Demographic Changes Underpinning the Population Decline of Starlings<i>Sturnus vulgaris</i>in The Netherlands

Versluijs, Martijn; Turnhout, C.A.M. van; Kleijn, David; Jeugd, Henk P. van der

doi:10.5253/arde.v104i2.a7

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…On the fast-slow continuum of reproductive capacity, the common starling is the fastest of the seven species we selected: It starts reproducing at an age of one year. We used the mean survival and reproductive rates for the whole Dutch breeding population (Versluijs, van Turnhout, Kleijn, & van der Jeugd, 2016), distinguishing three separate periods: 1960-1978, 1978-1990, and 1990-2012. In the first period (1960)(1961)(1962)(1963)(1964)(1965)(1966)(1967)(1968)(1969)(1970)(1971)(1972)(1973)(1974)(1975)(1976)(1977)(1978), the population grew at 10% per year. This was followed by a period where the population was relatively stable (1978)(1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990).…”

Section: Common Starlingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality limits used in wind energy impact assessment underestimate impacts of wind farms on bird populations

Schippers

Buij

Schotman

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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The consequences of bird mortality caused by collisions with wind turbines are increasingly receiving attention. So‐called acceptable mortality limits of populations, that is, those that assume that 1%–5% of additional mortality and the potential biological removal (PBR), provide seemingly clear‐cut methods for establishing the reduction in population viability. We examine how the application of these commonly used mortality limits could affect populations of the Common Starling, Black‐tailed Godwit, Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Spoonbill, White Stork, Common Tern, and White‐tailed Eagle using stochastic density‐independent and density‐dependent Leslie matrix models. Results show that population viability can be very sensitive to proportionally small increases in mortality. Rather than having a negligible effect, we found that a 1% additional mortality in postfledging cohorts of our studied populations resulted in a 2%–24% decrease in the population level after 10 years. Allowing a 5% mortality increase to existing mortality resulted in a 9%–77% reduction in the populations after 10 years. When the PBR method is used in the density‐dependent simulations, the proportional change in the resulting growth rate and carrying capacity was species‐independent and largely determined by the recovery factor (Fr). When Fr = 1, a value typically used for robust populations, additional mortality resulted in a 50%–55% reduction in the equilibrium density and the resulting growth rate. When Fr = 0.1, used for threatened populations, the reduction in the equilibrium density and growth rate was about 5%. Synthesis and applications. Our results show that by allowing a mortality increase from wind farm collisions according to both criteria, the population impacts of these collisions can still be severe. We propose a simple new method as an alternative that was able to estimate mortality impacts of age‐structured stochastic density‐dependent matrix models.

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Section: Common Starlingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality limits used in wind energy impact assessment underestimate impacts of wind farms on bird populations

Schippers

Buij

Schotman

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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“…In the Netherlands, over the period 1960-2012, there was an increase in the overall population from 1960 to 1978, a stable population from 1978 to 1990 but then a steady decline. Although there was no consistent trend in reproductive output and adult survival fluctuated irregularly, juvenile survival declined significantly, and this was attributed to changes in agricultural land use (Versluijs et al, 2016). Smith and Bruun (2002) had shown that the breeding success for Swedish starlings was greatest where they had easy access to pastures, which increased nestling survival, whereas other factors such as clutch size and the timing of breeding were not affected.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive birds: global trends and impacts

2020

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This 381-paged book covers the biology, ecology, impact and management of 34 common alien invasive species, with reviews on the history and context of avian introductions and invasions in five major regions (Oceania, Africa, Europe (including the Middle East, Asia and South America)), as well as management challenges and the potential of citizen science for monitoring alien birds. The book pitches at the introductory level and is ideal for readers to gain a quick and comprehensive view of the current status of global avian invasions. It has brought the records and research of avian invasion one step ahead of other alien invasive animal taxa. Many chapters contain distribution maps and data tables on the diet and morphology of the species, providing a good reference for the species and its management issues. Each chapter also contains a rich list of references that could help readers dive further into the topic.

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“…The European starling (hereafter starling) is a highly invasive pest, introduced and successfully establishing on every other continent except Antarctica (Higgins et al, 2006 ). Despite this, native range starlings are themselves a conservation focus, with declines of more than 50% in some countries (Versluijs et al, 2016 ) putatively associated with shifts in farming practice that are common in their native range (Freeman et al, 2007 ; Heldbjerg et al, 2016 ). Fortunately, due to the historical popularity of collecting bird skins, historical starling samples may be found scattered across many museums and institutions in both their native range and within invaded countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical museum samples enable the examination of divergent and parallel evolution during invasion

et al. 2022

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During the Anthropocene, Earth has experienced unprecedented habitat loss, native species decline and global climate change. Concurrently, greater globalization is facilitating species movement, increasing the likelihood of alien species establishment and propagation. There is a great need to understand what influences a species' ability to persist or perish within a new or changing environment. Examining genes that may be associated with a species' invasion success or persistence informs invasive species management, assists with native species preservation and sheds light on important evolutionary mechanisms that occur in novel environments. This approach can be aided by coupling spatial and temporal investigations of evolutionary processes. Here we use the common starling, Sturnus vulgaris, to identify parallel and divergent evolutionary change between contemporary native and invasive range samples and their common ancestral population. To do this, we use reduced-representation sequencing of native samples collected recently in northwestern Europe and invasive samples from Australia, together with museum specimens sampled in the UK during the mid-19th century. We found evidence of parallel selection on both continents, possibly resulting from common global selective forces such as exposure to pollutants. We also identified divergent selection in these populations, which might be related to adaptive changes in response to the novel environment encountered in the introduced Australian range. Interestingly, signatures of selection are equally as common within both invasive and native range contemporary samples. Our results demonstrate the value of including historical samples in genetic studies of invasion and highlight the ongoing and occasionally parallel role of adaptation in both native and invasive ranges.

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Demographic Changes Underpinning the Population Decline of StarlingsSturnus vulgarisin The Netherlands

Cited by 11 publications

References 55 publications

Mortality limits used in wind energy impact assessment underestimate impacts of wind farms on bird populations

Mortality limits used in wind energy impact assessment underestimate impacts of wind farms on bird populations

Invasive birds: global trends and impacts

Historical museum samples enable the examination of divergent and parallel evolution during invasion

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