scholarly journals Spatial variation in population dynamics of northern Great Plains piping plovers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose J. Swift ◽  
Michael J. Anteau ◽  
Kristen S. Ellis ◽  
Megan M. Ring ◽  
Mark H. Sherfy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Piping Plovers

scholarly journals Low renesting propensity and reproductive success make renesting unproductive for the threatened Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)

The Condor ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose J Swift ◽  
Michael J Anteau ◽  
Megan M Ring ◽  
Dustin L Toy ◽  
Mark H Sherfy
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reproductive Failure ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Charadrius Melodus ◽  
Piping Plovers ◽  
Daily Nest Survival

Abstract Upon reproductive failure, many bird species make a secondary attempt at nesting (hereafter, “renesting”). Renesting may be an effective strategy to maximize current and lifetime reproductive success, but individuals face uncertainty in the probability of success because reproductive attempts initiated later in the breeding season often have reduced nest, pre-fledging, and post-fledging brood survival. We evaluated renesting propensity, renesting intervals, and renest reproductive success of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) by following 1,922 nests and 1,785 unique breeding adults from 2014 to 2016 in the Northern Great Plains of the United States. The apparent renesting rate for individuals was 25% for reproductive attempts that failed in the nest stage (egg laying and incubation) and only 1.2% for reproductive attempts when broods were lost. Renesting propensity declined if reproductive attempts failed during the brood-rearing stage, nests were depredated, reproductive failure occurred later in the breeding season, or individuals had previously renested that year. Additionally, plovers that nested on reservoirs were less likely to renest compared to other habitats. Renesting intervals declined when individuals had not already renested, were after-second-year adults without known prior breeding experience, and moved short distances between nest attempts. Renesting intervals also decreased if the attempt failed later in the season. Overall, reproductive success and daily nest survival were lower for renests than first nests throughout the breeding season. Furthermore, renests on reservoirs had reduced apparent reproductive success and daily nest survival unless the predicted amount of habitat on reservoirs increased within the breeding season. Our results provide important demographic measures for this threatened species and suggest that predation- and water-management strategies that maximize success of early nests would be more likely to increase productivity. Altogether, renesting appears to be an unproductive reproductive strategy to replace lost reproductive attempts for Piping Plovers breeding in the Northern Great Plains.

scholarly journals Spatial variation of nitrogen fixation in lakes of the northern Great Plains

2006 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 1665-1677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Patoine ◽  
Mark D. Graham ◽  
Peter R. Leavitt
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains

scholarly journals Dispersal distance is driven by habitat availability and reproductive success in Northern Great Plains piping plovers

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose J. Swift ◽  
Michael J. Anteau ◽  
Kristen S. Ellis ◽  
Megan M. Ring ◽  
Mark H. Sherfy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Natal Dispersal ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Habitat Availability ◽  
Charadrius Melodus ◽  
Piping Plovers ◽  
Dispersal Distances

Abstract Background Dispersal is a critical life history strategy that has important conservation implications, particularly for at-risk species with active recovery efforts and migratory species. Both natal and breeding dispersal are driven by numerous selection pressures, including conspecific competition, individual characteristics, reproductive success, and spatiotemporal variation in habitat. Most studies focus on dispersal probabilities, but the distance traveled can affect survival, fitness, and even metapopulation dynamics. Methods We examined sources of variation in dispersal distances with 275 natal dispersal and 1335 interannual breeding events for piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) breeding in the Northern Great Plains between 2014 and 2019. Results Natal dispersal was on average longer (mean: 81.0 km, median: 53 km) than adult breeding movements (mean: 23.7 km, median: 1 km). Individuals moved the shortest distances when hatched, previously nested, or settling on river habitats. When more habitat was available on their natal area than in the year prior, hatch-year birds moved shorter distances to their first breeding location. Similarly, adults also moved shorter distances when more habitat was available at the settling site and when in closer proximity to other known nesting areas. Additionally, adult movement distance was shorter when successfully hatching a nest the year prior, retaining a mate, or initiating a current nest earlier. Conclusion Habitat availability appears to be associated with dispersal distance for both hatch-year and adult piping plovers. Conservation efforts that integrate dispersal distances may benefit from maintaining nesting habitat within close proximity to other areas for adults and a network of clustered sites spread out across a larger landscape for natal dispersal.

Distribution and Dispersal in the Piping Plover

The Auk ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Haig ◽  
Lewis W. Oring
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
First Year ◽  
Piping Plover ◽  
Charadrius Melodus ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Migratory Shorebirds ◽  
Piping Plovers

Abstract Individually marked Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) were studied from 1981-1987 in Manitoba and Minnesota relative to dispersal patterns of age and sex classes. Unlike monogamous passerines, males returned to former breeding sites only slightly more often than females. Dispersal distances did not differ between the sexes. Across North America, 24-69% of adults exhibited breeding-site fidelity, a variability equivalent to that among species of migratory shorebirds. Distribution of Piping Plover habitat across the species range accounts for some of this variability: birds used local sites if they were available, rather than disperse long distances. Similar to most migratory shorebirds, few (1.6-23%) Piping Plover chicks returned to natal sites to breed. No difference was found in return patterns between first-year males and females, nor in distances either sex dispersed from natal sites. First-year birds were found in the vicinity of their natal sites when habitat was available. During winter, birds from the Northern Great Plains and Great Lakes were seen primarily in mixed population flocks on the Gulf of Mexico. Piping Plovers from Atlantic coast breeding areas wintered further south on the Atlantic.

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