Predator Exclosures Enhance Reproductive Success but Increase Adult Mortality of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus)
Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) are listed as endangered throughout Canada and the United States Great Lakes region. Most attempts to increase their numbers have focused on enhancing reproductive success. Using 22 years of data collected by Parks Canada in Prince Edward Island National Park of...
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Resilience Alliance
2010-12-01
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Online Access: | http://www.ace-eco.org/vol5/iss2/art6/ |
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doaj-a3aee053f07d43ab9426ef5d1e9755e62020-11-24T23:48:44ZengResilience AllianceAvian Conservation and Ecology1712-65682010-12-0152610.5751/ACE-00419-050206419Predator Exclosures Enhance Reproductive Success but Increase Adult Mortality of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus)Colleen Barber0Astrid Nowak1Kirby Tulk2Linda Thomas3Department of Biology, Saint Mary's UniversityDepartment of Biology, Saint Mary's UniversityParks CanadaParks CanadaPiping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) are listed as endangered throughout Canada and the United States Great Lakes region. Most attempts to increase their numbers have focused on enhancing reproductive success. Using 22 years of data collected by Parks Canada in Prince Edward Island National Park of Canada, we examined whether predator exclosures installed around Piping Plover nests increased nest success and hatching and fledging success when compared to nests without exclosures. Nests with exclosures were significantly more likely to hatch at least one egg than nests without exclosures, and they hatched a significantly greater number of young. The greater reproductive success observed in exclosed nests is likely due to the increased protection from predators that the exclosures conferred; significantly fewer exclosed nests were depredated than nonexclosed nests. However, significantly more exclosed than nonexclosed nests were abandoned by adults, and they had significantly greater adult mortality. Whether benefits of increased reproductive success from exclosures outweigh costs of increased abandonment and adult mortality remains unknown, but must be considered.http://www.ace-eco.org/vol5/iss2/art6/adult mortality</span>Charadrius melodus<span class="proof_keywords"> endangered speciesexclosurePiping Ploverreproductive success |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Colleen Barber Astrid Nowak Kirby Tulk Linda Thomas |
spellingShingle |
Colleen Barber Astrid Nowak Kirby Tulk Linda Thomas Predator Exclosures Enhance Reproductive Success but Increase Adult Mortality of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) Avian Conservation and Ecology adult mortality </span>Charadrius melodus <span class="proof_keywords"> endangered species exclosure Piping Plover reproductive success |
author_facet |
Colleen Barber Astrid Nowak Kirby Tulk Linda Thomas |
author_sort |
Colleen Barber |
title |
Predator Exclosures Enhance Reproductive Success but Increase Adult Mortality of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) |
title_short |
Predator Exclosures Enhance Reproductive Success but Increase Adult Mortality of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) |
title_full |
Predator Exclosures Enhance Reproductive Success but Increase Adult Mortality of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) |
title_fullStr |
Predator Exclosures Enhance Reproductive Success but Increase Adult Mortality of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Predator Exclosures Enhance Reproductive Success but Increase Adult Mortality of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) |
title_sort |
predator exclosures enhance reproductive success but increase adult mortality of piping plovers (charadrius melodus) |
publisher |
Resilience Alliance |
series |
Avian Conservation and Ecology |
issn |
1712-6568 |
publishDate |
2010-12-01 |
description |
Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) are listed as endangered throughout Canada
and the United States Great Lakes region. Most attempts to increase their numbers have focused on enhancing reproductive success. Using 22 years of data collected by Parks Canada in Prince Edward Island National Park of Canada, we examined whether predator exclosures installed around Piping Plover nests increased nest success and hatching and fledging success when compared to nests without exclosures. Nests with exclosures were significantly more likely to hatch at least one egg than nests without exclosures, and they hatched a significantly greater number of young. The greater reproductive success observed in exclosed nests is likely due to the increased protection from predators that the exclosures conferred; significantly fewer exclosed nests were depredated than nonexclosed nests. However, significantly more exclosed than nonexclosed nests were abandoned by adults, and they had significantly greater adult mortality. Whether benefits of increased reproductive success from exclosures outweigh costs of increased abandonment and adult mortality remains unknown, but must be considered. |
topic |
adult mortality </span>Charadrius melodus <span class="proof_keywords"> endangered species exclosure Piping Plover reproductive success |
url |
http://www.ace-eco.org/vol5/iss2/art6/ |
work_keys_str_mv |
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