Dataset Information

Seasonal patterns in nest survival of a subtropical wading bird, the Hawaiian Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni).

ABSTRACT: Nest survival is influenced by where and when birds decide to breed. For ground-nesting species, nest-site characteristics, such as vegetation height and proximity to water, may impact the likelihood of nest flooding or depredation. Further, habitat characteristics, and thus nest survival, may fluctuate across the breeding season. The Hawaiian Stilt ('Ae'o; Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) is an endangered Hawaiian waterbird that nests in wetlands across the Hawaiian Islands. In this study, we used observational surveys and nest cameras to examine the impact of nest-site characteristics and day of nesting season on nest survival of the Hawaiian Stilt. Early nests had a higher chance of survival than late nests. For most of the nesting season, taller vegetation was correlated with increased nest survival, while shorter vegetation was correlated with increased nest survival late in the nesting season. Seasonal patterns in nest survival may be due to changes in parental behavior or predator activity. Nest depredation was responsible for 55% of confirmed nest failures and introduced mammals were the primary nest predators. Our study is the first to examine seasonality in nest survival of Hawaiian Stilts and suggests that, despite longer nesting seasons and year-round occupation of wetlands, late nesters in subtropical regions may have lower nest survival than early nesters, similar to trends observed in temperate regions.

SUBMITTER: Harmon KC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7860112 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Seasonal patterns in nest survival of a subtropical wading bird, the Hawaiian Stilt (<i>Himantopus mexicanus knudseni</i>).

Harmon Kristen C KC Wehr Nathaniel H NH Price Melissa R MR

PeerJ 20210201

Nest survival is influenced by where and when birds decide to breed. For ground-nesting species, nest-site characteristics, such as vegetation height and proximity to water, may impact the likelihood of nest flooding or depredation. Further, habitat characteristics, and thus nest survival, may fluctuate across the breeding season. The Hawaiian Stilt ('Ae'o; <i>Himantopus mexicanus knudseni</i>) is an endangered Hawaiian waterbird that nests in wetlands across the Hawaiian Islands. In this study, ...[more]

PMID: 33585079

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Project description:Understanding temporal patterns of marine mammal occurrence is useful for establishing conservation strategies. We used a 38 yr-long dataset spanning 1976 to 2013 to describe temporal patterns and trends in marine mammal strandings along a subtropical stretch of the east coast of South America. This region is influenced by a transitional zone between tropical and temperate waters and is considered an important fishing ground off Brazil. Generalized Additive Models were used to evaluate the temporal stranding patterns of the most frequently stranded species. Forty species were documented in 12,540 stranding events. Franciscana (n = 4,574), South American fur seal, (n = 3,419), South American sea lion (n = 2,049), bottlenose dolphins (n = 293) and subantarctic fur seal (n = 219) were the most frequently stranded marine mammals. The seasonality of strandings of franciscana and bottlenose dolphin coincided with periods of higher fishing effort and strandings of South American and subantarctic fur seals with post-reproductive dispersal. For South American sea lion the seasonality of strandings is associated with both fishing effort and post-reproductive dispersal. Some clear seasonal patterns were associated with occurrence of cold- (e.g. subantarctic fur seal) and warm-water (e.g. rough-toothed dolphin) species in winter and summer, respectively. Inter-annual increases in stranding rate were observed for franciscana and South American fur seal and these are likely related to increased fishing effort and population growth, respectively. For subantarctic fur seal the stranding rate showed a slight decline while for bottlenose dolphin it remained steady. No significant year to year variation in stranding rate was observed for South American sea lion. The slight decrease in frequency of temperate/polar marine mammals and the increased occurrence of subtropical/tropical species since the late 1990s might be associated with environmental changes linked to climate change. This long-term study indicates that temporal stranding patterns of marine mammals might be explained by either fishing-related or environmental factors.

Dataset Information

Seasonal patterns in nest survival of a subtropical wading bird, the Hawaiian Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni).

Publications

Seasonal patterns in nest survival of a subtropical wading bird, the Hawaiian Stilt (<i>Himantopus mexicanus knudseni</i>).

Similar Datasets

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