A targeted annual warning system developed for the conservation of a sagebrush indicator species

Prochazka, Brian G.; Coates, Peter S.; O’Donnell, Michael S.; Edmunds, David R.; Monroe, Adrian P.; Ricca, Mark A.; Wann, Gregory T.; Hanser, Steven E.; Wiechman, Lief A.; Doherty, Kevin E.; Chenaille, Michael P.; Aldridge, Cameron L.

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110097

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Yet, minimizing negative effects of such devices on their study subjects is important for reasons of ethics and to ensure that scientific inferences gleaned from such studies are valid. Sage-grouse are one of the most intensively studied wildlife species in North America given their large population declines (Coates et al 2021), range reduction (Schroeder et al 2004), and status as an indicator species for sagebrush ecosystem health (Prochazka et al 2023).…”

Section: Research Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating satellite‐transmitter backpack‐harness effects on greater sage‐grouse survival and device retention in the Great Basin

Lundblad,

Anthony,

Dungannon

et al. 2024

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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Wildlife tracking studies have become ubiquitous in ecology and now provide previously unobtainable data regarding individual movement, vital rates, and population demographics. However, tracking devices can potentially reduce survival of study subjects, generating biases in the vital rates they seek to measure. Previous studies have found that greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices may experience reduced survival, relative to those tracked with traditional radio transmitters, and have documented skin abrasions and lacerations associated with typical backpack‐style GPS harnesses. We implemented an experimental study comparing survival and harness retention between 2 different backpack‐style GPS transmitter harnesses. We captured female sage‐grouse at 3 study sites in the northwest Great Basin of Oregon, Nevada, and California during 2019–2021. We fit each individual, following previously published recommendations, with either a standard backpack harness or a modified harness hypothesized to reduce skin abrasion and laceration. We used known‐fate models in Program MARK to model variation in survival and harness retention separately as a function of harness type, year, age, a linear effect of time, and the ratio of the device to individual body mass. Neither survival nor retention varied systematically by harness type, however retention decreased as a function of body mass ratio. We echo previous recommendations for standardized harness attachment protocols and studies designed to isolate and test potential mechanisms by which tracking devices and attachment methods might affect survival and well‐being of sage‐grouse and other tracked species.

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Section: Research Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating satellite‐transmitter backpack‐harness effects on greater sage‐grouse survival and device retention in the Great Basin

Lundblad,

Anthony,

Dungannon

et al. 2024

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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“…SABAP2 data have indicated general declines in South Africa's Forest bird species (Cooper et al, 2017), but Lee et al (2017) found that Knysna Warbler populations were moving eastward in southern Africa. These uncertainties reiterate the importance of context surrounding an alert; local declines must be vetted against range-wide trends and species biology to understand whether the observed changes are anthropogenic or stochastic in origin (Prochazka et al, 2023). For the Knysna Warbler, several factors may be at play, as birds are likely moving eastwards in response to habitat degradation in their historic range and are also threatened by low habitat connectivity within their current range (Lee et al, 2017).…”

Section: Caveats Regarding Regional Change and Rare Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird atlas in action: using citizen science data to generate population trend alerts in Hessequa, South Africa

Daniel,

Underhill,

van Rooyen

2024

Front. Bird Sci.

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Citizen science data are rapidly transforming the conservation landscape. Targeted participatory citizen science initiatives generate nuanced data capable of monitoring trends in populations and generating early warnings for species and habitats experiencing significant declines. In the Hessequa Atlasing Area, Western Cape, South Africa, citizen science 'atlasers' involved with the Second Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2) have worked with scientific leadership since 2014 to improve the quality of bird atlas data in their region for species monitoring. In this study, we used reporting rates from SABAP2 checklists in the Hessequa Atlasing Area to calculate changes in range size and relative abundance for the 165 most commonly reported species in the region. We used a seven-tier alert system and broad habitat categories to sort species by priority for conservation action. Our results showed that wetland and marine associated species are experiencing the greatest declines in range and relative abundance in the Hessequa Atlasing Area, whilst urban and grassland associated species are largely increasing. We discuss how observed changes in populations may be used to guide conservation action and provide recommendations for scientists and non-scientific community members on engaging with and responding to the changes highlighted in each of the seven alert levels provided.

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“…Information from these surveys primarily represents remote sagebrush environments and sage-grouse habitats, facilitating directed study of the relationship between local raven densities and sage-grouse reproductive demographic parameters. Importantly, impacts to sage-grouse may suggest disturbance to overall sagebrush ecosystem health (Aldridge et al, 2008;Hanser & Knick, 2011;Prochazka et al, 2023). Furthermore, repeated surveying of the same geographic areas across time allows for evaluation of trends and testing the effectiveness of management actions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A spatially explicit modeling framework to guide management of subsidized avian predator densities

et al. 2023

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Anthropogenic resource subsidization across western ecosystems has contributed to widespread increases in generalist avian predators, including common ravens (Corvus corax; hereafter, raven). Ravens are adept nest predators and can negatively impact species of conservation concern. Predation effects from ravens are especially concerning for greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage‐grouse), which have experienced prolonged population decline. Our objectives were to quantify spatiotemporal patterns in raven density, evaluate sage‐grouse nest success concurrent with fluctuating raven densities, and demonstrate a spatially explicit decision support tool to guide management applications to appropriate conflict areas. We combined ~28,000 raven point count surveys with data from more than 900 sage‐grouse nests between 2009 and 2019 within the Great Basin, USA. We modeled variation in raven density using a Bayesian hierarchical distance sampling approach with environmental covariates on detection and abundance. Concurrently, we modeled sage‐grouse nest survival using a hierarchical frailty model as a function of raven density and other environmental covariates that influence the risk of nest failure. Raven density commonly exceeded 0.5 ravens km−2 and increased at low elevations with more anthropogenic development and/or agriculture. Reduced sage‐grouse nest survival was strongly associated with elevated raven density (e.g., >0.5 ravens km−2) and varied with topographic ruggedness, shrub cover, and burned areas. For conservation application, we developed a spatially explicit planning tool that predicts nest survival under current and reduced raven numbers within the Great Basin to help direct management actions to localized areas where sage‐grouse nests are at highest risk of failure. Our modeling framework can be generalized to multiple species where spatially registered abundance and demographic data are available.

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A targeted annual warning system developed for the conservation of a sagebrush indicator species

Cited by 9 publications

References 77 publications

Evaluating satellite‐transmitter backpack‐harness effects on greater sage‐grouse survival and device retention in the Great Basin

Evaluating satellite‐transmitter backpack‐harness effects on greater sage‐grouse survival and device retention in the Great Basin

Bird atlas in action: using citizen science data to generate population trend alerts in Hessequa, South Africa

A spatially explicit modeling framework to guide management of subsidized avian predator densities

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