Nest-site selection and reproductive success of greater sage-grouse in a fire-affected habitat of northwestern Nevada

2015 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 785-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary B. Lockyer ◽  
Peter S. Coates ◽  
Michael L. Casazza ◽  
Shawn Espinosa ◽  
David J. Delehanty
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Sage Grouse ◽  
Northwestern Nevada

scholarly journals Greater Sage-Grouse nest bowls buffer microclimate in a post-megafire landscape although effects on nest survival are marginal

The Condor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R Anthony ◽  
Christian A Hagen ◽  
Katie M Dugger ◽  
R Dwayne Elmore
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Sage Grouse ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Visual Obstruction

Abstract Temperature at fine spatial scales is an important driver of nest site selection for many avian species during the breeding season and can influence nest success. Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities have areas with high levels of vegetation heterogeneity and high thermal variation; however, fire removes vegetation that provides protection from predators and extreme environmental conditions. To examine the influence of microclimates on Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nest site selection and nest success in a fire-affected landscape, we measured black bulb temperature (Tbb) and vegetation attributes (e.g., visual obstruction) at 3 spatial scales (i.e. nest bowl, microsite, and landscape) in unburned and burned areas. Nest bowls exhibited greater buffering of Tbb than both nearby microsites and the broader landscape. Notably, nest bowls were warmer in cold temperatures, and cooler in hot temperatures, than nearby microsites and the broader landscape, regardless of burn stage. Nest survival (NS) was higher for nests in unburned areas compared to nests in burned areas (unburned NS = 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33–0.54; burned NS = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.10–0.46). The amount of bare ground was negatively associated with NS, but effects diminished as the amount of bare ground reached low levels. Shrub height and visual obstruction were positively associated with NS during the entire study period, whereas minimum Tbb had a weaker effect. Our findings demonstrate that thermoregulatory selection by Greater Sage-Grouse at nest sites had marginal effects on their NS. However, given that increases in vegetation structure (e.g., shrub height) provide thermal refuge and increase NS, vegetation remnants or regeneration in a post-fire landscape could be critical to Greater Sage-Grouse nesting ecology.

Nest Site Selection and Consequences for Reproductive Success of the Endangered Mariana Crow (Corvus kubaryi)

2011 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Robinette Ha ◽  
John M. Morton ◽  
James C. Ha ◽  
Lainie Berry ◽  
Sheldon Plentovich
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Site Selection

Nest-site selection in the barn swallow, Hirundo rustica: What predicts seasonal reproductive success?

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
pp. 1533-1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Jo Safran
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Hirundo Rustica ◽  
Barn Swallow ◽  
Nest Location ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Site Characteristics

Despite hundreds of studies, we know very little about the causes and fitness-related consequences of nest-site selection. For example, it is not typically known whether the rarely reported fitness consequences of site selection are the result of nest, individual, or nest-site variables or combinations of these factors. Reuse of previously constructed nest sites is a prevalent behavior in many animals and offers the opportunity to experimentally tease apart whether seasonal reproductive success is a function of nest, individual, or nest-site characteristics. I used observational and experimental data to test three hypotheses related to these factors in association with barn swallow ( Hirundo rustica L., 1758) nest reuse. While both nest and individual characteristics explain variation in seasonal reproductive success, nest location per se is not an important factor defining the outcome of nest-site selection. Whereas traits related to habitat and individual characteristics are likely confounded in correlational studies, my experiments demonstrate a causal relationship between seasonal reproductive success and aspects of the nest and individual, the latter explaining more variation in the model than nest characteristics. Knowledge of the relative roles of individual, nest, and nest-site attributes are important for understanding the causes and consequences of habitat selection behavior.

scholarly journals There goes the neighborhood: White-crowned Sparrow nest site selection and reproductive success as local density declines

The Condor ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth L. Porzig ◽  
Nathaniel E. Seavy ◽  
John M. Eadie ◽  
Thomas Gardali ◽  
Diana L. Humple ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Local Density ◽  
Nest Site Selection

Marbled salamanders (Ambystoma opacum) choose low elevation nest sites when cover availability is controlled

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Scott ◽  
Dean Croshaw
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Selective Forces

AbstractNest site selection is an important part of adult reproductive behavior because growth and survival of young are often affected by the local environment. In terrestrially nesting marbled salamanders, nest elevation is likely important to reproductive success because it is directly related to the time of hatching. We tested the hypothesis that females choose nest sites based on elevation and its correlates by controlling the availability of nesting cover, a potentially important factor in nest site selection which often covaries with elevation. Breeding adults were confined to field enclosures in which natural nesting cover had been removed and replaced with equal proportions of artificial cover in each of three elevation zones. In four enclosures that spanned from lowest to highest areas of a wetland breeding site, females used artificial nesting cover most frequently at low elevations. These results contrast with other studies in which intermediate elevations had highest nest densities, but are consistent with a conceptual model in which opposing selective forces result in locally adapted nest site selection.

scholarly journals The importance of scale-dependent ravine characteristics on breeding-site selection by the Burrowing Parrot, Cyanoliseus patagonus

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Ramirez-Herranz ◽  
Rodrigo S. Rios ◽  
Renzo Vargas-Rodriguez ◽  
Jose-Enrique Novoa-Jerez ◽  
Francisco A. Squeo
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Patch Selection ◽  
Nest Selection ◽  
Nesting Sites

In birds, the environmental variables and intrinsic characteristics of the nest have important fitness consequences through its influence on the selection of nesting sites. However, the extent to which these variables interact with variables that operate at the landscape scale, and whether there is a hierarchy among the different scales that influences nest-site selection, is unknown. This interaction could be crucial in burrowing birds, which depend heavily on the availability of suitable nesting locations. One representative of this group is the burrowing parrot, Cyanoliseus patagonus that breeds on specific ravines and forms large breeding colonies. At a particular site, breeding aggregations require the concentration of adequate environmental elements for cavity nesting, which are provided by within ravine characteristics. Therefore, intrinsic ravine characteristics should be more important in determining nest site selection compared to landscape level characteristics. Here, we assess this hypothesis by comparing the importance of ravine characteristics operating at different scales on nest-site selection and their interrelation with reproductive success. We quantified 12 characteristics of 105 ravines in their reproductive habitat. For each ravine we quantified morphological variables, distance to resources and disturbance as well as nest number and egg production in order to compare selected and non-selected ravines and determine the interrelationship among variables in explaining ravine differences. In addition, the number of nests and egg production for each reproductive ravine was related to ravine characteristics to assess their relation to reproductive success. We found significant differences between non-reproductive and reproductive ravines in both intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics. The multidimensional environmental gradient of variation between ravines, however, shows that differences are mainly related to intrinsic morphological characteristics followed by extrinsic variables associated to human disturbance. Likewise, within reproductive ravines, intrinsic characteristics are more strongly related to the number of nests. The probability of producing eggs, however, was related only to distance to roads and human settlements. Patterns suggest that C. patagonus mainly selects nesting sites based on intrinsic morphological characteristics of ravines. Scale differences in the importance of ravine characteristics could be a consequence of the particular orography of the breeding habitat. The arrangement of resources is associated to the location of the gullies rather than to individual ravines, determining the spatial availability and disposition of resources and disturbances. Thus, nest selection is influenced by intrinsic characteristics that maximize the fitness of individuals. Scaling in nest-selection is discussed under an optimality approach that partitions patch selection based on foraging theory.

Characteristics of shrub morphology on nest site selection of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in high-elevation sagebrush habitat

2018 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
pp. 730-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean R. Schroff ◽  
Kyle A. Cutting ◽  
Craig A. Carr ◽  
Michael R. Frisina ◽  
Lance B. McNew ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Centrocercus Urophasianus ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Sage Grouse ◽  
Selection Of
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