Sponsor
This work was funded by Coos Bay District Bureau of Land Management, Siuslaw National Forest, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. USDA Wildlife Services conducted predator management activities.
Published In
Journal of Field Ornithology
Document Type
Post-Print
Publication Date
5-2020
Subjects
Snowy plover -- Oregon -- Pacific Coast -- Monitoring, Snowy plover -- Oregon -- Pacific Coast -- Reproduction, Snowy plover -- Mortality -- Oregon -- Pacific Coast, Predatory animals -- Control, Snowy plover -- Conservation -- Research
Abstract
Understanding the factors contributing to variation in demographic parameters and their influences on population growth is fundamental to effective conservation of small populations, but this information is often not available. Among shorebirds, population growth is generally most sensitive to changes in adult survival so understanding the factors affecting this vital rate is important. We used a long‐term mark–resight dataset and Program MARK to examine the effect of management actions, initiated to improve nesting productivity, on adult survival in a threatened population of Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus ) in Oregon, USA. Apparent adult survival averaged 0.71 ± 0.01 (SE), but increased from 1990 to 2014. This increase coincided with a decline in use of protective nest exclosures, but initiation of lethal nest predator management. The unexpected apparent benefit to adult survival of removal of nest predators and the negative effect of protective nest exclosures highlight the importance of understanding how management practices at one life cycle stage may have unintended consequences at other life stages. Our 25‐year analysis adds to our knowledge of an intensively managed, threatened species at the northern limit of its range, but, more importantly, knowledge of the negative effect of exclosure use and the positive effect of predator management on adult survival can help inform conservation of less well‐studied species with similar life histories.
Rights
© 2020 Association of Field Ornithologists
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1111/jofo.12330
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33031
Citation Details
Published as: Gaines, E. P., Dinsmore, S. J., & Murphy, M. T. (2020). Effects of management for productivity on adult survival of Snowy Plovers. Journal of Field Ornithology.
Description
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Gaines, E. P., Dinsmore, S. J., & Murphy, M. T. (2020). Effects of management for productivity on adult survival of Snowy Plovers. Journal of Field Ornithology, which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1111/jofo.12330. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.