveries, yielding a realized recovery rate of 7.1% (9.1% unrealized). Three of the recovered units provided breeding season data. Two of these clearly indicated a single nest initiation in the early spring of 2019, and one of the units also logged an attempt in spring of 2020. All three nests were incubated for approximately a month, suggesting that they all successfully hatched. The final geolocator logged five putative nest attempts over the course of two years. In 2019, both attempts were unsuccessful (incubated ≤10 days). In 2020, we documented three attempts spanning 20 February–10 June, all of which appeared to have failed. For all failed attempts, the hen left the nest at dusk or overnight and did not return, which is suggestive of mammalian predation. Geolocators successfully provided information on breeding season activities of mottled ducks, and we documented renesting rates following nest depredation. However, we achieved a smaller sample size than anticipated (three usable returns), resulting in an effective cost of $11,800 per usable return. Where possible in other species, capturing birds immediately prior to the breeding season, and improvements to geolocator attachment have the potential to improve recovery rates and increase cost effectiveness of the technique.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45279081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brian Hickerson, Evan C. J. Booher, Elizabeth R. Grube, A. Robinson
Identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing freshwater systems for conservation is a persistent challenge for managers tasked with conservation and recovery of native fishes. We used historical records from the Gila River basin, the national hydrography dataset, and Random Forest modeling to predict probability of Spikedace Meda fulgida and Loach Minnow Rhinichthys cobitis occurrence throughout their range in the Gila River basin. Models for both species performed moderately well, with relatively high predicted probability of occurrence at streams with historical records. Predicted probability of occurrence was also relatively high in several streams without historical records of focal species, suggesting that there are unoccupied reaches throughout the Gila River basin with similar environmental conditions to historically occupied reaches for both species. Unoccupied reaches with the highest predicted probability of occurrence may have a greater chance of supporting translocated populations of focal species. Our results can be used as a first step for locating reaches most likely to support translocated populations of Spikedace and Loach Minnow within their respective historical ranges. Our approach may be applicable to other species of conservation concern with available historic records in need of population restoration.
{"title":"Assessing conservation potential of streams for Spikedace and Loach Minnow using species distribution modeling","authors":"Brian Hickerson, Evan C. J. Booher, Elizabeth R. Grube, A. Robinson","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-093","url":null,"abstract":"Identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing freshwater systems for conservation is a persistent challenge for managers tasked with conservation and recovery of native fishes. We used historical records from the Gila River basin, the national hydrography dataset, and Random Forest modeling to predict probability of Spikedace Meda fulgida and Loach Minnow Rhinichthys cobitis occurrence throughout their range in the Gila River basin. Models for both species performed moderately well, with relatively high predicted probability of occurrence at streams with historical records. Predicted probability of occurrence was also relatively high in several streams without historical records of focal species, suggesting that there are unoccupied reaches throughout the Gila River basin with similar environmental conditions to historically occupied reaches for both species. Unoccupied reaches with the highest predicted probability of occurrence may have a greater chance of supporting translocated populations of focal species. Our results can be used as a first step for locating reaches most likely to support translocated populations of Spikedace and Loach Minnow within their respective historical ranges. Our approach may be applicable to other species of conservation concern with available historic records in need of population restoration.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45834532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Management objectives for long-lived species are difficult to define as many taxa have delayed maturity and variable recruitment. White Sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus is an example of a species with a complex life history that complicates long-term status monitoring and establishment of management objectives. Historically, White Sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River basin have been monitored by tracking the abundance of age-15 individuals as outlined by the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. However, infrequent recruitment complicates progress toward Central Valley Project Improvement Act management objectives, as abundance of a single cohort fails to represent overall population trends. By using a Leslie population matrix, we demonstrate that the probability of reaching the Central Valley Project Improvement Act objective of 11,000 age-15 White Sturgeon is highly unlikely. We propose an alternative metric of 155,000 adults, which better represents overall population trends of White Sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River basin, can be efficiently monitored, and can support both the goal of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and management objectives.
{"title":"Management goals for conserving White Sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River basin","authors":"M. E. Ulaski, S. Blackburn, Z. Jackson, M. Quist","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-070","url":null,"abstract":"Management objectives for long-lived species are difficult to define as many taxa have delayed maturity and variable recruitment. White Sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus is an example of a species with a complex life history that complicates long-term status monitoring and establishment of management objectives. Historically, White Sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River basin have been monitored by tracking the abundance of age-15 individuals as outlined by the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. However, infrequent recruitment complicates progress toward Central Valley Project Improvement Act management objectives, as abundance of a single cohort fails to represent overall population trends. By using a Leslie population matrix, we demonstrate that the probability of reaching the Central Valley Project Improvement Act objective of 11,000 age-15 White Sturgeon is highly unlikely. We propose an alternative metric of 155,000 adults, which better represents overall population trends of White Sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River basin, can be efficiently monitored, and can support both the goal of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and management objectives.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46644924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Agricultural waste grains are significant for providing nutrients for wintering waterfowl in California. Rice and corn comprise 56% of their nutrient needs in the Central Valley and changes to agricultural practices, such as post-harvest treatments, could impact these food resources. Currently, there is limited data on how post-harvest treatments in rice and corn fields affects the abundance of waste grain, yet these data are essential to determine the carrying capacity of agricultural lands for wintering waterfowl. To address this knowledge gap, we estimated the abundance of waste grain (kg/ha) using dry field transects, dry field soil cores, and flooded field (wet) soil cores. In 2016 and 2017 we sampled 84 rice fields and 47 corn fields. Our results indicate that the abundance of waste rice varied significantly among post-harvest treatments. Fields that received no post-harvest treatment (stubble left standing; no incorporation of straw) had the greatest amounts of waste rice, whereas fields that were disced, disced and rolled, or burned provided the least amount of waste rice. The average abundance of waste rice across all post-harvest treatments was 320 kg/ha in dry fields (arithmetic mean; geometric mean = 228 kg/ha; soil core samples) . Estimates of waste rice in flooded fields averaged only 169 kg/ha (geometric mean 98 kg/ha; soil core samples) , significantly lower than in the same fields prior to flooding. Variation in the abundance of waste corn was greater than rice fields. Fields that did not receive any post-harvest incorporation had the greatest abundance of waste corn, 233 kg/ha on average (arithmetic mean; geometric mean = 72 kg/ha) , whereas fields that were incorporated (Disk or Disk and Roll) contained significantly lower abundance of waste corn averaging 50-60 kg/ha (arithmetic mean; geometric mean = 5-10 kg/ha) . The average, across all post-harvest treatments, was 159 kg/ha of waste corn ( geometric mean = 25-34 kg/ha) . Our results suggest that the abundance of waste grain in rice and corn fields is affected by post-harvest practices and, as these practices change, wintering waterfowl could be impacted. Our results also indicate that the method of sampling waste grain can influence estimates of residual grain abundance.
{"title":"Impacts of Changing Post-harvest Agricultural Practices on Abundance of Waste Grain in California’s Central Valley","authors":"Luke James-Hight Matthews, Mark Petrie, J. Eadie","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-061","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural waste grains are significant for providing nutrients for wintering waterfowl in California. Rice and corn comprise 56% of their nutrient needs in the Central Valley and changes to agricultural practices, such as post-harvest treatments, could impact these food resources. Currently, there is limited data on how post-harvest treatments in rice and corn fields affects the abundance of waste grain, yet these data are essential to determine the carrying capacity of agricultural lands for wintering waterfowl. To address this knowledge gap, we estimated the abundance of waste grain (kg/ha) using dry field transects, dry field soil cores, and flooded field (wet) soil cores. In 2016 and 2017 we sampled 84 rice fields and 47 corn fields. Our results indicate that the abundance of waste rice varied significantly among post-harvest treatments. Fields that received no post-harvest treatment (stubble left standing; no incorporation of straw) had the greatest amounts of waste rice, whereas fields that were disced, disced and rolled, or burned provided the least amount of waste rice. The average abundance of waste rice across all post-harvest treatments was 320 kg/ha in dry fields (arithmetic mean; geometric mean = 228 kg/ha; soil core samples) . Estimates of waste rice in flooded fields averaged only 169 kg/ha (geometric mean 98 kg/ha; soil core samples) , significantly lower than in the same fields prior to flooding. Variation in the abundance of waste corn was greater than rice fields. Fields that did not receive any post-harvest incorporation had the greatest abundance of waste corn, 233 kg/ha on average (arithmetic mean; geometric mean = 72 kg/ha) , whereas fields that were incorporated (Disk or Disk and Roll) contained significantly lower abundance of waste corn averaging 50-60 kg/ha (arithmetic mean; geometric mean = 5-10 kg/ha) . The average, across all post-harvest treatments, was 159 kg/ha of waste corn ( geometric mean = 25-34 kg/ha) . Our results suggest that the abundance of waste grain in rice and corn fields is affected by post-harvest practices and, as these practices change, wintering waterfowl could be impacted. Our results also indicate that the method of sampling waste grain can influence estimates of residual grain abundance.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44232343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
W. Severud, David W. Wolfson, J. Fieberg, D. E. Andersen
Age-structured population models require reliable estimates of cohort-specific survival rates, yet vital rates of younger age classes are often difficult to estimate because of the logistical challenges of monitoring young animals. As part of a study of sandhill cranes Antigone canadensis in the zone of contact between breeding distributions of the Eastern Population and Mid-continent Population in Minnesota, United States, we monitored first summer survival of 34 sandhill cranes (hereafter, “colts”) using VHF and/or GPS-GSM transmitters. We estimated daily survival probabilities from 19 to 120 days post-hatch using a generalized linear model accounting for interval censoring, resulting in an estimated period survival rate of 0.52 (90% confidence interval 0.36–0.71) over summer (100 days). Estimated daily probabilities of survival increased as colts became older and fledged (at 70–75 days post-hatch), when they presumably became less vulnerable to predation. Causes of mortality were mostly unknown aside from one case of a collision with a vehicle. There is a scarcity of published colt survival rate estimates for sandhill cranes and what is available varies widely by study site. Region-specific sandhill crane colt survival rate estimates can inform future management efforts and inform population dynamics research and overall natural history knowledge of sandhill cranes.
{"title":"Sandhill crane colt survival in Minnesota","authors":"W. Severud, David W. Wolfson, J. Fieberg, D. E. Andersen","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-097","url":null,"abstract":"Age-structured population models require reliable estimates of cohort-specific survival rates, yet vital rates of younger age classes are often difficult to estimate because of the logistical challenges of monitoring young animals. As part of a study of sandhill cranes Antigone canadensis in the zone of contact between breeding distributions of the Eastern Population and Mid-continent Population in Minnesota, United States, we monitored first summer survival of 34 sandhill cranes (hereafter, “colts”) using VHF and/or GPS-GSM transmitters. We estimated daily survival probabilities from 19 to 120 days post-hatch using a generalized linear model accounting for interval censoring, resulting in an estimated period survival rate of 0.52 (90% confidence interval 0.36–0.71) over summer (100 days). Estimated daily probabilities of survival increased as colts became older and fledged (at 70–75 days post-hatch), when they presumably became less vulnerable to predation. Causes of mortality were mostly unknown aside from one case of a collision with a vehicle. There is a scarcity of published colt survival rate estimates for sandhill cranes and what is available varies widely by study site. Region-specific sandhill crane colt survival rate estimates can inform future management efforts and inform population dynamics research and overall natural history knowledge of sandhill cranes.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45923774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The global decline of songbird populations is a well-recognized conservation issue. Domestic cats are estimated to kill approximately 2.4 billion birds each year in the United States alone – more than most other anthropogenic threats combined. As many pet owners are reluctant to keep their cats inside, collar-mounted anti-predation devices for domestic cats may be an important conservation tool. We examined the effectiveness of the Birdsbesafe® collar cover (BCC), a sleeve of brightly patterned fabric worn over a typical breakaway collar. The bright colors of the BCC are intended to alert potential prey to the cat’s presence. By combining data from two studies in New York (2014 and 2019) and one in Florida (2019), all of which used similar methods, we tested the hypothesis that the BCC effectively reduces avian mortality caused by cats of different ages and sexes in different hunting environments. We tested 94 cats over a 12-week period in New York in 2014 or 8-week periods in Florida and New York in 2019 during the bird breeding seasons; cats alternated 2-week periods with and without the collar. Across studies, we recovered 2.7 times fewer birds per cat with the BCC than without (P = 0.006). The BCC was more effective at a temperate latitude than a subtropical one (P = 0.047). There was no difference in the effectiveness of the BCC for cats of varying ages, sexes, or hunting environments. Our results suggest that the BCC could be one tool within a larger effort to decrease domestic cat predation of songbirds.
{"title":"How effective is the Birdsbesafe® cat collar at reducing bird kills by domestic cats?","authors":"Margaret Brynn Jensen, S. K. Willson, A. Powell","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-055","url":null,"abstract":"The global decline of songbird populations is a well-recognized conservation issue. Domestic cats are estimated to kill approximately 2.4 billion birds each year in the United States alone – more than most other anthropogenic threats combined. As many pet owners are reluctant to keep their cats inside, collar-mounted anti-predation devices for domestic cats may be an important conservation tool. We examined the effectiveness of the Birdsbesafe® collar cover (BCC), a sleeve of brightly patterned fabric worn over a typical breakaway collar. The bright colors of the BCC are intended to alert potential prey to the cat’s presence. By combining data from two studies in New York (2014 and 2019) and one in Florida (2019), all of which used similar methods, we tested the hypothesis that the BCC effectively reduces avian mortality caused by cats of different ages and sexes in different hunting environments. We tested 94 cats over a 12-week period in New York in 2014 or 8-week periods in Florida and New York in 2019 during the bird breeding seasons; cats alternated 2-week periods with and without the collar. Across studies, we recovered 2.7 times fewer birds per cat with the BCC than without (P = 0.006). The BCC was more effective at a temperate latitude than a subtropical one (P = 0.047). There was no difference in the effectiveness of the BCC for cats of varying ages, sexes, or hunting environments. Our results suggest that the BCC could be one tool within a larger effort to decrease domestic cat predation of songbirds.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47147478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Predation pressure from carnivores can shape ecological communities and have significant consequences for prey species that are declining or recovering from historical declines. New England cottontails Sylvilagus transitionalis are a species of Greatest Conservation Need in Connecticut (USA) and are experiencing continued declines associated with habitat loss. Restoration of early successional habitat is underway to address the most significant threat to their populations. However, one of the largest documented sources of mortality is associated with several key predators and remains a threat to recovery efforts. Our objectives were to develop species-specific occupancy estimates of carnivores in early successional habitat and relate our findings to the potential recovery of New England cottontails. We conducted camera surveys at 34 sites in early successional habitat in or near New England cottontail Focus Areas throughout Connecticut and used the program MARK to estimate occupancy and detectability from detection data. Key predators were found in early successional habitat, but their detectability was generally low. Occupancy was highest for coyotes Canis latrans and regional occupancy differed only for bobcats Lynx rufus. Covariates that influenced parameter estimates in our models included high road densities and the intensity of cottontail Sylvilagus detections. Expanding carnivores, particularly coyote and bobcat, may place additional pressure on New England cottontail recovery in the state, but restoration efforts that promote contiguous habitat and reduce isolated patches, where predation risk is higher, will improve their chances of a long-term recovery.
{"title":"Carnivore occupancy within the early successional habitat of New England cottontails","authors":"Kyle Testerman, Paul Hapeman","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-049","url":null,"abstract":"Predation pressure from carnivores can shape ecological communities and have significant consequences for prey species that are declining or recovering from historical declines. New England cottontails Sylvilagus transitionalis are a species of Greatest Conservation Need in Connecticut (USA) and are experiencing continued declines associated with habitat loss. Restoration of early successional habitat is underway to address the most significant threat to their populations. However, one of the largest documented sources of mortality is associated with several key predators and remains a threat to recovery efforts. Our objectives were to develop species-specific occupancy estimates of carnivores in early successional habitat and relate our findings to the potential recovery of New England cottontails. We conducted camera surveys at 34 sites in early successional habitat in or near New England cottontail Focus Areas throughout Connecticut and used the program MARK to estimate occupancy and detectability from detection data. Key predators were found in early successional habitat, but their detectability was generally low. Occupancy was highest for coyotes Canis latrans and regional occupancy differed only for bobcats Lynx rufus. Covariates that influenced parameter estimates in our models included high road densities and the intensity of cottontail Sylvilagus detections. Expanding carnivores, particularly coyote and bobcat, may place additional pressure on New England cottontail recovery in the state, but restoration efforts that promote contiguous habitat and reduce isolated patches, where predation risk is higher, will improve their chances of a long-term recovery.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42145091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
System-scale restoration efforts within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge have included annual monitoring of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) since 1998 in four representative reaches spanning ~440 river km. We developed predictive models relating monitoring data (site-scale SAV abundance indices) to diver-harvested SAV biomass, used the models to back-estimate annual standing stock biomass between 1998 and 2018 and compared biomass estimates to previous abundance measures. Two morphologically distinct groups of SAV with differing sampling efficiencies were modeled and estimated separately: the first category included only wild celery Vallisneria americana, which has long, unbranched leaves and dominates lotic environments, while the second category included 17 branched morphology species (e.g., hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum and Canadian water weed Elodea canadensis) and dominates lentic environments. Wild celery accounted for approximately half of total estimated total biomass in the four reaches, combined branched species accounted for half, and invasive species (Eurasian watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum and curly-leaf pondweed Potamogeton crispus), a fraction of the branched species, accounted for <1.5%. Site-scale SAV estimates ranged from 0 to 535 g m-2 (dry mass). Increases in biomass were observed in most areas between 1998 and 2009 and substantial increases (e.g., from <10 g m-2 to ~125 g m-2) in wild celery observed in extensive impounded areas between 2002 and 2007. Analyses also indicate a transitional period in 2007-2010 during which changes in biomass trajectories were evident in all reaches, and included the start of a nine-year, ~70% decrease in wild celery biomass in the southernmost impounded area. Biomass estimates provided new insights and illustrated scales of change that were not previously apparent using traditional metrics. The ability to estimate biomass from LTRM monitoring data improves conservation efforts through better understanding of changes in habitat and food resources for biota, improved goal setting for restoration projects and improved quantification of SAV-mediated structural effects such as anchoring of sediments and feedbacks with water quality.
自1998年以来，密西西比河上游国家野生动物和鱼类保护区内的系统规模恢复工作包括对跨越约440河公里的四个代表性河段的淹没水生植被（SAV）进行年度监测。我们开发了将监测数据（现场规模的SAV丰度指数）与潜水员收获的SAV生物量相关的预测模型，使用这些模型对1998年至2018年间的年度常备种群生物量进行了反向估计，并将生物量估计值与以前的丰度测量值进行了比较。分别对具有不同采样效率的两组形态上不同的SAV进行了建模和估计：第一类仅包括野生芹菜美洲苦草，它有长而不分枝的叶子，在乳液环境中占主导地位，而第二类包括17个分支形态物种（如角藻金鱼藻和加拿大水草Elodea canadensis），并在慢生环境中占主导地位。野生芹菜约占四个河段估计总生物量的一半，混合分支物种占一半，入侵物种（欧亚水杨和卷叶pondweed Potamogeton crispus）（分支物种的一部分）占<1.5%。现场规模的SAV估计值在0-535 g m-2（干质量）之间。1998年至2009年间，大多数地区的生物量都有所增加，2002年至2007年间，在大面积蓄水的地区，野生芹菜的数量也大幅增加（例如，从<10克m-2增加到~125克m-2）。分析还表明，2007-2010年是一个过渡期，在此期间，所有河段的生物量轨迹都发生了明显变化，其中包括最南端蓄水区的野生芹菜生物量开始了九年约70%的下降。生物量估计提供了新的见解，并说明了以前使用传统指标时不明显的变化规模。通过LTRM监测数据估计生物量的能力，通过更好地了解生物群栖息地和食物资源的变化，改进恢复项目的目标设定，以及改进SAV介导的结构效应的量化，如沉积物的锚定和水质反馈，改进了保护工作。
{"title":"Annual summer submersed macrophyte standing stocks estimated from long-term monitoring data in the Upper Mississippi River.","authors":"D. Drake, E. Lund, R. M. Kreiling","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-063","url":null,"abstract":"System-scale restoration efforts within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge have included annual monitoring of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) since 1998 in four representative reaches spanning ~440 river km. We developed predictive models relating monitoring data (site-scale SAV abundance indices) to diver-harvested SAV biomass, used the models to back-estimate annual standing stock biomass between 1998 and 2018 and compared biomass estimates to previous abundance measures. Two morphologically distinct groups of SAV with differing sampling efficiencies were modeled and estimated separately: the first category included only wild celery Vallisneria americana, which has long, unbranched leaves and dominates lotic environments, while the second category included 17 branched morphology species (e.g., hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum and Canadian water weed Elodea canadensis) and dominates lentic environments. Wild celery accounted for approximately half of total estimated total biomass in the four reaches, combined branched species accounted for half, and invasive species (Eurasian watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum and curly-leaf pondweed Potamogeton crispus), a fraction of the branched species, accounted for <1.5%. Site-scale SAV estimates ranged from 0 to 535 g m-2 (dry mass). Increases in biomass were observed in most areas between 1998 and 2009 and substantial increases (e.g., from <10 g m-2 to ~125 g m-2) in wild celery observed in extensive impounded areas between 2002 and 2007. Analyses also indicate a transitional period in 2007-2010 during which changes in biomass trajectories were evident in all reaches, and included the start of a nine-year, ~70% decrease in wild celery biomass in the southernmost impounded area. Biomass estimates provided new insights and illustrated scales of change that were not previously apparent using traditional metrics. The ability to estimate biomass from LTRM monitoring data improves conservation efforts through better understanding of changes in habitat and food resources for biota, improved goal setting for restoration projects and improved quantification of SAV-mediated structural effects such as anchoring of sediments and feedbacks with water quality.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48755856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Mushet, Max Post van der Burg, Michael J. Anteau
Fish and wildlife populations are under unprecedented threats from changes in land use and climate. With increasing threats comes a need for an expanded constituency that can contribute to the public support and financial capital needed for habitat conservation and management. Using an ecosystem services approach can provide a framework for a more holistic accounting of conservation benefits. Our objective here is to provide a greater understanding of the role that taking an ecosystem services approach can have in expanding the public constituency that supports the use of financial capital required to conserve and manage the Nation’s natural capital. To demonstrate a methodology and the usefulness of taking an ecosystem services approach when communicating the value of conserving and managing fish and wildlife habitats, we performed an evaluation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owned Waterfowl Production Areas, National Wildlife Refuges, and easement lands (both wetland and grassland) in Stutsman County, North Dakota, USA. We quantified amphibian habitat, grassland-bird habitat, floral resources for pollinators, and carbon storage services under various scenarios of conservation. While we did not include all possible ecosystem services in our model, our case study shows how this process can provide a more complete picture of the collateral benefits of conservation directed primarily towards waterfowl. Using this ecosystem services approach we documented marked losses in all services modeled if current conservations lands were developed for the production of agricultural crops. By having access to a more complete picture of benefits provided by conservation lands, decision makers can better communicate their value. By garnering greater public support through a more accurate accounting of societal benefits, conservation and management of dwindling natural capital may someday attain the same level of thought and consideration that is put into the conservation and management of the Nation’s financial capital.
{"title":"Assessing conservation and management actions with ecosystem services better communicates conservation value to the public","authors":"D. Mushet, Max Post van der Burg, Michael J. Anteau","doi":"10.3996/jfwm-21-083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-21-083","url":null,"abstract":"Fish and wildlife populations are under unprecedented threats from changes in land use and climate. With increasing threats comes a need for an expanded constituency that can contribute to the public support and financial capital needed for habitat conservation and management. Using an ecosystem services approach can provide a framework for a more holistic accounting of conservation benefits. Our objective here is to provide a greater understanding of the role that taking an ecosystem services approach can have in expanding the public constituency that supports the use of financial capital required to conserve and manage the Nation’s natural capital. To demonstrate a methodology and the usefulness of taking an ecosystem services approach when communicating the value of conserving and managing fish and wildlife habitats, we performed an evaluation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owned Waterfowl Production Areas, National Wildlife Refuges, and easement lands (both wetland and grassland) in Stutsman County, North Dakota, USA. We quantified amphibian habitat, grassland-bird habitat, floral resources for pollinators, and carbon storage services under various scenarios of conservation. While we did not include all possible ecosystem services in our model, our case study shows how this process can provide a more complete picture of the collateral benefits of conservation directed primarily towards waterfowl. Using this ecosystem services approach we documented marked losses in all services modeled if current conservations lands were developed for the production of agricultural crops. By having access to a more complete picture of benefits provided by conservation lands, decision makers can better communicate their value. By garnering greater public support through a more accurate accounting of societal benefits, conservation and management of dwindling natural capital may someday attain the same level of thought and consideration that is put into the conservation and management of the Nation’s financial capital.","PeriodicalId":49036,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70143555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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