Water depth influences survival and predator-specific patterns of nest loss in three secretive marsh bird species.

Autor: Schmidt SM; Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Havana Illinois USA.; Stephen A. Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Havana Illinois USA.; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Havana Illinois USA., Fournier AMV; Stephen A. Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Havana Illinois USA., Osborn JM; Stephen A. Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Havana Illinois USA., Benson TJ; Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Havana Illinois USA.; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Havana Illinois USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2023 Dec 11; Vol. 13 (12), pp. e10823. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 11 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10823
Abstrakt: Wetlands have become increasingly rare in the United States, negatively influencing wetland-dependent birds, and many remaining wetlands are intensively managed through seasonal dewatering mimicking historic flood pulses during spring and summer. However, water around nests may provide protection from terrestrial predators, and lowering water levels during the breeding season of wetland birds may increase predation risk and exacerbate marsh bird population declines. Understanding interactions between water depth, nesting marsh birds, and nest predators is critical to aid managers in developing a multi-species management approach in emergent wetlands. During the 2020 and 2021 breeding seasons, we examined nest survival of 148 marsh bird nests (American Coot, Fulica americana , n  = 1; Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata , n  = 64; and Least Bittern; Ixobrychus exilis , n  = 83) and installed cameras at 78 nests to identify predators at a large, restored floodplain wetland in Illinois where the primary management technique is seasonal water removal to stimulate germination of moist soil plants. We found nest predation of, and abandonment by, Least Bittern and Common Gallinule were related to shallower water, and early season, high volume dewatering. Least Bitterns nested more commonly along wetland edges and nests farther from the shore were more likely to survive. Similarly, we found mammalian depredation of nests and nest abandonment decreased when deeper water was present around nests. Alternatively, snake predation was observed earlier in the year prior to water removal from inundated emergent vegetation. Our results demonstrate water depth may be an important deterrent of nest predators, especially mammals, during the breeding season. Further, we recommend managers delay dewatering until after the nesting season at sites where management for conservation-priority marsh birds is a focus.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
(© 2023 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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