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Efrat R, Hatzofe O, Mueller T, Sapir N, Berger-Tal O. Early and accumulated experience shape migration and flight in Egyptian vultures. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5526-5532.e4. [PMID: 38042150 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Two types of experience affect animals' behavioral proficiencies and, accordingly, their fitness: early-life experience, an animal's environment during its early development, and acquired experience, the repeated practice of a specific task.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Yet, how these two experience types and their interactions affect different proficiencies is still an open question. Here, we study the interactions between these two types of experience during migration, a critical and challenging period.9,10 We do so by comparing migratory proficiencies between birds with different early-life experiences and explain these differences by testing fine-scale flight mechanisms. We used data collected by GPS transmitters during 127 autumn migrations of 65 individuals to study the flight proficiencies of two groups of Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus), a long-distance, soaring raptor.11,12 The two groups differed greatly in their early-life experience, one group being captive bred and the other wild hatched.13 Both groups improved their migratory performance with acquired experience, exhibiting shorter migration times, longer daily progress, and improved flight skills, specifically more efficient soaring-gliding behavior. The observed improvements were mostly apparent for captive-bred vultures, which were the least efficient during their first migration but were able to catch up in their migratory performance already in the second migration. Thus, we show how the strong negative effects of early-life experience were offset by acquired experience. Our findings uncover how the interaction between early-life and acquired experiences may shape animals' proficiencies and shed new light on the ontogeny of animal migration, suggesting possible effects of sensitive periods of learning on the acquisition of migratory skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Efrat
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.
| | - Ohad Hatzofe
- Science Division, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Am Ve'Olamo 3, 9546303 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Georg Voigt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Biological Sciences, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max von Laue, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Oded Berger-Tal
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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2
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Payo‐Payo A, Sanz‐Aguilar A, Oro D. Long‐lasting effects of harsh early‐life conditions on adult survival of a long‐lived vertebrate. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Payo‐Payo
- School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - Ana Sanz‐Aguilar
- Animal Demography and Ecology Group, IMEDEA (CSIC‐UIB) Esporles Spain
- Applied Zoology and Conservation Group, Univ. of the Balearic Islands Palma Spain
| | - Daniel Oro
- Applied Zoology and Conservation Group, Univ. of the Balearic Islands Palma Spain
- Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes (CEAB) Blanes Spain
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3
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Breeding transients in capture-recapture modeling and their consequences for local population dynamics. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15815. [PMID: 32978429 PMCID: PMC7519680 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72778-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Standard procedures for capture-mark-recapture modelling (CMR) for the study of animal demography include running goodness-of-fit tests on a general starting model. A frequent reason for poor model fit is heterogeneity in local survival among individuals captured for the first time and those already captured or seen on previous occasions. This deviation is technically termed a transience effect. In specific cases, simple, uni-state CMR modeling showing transients may allow researchers to assess the role of these transients on population dynamics. Transient individuals nearly always have a lower local survival probability, which may appear for a number of reasons. In most cases, transients arise due to permanent dispersal, higher mortality, or a combination of both. In the case of higher mortality, transients may be symptomatic of a cost of first reproduction. A few studies working at large spatial scales actually show that transients more often correspond to survival costs of first reproduction rather than to permanent dispersal, bolstering the interpretation of transience as a measure of costs of reproduction, since initial detections are often associated with first breeding attempts. Regardless of their cause, the loss of transients from a local population should lower population growth rate. We review almost 1000 papers using CMR modeling and find that almost 40% of studies fitting the searching criteria (N = 115) detected transients. Nevertheless, few researchers have considered the ecological or evolutionary meaning of the transient phenomenon. Only three studies from the reviewed papers considered transients to be a cost of first reproduction. We also analyze a long-term individual monitoring dataset (1988-2012) on a long-lived bird to quantify transients, and we use a life table response experiment (LTRE) to measure the consequences of transients at a population level. As expected, population growth rate decreased when the environment became harsher while the proportion of transients increased. LTRE analysis showed that population growth can be substantially affected by changes in traits that are variable under environmental stochasticity and deterministic perturbations, such as recruitment, fecundity of experienced individuals, and transient probabilities. This occurred even though sensitivities and elasticities of these parameters were much lower than those for adult survival. The proportion of transients also increased with the strength of density-dependence. These results have implications for ecological and evolutionary studies and may stimulate other researchers to explore the ecological processes behind the occurrence of transients in capture-recapture studies. In population models, the inclusion of a specific state for transients may help to make more reliable predictions for endangered and harvested species.
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Donázar JA, Barbosa JM, García-Alfonso M, van Overveld T, Gangoso L, de la Riva M. Too much is bad: increasing numbers of livestock and conspecifics reduce body mass in an avian scavenger. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02125. [PMID: 32167643 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Individual traits such as body mass can serve as early warning signals of changes in the fitness prospects of animal populations facing environmental impacts. Here, taking advantage of a 19-yr monitoring, we assessed how individual, population, and environmental factors modulate long-term changes in the body mass of Canarian Egyptian vultures. Individual vulture body mass increased when primary productivity was highly variable, but decreased in years with a high abundance of livestock. We hypothesized that carcasses of wild animals, a natural food resource that can be essential for avian scavengers, could be more abundant in periods of weather instability but depleted when high livestock numbers lead to overgrazing. In addition, increasing vulture population numbers also negatively affect body mass suggesting density-dependent competition for food. Interestingly, the relative strength of individual, population and resource availability factors on body mass changed with age and territorial status, a pattern presumably shaped by differences in competitive abilities and/or age-dependent environmental knowledge and foraging skills. Our study supports that individual plastic traits may be extremely reliable tools to better understand the response of secondary consumers to current and future natural and human-induced environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Donázar
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avenida Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Jomar M Barbosa
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avenida Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
- Department of Applied Biology, University Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain
| | - Marina García-Alfonso
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avenida Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Thijs van Overveld
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avenida Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Laura Gangoso
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avenida Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Manuel de la Riva
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avenida Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
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5
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McLean EM, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Lifetime Fitness in Wild Female Baboons: Trade-Offs and Individual Heterogeneity in Quality. Am Nat 2019; 194:745-759. [PMID: 31738100 DOI: 10.1086/705810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the evolution of life histories requires information on how life histories vary among individuals and how such variation predicts individual fitness. Using complete life histories for females in a well-studied population of wild baboons, we tested two nonexclusive hypotheses about the relationships among survival, reproduction, and fitness: the quality hypothesis, which predicts positive correlations between life-history traits, mediated by variation in resource acquisition, and the trade-off hypothesis, which predicts negative correlations between life-history traits, mediated by trade-offs in resource allocation. In support of the quality hypothesis, we found that females with higher rates of offspring survival were themselves better at surviving. Further, after statistically controlling for variation in female quality, we found evidence for two types of trade-offs: females who produced surviving offspring at a slower rate had longer life spans than those who produced surviving offspring at a faster rate, and females who produced surviving offspring at a slower rate had a higher overall proportion of offspring survive infancy than females who produced surviving offspring at a faster rate. Importantly, these trade-offs were evident even when accounting for (i) the influence of offspring survival on maternal birth rate, (ii) the dependence of offspring survival on maternal survival, and (iii) potential age-related changes in birth rate and/or offspring survival. Our results shed light on why trade-offs are evident in some populations while variation in individual quality masks trade-offs in others.
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Oosthuizen WC, Postma M, Altwegg R, Nevoux M, Pradel R, Bester MN, Bruyn PJN. Individual heterogeneity in life‐history trade‐offs with age at first reproduction in capital breeding elephant seals. POPUL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/1438-390x.12015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- W. Chris Oosthuizen
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Hatfield South Africa
| | - Martin Postma
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Hatfield South Africa
| | - Res Altwegg
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
- African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Marie Nevoux
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Hatfield South Africa
- UMRESE, Ecology and Ecosystem Health, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA Rennes France
| | - Roger Pradel
- Biostatistics and Population Biology Group, CEFE, CNRS, University of Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Marthán N. Bester
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Hatfield South Africa
| | - P. J. Nico Bruyn
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Hatfield South Africa
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7
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Payo-Payo A, Sanz-Aguilar A, Genovart M, Bertolero A, Piccardo J, Camps D, Ruiz-Olmo J, Oro D. Predator arrival elicits differential dispersal, change in age structure and reproductive performance in a prey population. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1971. [PMID: 29386550 PMCID: PMC5792507 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20333-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators are an important ecological and evolutionary force shaping prey population dynamics. Ecologists have extensively assessed the lethal effects of invasive predators on prey populations. However, the role of non-lethal effects, such as physiological stress or behavioural responses like dispersal, has been comparatively overlooked and their potential population effects remain obscure. Over the last 23 years, we developed a mark-recapture program for the Audouin's gull and an intensive carnivore monitoring program to assess how the appearance and invasion of the study site by carnivores affects population dynamics. We evaluate changes in turnover of discrete breeding patches within the colony, age structure and breeding performance. Once carnivores entered the colony, the number of occupied patches increased, indicating a higher patch turnover. Breeders responded by moving to areas less accessible to carnivores. More importantly, the presence of carnivores caused differential (and density-independent) breeding dispersal: experienced, better-performing breeders were more likely to leave the colony than younger breeders. This differential dispersal modified the age structure and reduced the reproductive performance of the population. Our results confirm the importance experience in the study of populations. The role of differential dispersal for animal population dynamics might be more important than previously thought, especially under scenarios of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A Sanz-Aguilar
- GEDA, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
- Ecology Area, Dept. Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
| | - M Genovart
- IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
- CEAB (CSIC), Blanes, Spain
| | - A Bertolero
- Associació Ornitològica Picampall de les Terres de l'Ebre, Amposta, Spain
| | - J Piccardo
- Associació Ornitològica Picampall de les Terres de l'Ebre, Amposta, Spain
| | - D Camps
- General Directorate for Environmental Policy, Ministry of Territory and Sustainability, Government of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Ruiz-Olmo
- General Directorate of the Natural Environment and Biodiversity, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and Natural Environment, Government of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - D Oro
- CEAB (CSIC), Blanes, Spain
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8
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Guindre-Parker S, Rubenstein DR. No short-term physiological costs of offspring care in a cooperatively breeding bird. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.186569. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.186569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The cost of reproduction results in a life-history trade-off where investment in current reproduction via costly parental care decreases subsequent fitness. Although this trade-off is thought to occur ubiquitously across animals, there is equivocal evidence that parental care behaviours are costly. A major challenge of studying the cost of parental care has been a lack of consensus over which physiological mechanisms underlie this trade-off. Here we compare four traits believed to mediate the cost of parental care by examining whether glucocorticoids, oxidative stress, immune function, or body condition represent a cost of performing offspring care and shape subsequent fitness. We use a 4-year dataset collected in free-living cooperatively breeding superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus), a species in which parental and alloparental care effort varies widely among individuals and across years. Our results showed that within-individual change in physiology was unrelated to investment in offspring care, and physiological state during chick-rearing did not predict the likelihood that an individual would breeding in subsequent seasons. Instead, individuals that had elevated baseline corticosterone during incubation performed more nest guarding, suggesting that this hormone may play a preparatory role for investing in offspring care. Together, our results indicate that superb starlings modify their investment in offspring care according to their physiological state during incubation, despite no evidence of a short-term physiological cost of parental or alloparental care. Thus, breeding cooperatively appears to provide individuals with the flexibility to adjust their investment in offspring care and overcome any potential costs of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Guindre-Parker
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi
| | - Dustin R. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi
- Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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9
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Matović N, Cadiou B, Oro D, Sanz-Aguilar A. Disentangling the effects of predation and oceanographic fluctuations in the mortality of two allopatric seabird populations. POPUL ECOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-017-0590-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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10
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Santidrián Tomillo P, Robinson NJ, Sanz-Aguilar A, Spotila JR, Paladino FV, Tavecchia G. High and variable mortality of leatherback turtles reveal possible anthropogenic impacts. Ecology 2017; 98:2170-2179. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P. Santidrián Tomillo
- Population Ecology Group; Institut Mediterrani d’ Estudis Avançats; IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB); Miquel Marquès, 21 Esporles 07190 Spain
- The Leatherback Trust; Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Station; Playa Grande Costa Rica
| | - N. J. Robinson
- The Leatherback Trust; Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Station; Playa Grande Costa Rica
- Department of Biology; Indiana-Purdue University; Fort Wayne Indiana 46805 USA
| | - A. Sanz-Aguilar
- Population Ecology Group; Institut Mediterrani d’ Estudis Avançats; IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB); Miquel Marquès, 21 Esporles 07190 Spain
| | - J. R. Spotila
- The Leatherback Trust; Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Station; Playa Grande Costa Rica
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science; Drexel University; Philadelphia Pennsylvania 19104 USA
| | - F. V. Paladino
- The Leatherback Trust; Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Station; Playa Grande Costa Rica
- Department of Biology; Indiana-Purdue University; Fort Wayne Indiana 46805 USA
| | - G. Tavecchia
- Population Ecology Group; Institut Mediterrani d’ Estudis Avançats; IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB); Miquel Marquès, 21 Esporles 07190 Spain
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11
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Sanz-Aguilar A, Cortés-Avizanda A, Serrano D, Blanco G, Ceballos O, Grande JM, Tella JL, Donázar JA. Sex- and age-dependent patterns of survival and breeding success in a long-lived endangered avian scavenger. Sci Rep 2017; 7:40204. [PMID: 28074860 PMCID: PMC5225485 DOI: 10.1038/srep40204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In long-lived species, the age-, stage- and/or sex-dependent patterns of survival and reproduction determine the evolution of life history strategies, the shape of the reproductive value, and ultimately population dynamics. We evaluate the combined effects of age and sex in recruitment, breeder survival and breeding success of the globally endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), using 31-years of exhaustive data on marked individuals in Spain. Mean age of first reproduction was 7-yrs for both sexes, but females showed an earlier median and a larger variance than males. We found an age-related improvement in breeding success at the population level responding to the selective appearance and disappearance of phenotypes of different quality but unrelated to within-individual aging effects. Old males (≥8 yrs) showed a higher survival than both young males (≤7 yrs) and females, these later in turn not showing aging effects. Evolutionary trade-offs between age of recruitment and fitness (probably related to costs of territory acquisition and defense) as well as human-related mortality may explain these findings. Sex- and age-related differences in foraging strategies and susceptibility to toxics could be behind the relatively low survival of females and young males, adding a new concern for the conservation of this endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sanz-Aguilar
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC. Americo Vespucio s/n, Isla La Cartuja E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
- Population Ecology Group, Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, E-07190 Esporles, Islas Baleares, Spain
- Ecology Area, Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University. Avda. de la Universidad s/n, E-03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Ainara Cortés-Avizanda
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC. Americo Vespucio s/n, Isla La Cartuja E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
- Infraestruturas de Portugal Biodiversity Chair CIBIO/InBIO. Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto. Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- CEABN/InBio, Centro de Ecologia Aplicada “Professor Baeta Neves”, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - David Serrano
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC. Americo Vespucio s/n, Isla La Cartuja E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Guillermo Blanco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Juan M. Grande
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa, CONICET, Avda. Uruguay 151, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
- Centro para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves Rapaces en Argentina, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Avda. Uruguay 151, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
| | - José L. Tella
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC. Americo Vespucio s/n, Isla La Cartuja E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - José A. Donázar
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC. Americo Vespucio s/n, Isla La Cartuja E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
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12
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Precheur C, Barbraud C, Martail F, Mian M, Nicolas J, Brithmer R, Belfan D, Conde B, Bretagnolle V. Some like it hot: effect of environment on population dynamics of a small tropical seabird in the Caribbean region. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carine Precheur
- CEBC UMR 7372 CNRS Université de La Rochelle F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- Laboratoire Biologie marine (EA926) Université des Antilles 97159 Pointe‐à‐Pitre Guadeloupe
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- CEBC UMR 7372 CNRS Université de La Rochelle F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
| | - Fred Martail
- Parc Naturel Régional de la Martinique Avenue des Canéficiers Annexe Monsigny, BP 437 97200 Fort de France Martinique
| | - Maurice Mian
- Parc Naturel Régional de la Martinique Avenue des Canéficiers Annexe Monsigny, BP 437 97200 Fort de France Martinique
| | - Jean‐Claude Nicolas
- Parc Naturel Régional de la Martinique Avenue des Canéficiers Annexe Monsigny, BP 437 97200 Fort de France Martinique
| | - Ronald Brithmer
- Parc Naturel Régional de la Martinique Avenue des Canéficiers Annexe Monsigny, BP 437 97200 Fort de France Martinique
| | - David Belfan
- Carouge Cité de Briand 204 Balisier, Floréales 97234 Fort de France Martinique
| | - Béatrice Conde
- Carouge Cité de Briand 204 Balisier, Floréales 97234 Fort de France Martinique
| | - Vincent Bretagnolle
- CEBC UMR 7372 CNRS Université de La Rochelle F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
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13
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Ramírez F, Afán I, Tavecchia G, Catalán IA, Oro D, Sanz-Aguilar A. Oceanographic drivers and mistiming processes shape breeding success in a seabird. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152287. [PMID: 26962134 PMCID: PMC4810842 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the processes driving seabirds' reproductive performance through trophic interactions requires the identification of seasonal pulses in marine productivity. We investigated the sequence of environmental and biological processes driving the reproductive phenology and performance of the storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) in the Western Mediterranean. The enhanced light and nutrient availability at the onset of water stratification (late winter/early spring) resulted in annual consecutive peaks in relative abundance of phytoplankton, zooplankton and ichthyoplankton. The high energy-demanding period of egg production and chick rearing coincided with these successive pulses in food availability, pointing to a phenological adjustment to such seasonal patterns with important fitness consequences. Indeed, delayed reproduction with respect to the onset of water stratification resulted in both hatching and breeding failure. This pattern was observed at the population level, but also when confounding factors such as individuals' age or experience were also accounted for. We provide the first evidence of oceanographic drivers leading to the optimal time-window for reproduction in an inshore seabird at southern European latitudes, along with a suitable framework for assessing the impact of environmentally driven changes in marine productivity patterns in seabird performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Ramírez
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Isabel Afán
- Laboratorio de SIG y Teledetección (LAST-EBD), Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Giacomo Tavecchia
- Population Ecology Group, IMEDEA, Miquel Marqués 21, Esporles, Spain
| | - Ignacio A Catalán
- Marine Ecosystem Dynamics Group, IMEDEA, Miquel Marqués 21, Esporles, Spain
| | - Daniel Oro
- Population Ecology Group, IMEDEA, Miquel Marqués 21, Esporles, Spain
| | - Ana Sanz-Aguilar
- Population Ecology Group, IMEDEA, Miquel Marqués 21, Esporles, Spain
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14
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Zuberogoitia I, Zabala J, Etxezarreta J, Crespo A, Burgos G, Arizaga J. Assessing the impact of extreme adverse weather on the biological traits of a European storm petrel colony. POPUL ECOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-016-0538-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Payo-Payo A, Oro D, Igual JM, Jover L, Sanpera C, Tavecchia G. Population control of an overabundant species achieved through consecutive anthropogenic perturbations. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2015; 25:2228-2239. [PMID: 26910951 DOI: 10.1890/14-2090.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The control of overabundant vertebrates is often problematic. Much work has focused on population-level responses and overabundance due to anthropogenic subsidies. However, far less work has been directed at investigating responses following the removal of subsidies. We investigate the consequences of two consecutive perturbations, the closure of a landfill and an inadvertent poisoning event, on the trophic ecology (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S), survival, and population size of an overabundant generalist seabird species, the Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis). We expected that the landfill closure would cause a strong dietary shift and the inadvertent poisoning a decrease in gull population size. As a long-lived species, we also anticipated adult survival to be buffered against the decrease in food availability but not against the inadvertent poisoning event. Stable isotope analysis confirmed the dietary shift towards marine resources after the disappearance of the landfill. Although the survival model was inconclusive, it did suggest that the perturbations had a negative effect on survival, which was followed by a recovery back to average values. Food limitation likely triggered dispersal to other populations, while poisoning may have increased mortality; these two processes were likely responsible for the large fall in population size that occurred after the two consecutive perturbations. Life-history theory suggests that perturbations may encourage species to halt existing breeding investment in order to ensure future survival. However, under strong perturbation pulses the resilience threshold might be surpassed and changes in population density can arise. Consecutive perturbations may effectively manage overabundant species.
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16
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Female breeding experience affects parental care strategies of both parents in a monogamous cichlid fish. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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17
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Zhang H, Vedder O, Becker PH, Bouwhuis S. Contrasting between‐ and within‐individual trait effects on mortality risk in a long‐lived seabird. Ecology 2015; 96:71-9. [DOI: 10.1890/14-0064.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- He Zhang
- Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland,” An der Vogelwarte 21, D-26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Oscar Vedder
- Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland,” An der Vogelwarte 21, D-26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Peter H. Becker
- Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland,” An der Vogelwarte 21, D-26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Sandra Bouwhuis
- Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland,” An der Vogelwarte 21, D-26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
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Bradley RJ, Hubbard JK, Jenkins BR, Safran RJ. Patterns and ecological predictors of age-related performance in female North American barn swallows, Hirundo rustica erythrogaster. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1797-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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19
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Oro D, Hernández N, Jover L, Genovart M. From recruitment to senescence: food shapes the age-dependent pattern of breeding performance in a long-lived bird. Ecology 2014; 95:446-57. [DOI: 10.1890/13-0331.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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20
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Desprez M, McMahon CR, Hindell MA, Harcourt R, Gimenez O. Known unknowns in an imperfect world: incorporating uncertainty in recruitment estimates using multi-event capture-recapture models. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:4658-68. [PMID: 24363895 PMCID: PMC3867902 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Revised: 09/17/2013] [Accepted: 09/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying the demography of wild animals remains challenging as several of the critical parts of their life history may be difficult to observe in the field. In particular, determining with certainty when an individual breeds for the first time is not always obvious. This can be problematic because uncertainty about the transition from a prebreeder to a breeder state - recruitment - leads to uncertainty in vital rate estimates and in turn in population projection models. To avoid this issue, the common practice is to discard imperfect data from the analyses. However, this practice can generate a bias in vital rate estimates if uncertainty is related to a specific component of the population and reduces the sample size of the dataset and consequently the statistical power to detect effects of biological interest. Here, we compared the demographic parameters assessed from a standard multistate capture-recapture approach to the estimates obtained from the newly developed multi-event framework that specifically accounts for uncertainty in state assessment. Using a comprehensive longitudinal dataset on southern elephant seals, we demonstrated that the multi-event model enabled us to use all the data collected (6639 capture-recapture histories vs. 4179 with the multistate model) by accounting for uncertainty in breeding states, thereby increasing the precision and accuracy of the demographic parameter estimates. The multi-event model allowed us to incorporate imperfect data into demographic analyses. The gain in precision obtained has important implications in the conservation and management of species because limiting uncertainty around vital rates will permit predicting population viability with greater accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Desprez
- Marine Predator Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie UniversityNorth Ryde, 2109, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Clive R McMahon
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of TasmaniaHobart, 7001, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Mark A Hindell
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of TasmaniaHobart, 7001, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Robert Harcourt
- Marine Predator Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie UniversityNorth Ryde, 2109, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Olivier Gimenez
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, campus CNRS, UMR 51751919 Route de Mende, Montpellier Cedex 5, 34293, France
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21
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Pradel R, Choquet R, Béchet A. Breeding experience might be a major determinant of breeding probability in long-lived species: the case of the greater flamingo. PLoS One 2012; 7:e51016. [PMID: 23272085 PMCID: PMC3521775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2012] [Accepted: 10/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The probability of breeding is known to increase with age early in life in many long-lived species. This increase may be due to experience accumulated through past breeding attempts. Recent methodological advances allowing accounting for unobserved breeding episodes, we analyzed the encounter histories of 14716 greater flamingos over 25 years to get a detailed picture of the interactions of age and experience. Survival did not improve with experience, seemingly ruling out the selection hypothesis. Breeding probability varied within three levels of experience : no breeding experience, 1 experience, 2+ experiences. We fitted models with and without among-individual differences in breeding probabilities by including or not an additive individual random effect. Including the individual random effect improved the model fit less than including experience but the best model retained both. However, because modeling individual heterogeneity by means of an additive static individual random effect is currently criticized and may not be appropriate, we discuss the results with and without random effect. Without random effect, breeding probability of inexperienced birds was always [Formula: see text] times lower than that of same age experienced birds, and breeding probability increased more with one additional experience than with one additional year of age. With random effects, the advantage of experience was unequivocal only after age 9 while in young having [Formula: see text] experience was penalizing. Another pattern, that breeding probability of birds with [Formula: see text] experiences dropped after some age (8 without random effect; up to 11 with it), may point to differences in the timing of reproductive senescence or to the existence of a sensitive period for acquiring behavioral skills. Overall, the role of experience appears strong in this long-lived species. We argue that overlooking the role of experience may hamper detection of trade-offs and assessment of individual heterogeneity. However, manipulative experiments are desirable to confirm our finding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Pradel
- Roger Pradel Biostatistics and Population Biology Group, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Montpellier, France.
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22
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Bonadonna F, Sanz-Aguilar A. Kin recognition and inbreeding avoidance in wild birds: the first evidence for individual kin-related odour recognition. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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23
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Genovart M, Sanz-Aguilar A, Fernández-Chacón A, Igual JM, Pradel R, Forero MG, Oro D. Contrasting effects of climatic variability on the demography of a trans-equatorial migratory seabird. J Anim Ecol 2012; 82:121-30. [PMID: 22823099 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.02015.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2012] [Accepted: 06/18/2012] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale seasonal climatic indices, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index or the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), account for major variations in weather and climate around the world and may influence population dynamics in many organisms. However, assessing the extent of climate impacts on species and their life-history traits requires reliable quantitative statistical approaches. We used a new analytical tool in mark-recapture, the multi-event modelling, to simultaneously assess the influence of climatic variation on multiple demographic parameters (i.e. adult survival, transient probability, reproductive skipping and nest dispersal) at two Mediterranean colonies of the Cory's shearwater Calonectris diomedea, a trans-equatorial migratory long-lived seabird. We also analysed the impact of climate in the breeding success at the two colonies. We found a clear temporal variation of survival for Cory's shearwaters, strongly associated to the large-scale SOI especially in one of the colonies (up to 66% of variance explained). Atlantic hurricane season is modulated by the SOI and coincides with shearwater migration to their wintering areas, directly affecting survival probabilities. However, the SOI was a better predictor of survival probabilities than the frequency of hurricanes; thus, we cannot discard an indirect additive effect of SOI via food availability. Accordingly, the proportion of transients was also correlated with SOI values, indicating higher costs of first reproduction (resulting in either mortality or permanent dispersal) when bad environmental conditions occurred during winter before reproduction. Breeding success was also affected by climatic factors, the NAO explaining c. 41% of variance, probably as a result of its effect in the timing of peak abundance of squid and small pelagics, the main prey for shearwaters. No climatic effect was found either on reproductive skipping or on nest dispersal. Contrarily to what we expect for a long-lived organism, large-scale climatic indexes had a more pronounced effect on survival and transient probabilities than on less sensitive fitness parameters such reproductive skipping or nest dispersal probabilities. The potential increase in hurricane frequency because of global warming may interact with other global change agents (such as incidental bycatch and predation by alien species) nowadays impacting shearwaters, affecting future viability of populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meritxell Genovart
- Population Ecology Group, Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marquès, 21, 07190, Esporles, Mallorca, Spain.
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24
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Lewison R, Oro D, Godley B, Underhill L, Bearhop S, Wilson RP, Ainley D, Arcos JM, Boersma PD, Borboroglu PG, Boulinier T, Frederiksen M, Genovart M, González-Solís J, Green JA, Grémillet D, Hamer KC, Hilton GM, Hyrenbach KD, Martínez-Abraín A, Montevecchi WA, Phillips RA, Ryan PG, Sagar P, Sydeman WJ, Wanless S, Watanuki Y, Weimerskirch H, Yorio P. Research priorities for seabirds: improving conservation and management in the 21st century. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2012. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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25
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Arnold TW, Howerter DW. Effects of radiotransmitters and breeding effort on harvest and survival rates of female mallards. WILDLIFE SOC B 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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26
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KIM SINYEON, SANZ-AGUILAR ANA, MÍNGUEZ EDUARDO, ORO DANIEL. Small-scale spatial variation in evolvability for life-history traits in the storm petrel. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01861.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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27
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Sanz-Aguilar A, Tavecchia G, Genovart M, Igual JM, Oro D, Rouan L, Pradel R. Studying the reproductive skipping behavior in long-lived birds by adding nest inspection to individual-based data. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2011; 21:555-564. [PMID: 21563585 DOI: 10.1890/09-2339.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The frequency at which individuals breed is an important parameter in population, as well as in evolutionary, studies. However, when nonbreeding individuals are absent from the study area, the reproductive skipping is usually confounded with a recapture failure and cannot be estimated directly. Yet, there are situations in which external information may help to estimate reproductive skipping. Such a situation is found with nest-tenacious birds: the fact that an individual is not encountered in its previous nest is a good indication that it must be skipping reproduction. We illustrate here a general probabilistic framework in which we merged the classical individual capture-recapture information with nest-based information to obtain the simultaneous estimate of recapture, survival, reproductive skipping, and within-colony breeding dispersal probabilities using multi-event models. We applied this approach to Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), a long-lived burrow-nesting seabird. By comparing results with those obtained from the analysis of the capture-recapture information alone, we showed that the model separates successfully the probabilities of recapture from those of temporal emigration. We found that the probabilities of future reproduction and breeding-site fidelity were lower for individuals temporarily absent from the colony, suggesting a lower intrinsic quality of intermittent breeders. The new probabilistic framework presented here allowed us to refine the estimates of demographic parameters by simply adding nest-based data, a type of information usually collected in the field but never included in the analysis of individual-based data. Our approach also provides a new and flexible way to test hypotheses on temporal emigration and breeding dispersal in longitudinal data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sanz-Aguilar
- Population Ecology Group, Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Spain.
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28
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Bowden RM, Paitz RT, Janzen FJ. The Ontogeny of Postmaturation Resource Allocation in Turtles. Physiol Biochem Zool 2011; 84:204-11. [PMID: 21460531 DOI: 10.1086/658292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R M Bowden
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA.
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29
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Zabala J, Zuberogoitia I, Martínez-Climent JA, Etxezarreta J. Do long lived seabirds reduce the negative effects of acute pollution on adult survival by skipping breeding? A study with European storm petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus) during the "Prestige" oil-spill. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2011; 62:109-115. [PMID: 20884034 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2010] [Revised: 08/31/2010] [Accepted: 09/03/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
We estimated the survival probability of breeding European storm petrels before, during and after a severe oil-spill. We hypothesized that petrels might have deserted the breeding colony to maximize their own survival probability and we expected no major change on adult survival probabilities as a consequence of the spill. We used an information-theoretical approach and multi-model inference to assess the strength of the evidence in favour of different hypotheses. Evidence contained in the data clearly supported the non-effect of the spill on adult survival hypothesis while punctual impact of the spill on survival and expanded (3 years) impact alternatives received less support. The effect size of the spill on averaged survival estimates was negligible in every case. We suggest that petrels minimized the impact of acute pollution by not investing in reproduction. We suggest that short-medium term management actions after oil-spills and similar catastrophes should focus on ecosystem restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jabi Zabala
- Sebero Otxoa 45, 5B, 48480 Arrigorriaga, Bizkaia, Spain.
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30
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Moyes K, Morgan B, Morris A, Morris S, Clutton-Brock T, Coulson T. Individual differences in reproductive costs examined using multi-state methods. J Anim Ecol 2010; 80:456-65. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01789.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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31
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Oro D, Torres R, Rodríguez C, Drummond H. Climatic influence on demographic parameters of a tropical seabird varies with age and sex. Ecology 2010; 91:1205-14. [DOI: 10.1890/09-0939.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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32
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Oro D, Margalida A, Carrete M, Heredia R, Donázar JA. Testing the goodness of supplementary feeding to enhance population viability in an endangered vulture. PLoS One 2008; 3:e4084. [PMID: 19115009 PMCID: PMC2605265 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0004084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2008] [Accepted: 11/27/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human-predator conflicts are directly or indirectly threatening many species with extinction. Thus, biologists are urged to find simple solutions to complex situations while avoiding unforeseen conservation outcomes. The provision of supplementary food at artificial feeding sites (AFS) is frequently used in the conservation of scavenger bird populations currently suffering from indirect poisoning, although no scientific studies on its effectiveness have been conducted. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We used a long-term data set of 95 individually marked birds from the largest European core of the endangered bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) to test the long-term effects of specific AFS for bearded vultures on their survival rates (by CMR models) and population dynamics (by Monte Carlo simulations) in an area where fatalities derived from illegal poisoning and the use of other toxics like veterinary drugs have increased over the last several years. Our data support the positive relationship between the use of AFS and survival. However, contrary to theoretical predictions (e.g. high and more stable adult survival among long-lived species), the use of AFS increased only survival of pre-adults. Moreover, AFS buffered the effects of illegal poisoning on this age-class, while adult survival decreased over years. Our simulations predicted a maximum value of extinction probability over a time horizon of 50 years. Population projections run with survival rates expected in scenarios without poisoning predicted the situation of least conservation concern, while including only AFS can maintain a large floater surplus that may delay population decline but fails to reduce poisoning risk among adults. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Although AFS are not effective to save bearded vultures from an expected population decline, they delay population extinction and can be a useful tool for prolonging population viability while combating illegal and indirect poisoning. The eradication of different sources of poisoning is of top priority to ensure the long-term viability of this and many other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Oro
- IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Mallorca, Spain
| | - Antoni Margalida
- Bearded Vulture Study and Protection Group, El Pont de Suert, Lleida, Spain
| | - Martina Carrete
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - José Antonio Donázar
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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