Power lines, roads, and avian nest survival: effects on predator identity and predation intensity.

ABSTRACT: 1 Anthropogenic alteration of landscapes can affect avian nest success by influencing the abundance, distribution, and behavior of predators. Understanding avian nest predation risk necessitates understanding how landscapes affect predator distribution and behavior. 2 From a sample of 463 nests of 17 songbird species, we evaluated how landscape features (distance to forest edge, unpaved roads, and power lines) influenced daily nest survival. We also used video cameras to identify nest predators at 137 nest predation events and evaluated how landscape features influenced predator identity. Finally, we determined the abundance and distribution of several of the principal predators using surveys and radiotelemetry. 3 Distance to power lines was the best predictor of predator identity: predati

SUBMITTER: DeGregorio BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4063460 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature