Effects of Transmitters on Reproduction and Survival of Wild Mallards

Paquette, Gil A.; Devries, James H.; Emery, Robert B.; Howerter, David W.; Joynt, Brian L.; Sankowski, Tomasz P.

doi:10.2307/3802205

Cited by 86 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Bakken et al [3] found raised surface temperatures around transmitters attached with subcutaneous anchors in Mallard ducklings, but did not find differences in energetic costs for thermoregulation between marked and unmarked ducklings. The reduction in short-term survival rates of female Mallards of up to 23% in Paquette et al [60], which was only significant in one out of five study sites, indicated that tags attached with subcutaneous anchors may sometimes affect adult birds. Other studies using subcutaneous implants found no effect on short-term survival of Lesser Scaups Aythya affinis [12], Surf Scoters Melanitta perspicillata and White-winged Scoters Melanitta deglandi [40] or on annual survival of Wood Ducks Aix sponsa [36].…”

Section: Subcutaneous Attachmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is supported by several studies in waterfowl. Direct comparison between implants with internal antenna and (anchored) backpacks in wild female Mallards revealed that individuals with implants experienced significantly less negative impacts on survival and reproduction [60]. Dzus and Clark [21] compared the return rates of Mallards with harness-style backpacks and implants with internal antenna to their breeding areas and found a twice as high return rate for birds with an implant.…”

Section: Abdominal Implantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many waterfowl populations are migratory [18] and may be energetically constrained by carrying a tag [61]. Also, due to their aquatic habitat, the breaching of their waterproof plumage by device attachment may affect their thermoregulation [3,49,60]. Thanks to the long history of waterfowl tracking, much experience has been acquired by researchers in the field.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Reduction in adverse effects of tracking devices on waterfowl requires better measuring and reporting

Lameris

Kleyheeg

2017

Anim Biotelemetry

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Since the first studies in the mid-twentieth century, lightweight electronic tracking devices have been increasingly used to study waterfowl movements. With half a century of experience and growing sample sizes, it has become clear that the attachment of a tracking device can affect a bird's behaviour and fitness. This becomes problematic when it introduces uncertainty about whether the recorded data represent natural behaviour. Waterfowl may be particularly prone to tag effects, since many species are migratory and tracking devices can disrupt their waterproof plumage. The primary aim of this paper is to identify how tracking devices may affect waterfowl survival, migration and reproduction, and how better measuring and reporting of such effects can improve our understanding of the risks, providing a first step towards reducing their impact in future studies. We reviewed literature on electronic tracking of waterfowl to create an overview of currently recognized effects of harness-attached backpacks, implants, subcutaneous attachments and neck collars. Additionally, we analysed developments in the use of attachment methods, the weight of tracking devices relative to bird body mass, and the reporting rate of effects of tracking devices in 202 original tracking studies. We found that although the number of waterfowl tracking studies described in peer-reviewed literature has steeply increased over the past decades, reporting rates of potential effects have decreased from 65.0 to 26.5%. Meanwhile, the mean weight of the tracking devices relative to the bird's body mass remained stable around 2.0%. Major negative effects were reported in 17% of all studies and were found for all attachment methods. Overall, large differences exist in the occurrence and type of negative effects between species and studies, even if the same tracking methods were used. Inconsistent reporting of effects, lack of control groups to measure effects and incomplete descriptions of the methodology hamper the identification of factors contributing to these effects. To accomplish a reduction in adverse effects of tracking, it is necessary to improve the measuring and reporting of effects. We propose a framework for standardized reporting of methods in primary tracking studies and standardized protocols to measure effects of tracking devices on waterfowl.

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Section: Subcutaneous Attachmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Abdominal Implantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reduction in adverse effects of tracking devices on waterfowl requires better measuring and reporting

Lameris

Kleyheeg

2017

Anim Biotelemetry

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“…Captured females were banded, weighed (± 10g), radio-marked, and released back to the capture site, usually within two hours of capture. Most females (95%) were radio-marked with 22-g abdominally-implanted transmitters, but approximately 25% of the birds on four sites and 50% of the birds on one site were fitted with back-mounted anchor or anchor-suture transmitters (Paquette et al 1997). …”

Section: Study Areas and Field Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs of Reproduction in Breeding Female Mallards: Predation Risk during Incubation Drives Annual Mortality

Arnold¹,

Roche²,

Devries³

et al. 2012

ACE

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ABSTRACT. The effort expended on reproduction may entail future costs, such as reduced survival or fecundity, and these costs can have an important influence on life-history optimization. For birds with precocial offspring, hypothesized costs of reproduction have typically emphasized nutritional and energetic investments in egg formation and incubation. We measured seasonal survival of 3856 radio-marked female Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) from arrival on the breeding grounds through brood-rearing or cessation of breeding. There was a 2.5-fold direct increase in mortality risk associated with incubating nests in terrestrial habitats, whereas during brood-rearing when breeding females occupy aquatic habitats, mortality risk reached seasonal lows. Mortality risk also varied with calendar date and was highest during periods when large numbers of Mallards were nesting, suggesting that prey-switching behaviors by common predators may exacerbate risks to adults in all breeding stages. Although prior investments in egg laying and incubation affected mortality risk, most relationships were not consistent with the cost of reproduction hypothesis; birds with extensive prior investments in egg production or incubation typically survived better, suggesting that variation in individual quality drove both relationships. We conclude that for breeding female Mallards, the primary cost of reproduction is a fixed cost associated with placing oneself at risk to predators while incubating nests in terrestrial habitats.RÉSUMÉ. L'effort investi à la reproduction peut avoir une incidence sur les coûts futurs -comme un faible taux de survie ou de fertilité -et ces coûts peuvent grandement influencer l'optimisation du cycle biologique. Chez les oiseaux dont les jeunes sont nidifuges, les coûts hypothétiques de la reproduction sont surtout liés aux efforts nutritionnel et énergétique investis dans la formation des oeufs et à l'incubation. Dans le cadre de cette étude, nous avons mesuré le taux de survie saisonnier de 3 856 Canards colverts (Anas platyrhynchos) femelles munies d'un émetteur radio, de leur arrivée sur les aires de nidification jusqu'à ce que l'élevage des jeunes soit complété ou jusqu'à l'échec de la nidification. Le taux de mortalité était de 2,5 fois plus élevé chez les femelles qui couvaient leurs oeufs en milieu terrestre, tandis qu'il a était à son plus bas niveau saisonnier au moment de l'élevage des jeunes en milieu aquatique. Le taux de mortalité a aussi varié en fonction de la date : il était à son maximum au moment où de nombreux Canards colverts nichaient, ce qui laisse croire que le changement de proies dans la diète des prédateurs communs pourrait exacerber le risque de mortalité chez les femelles à toutes les étapes de la nidification. Même si les efforts investis dans la ponte et l'incubation ont eu un effet sur le taux de mortalité, la plupart des relations n'étaient pas conformes aux prédictions de l'hypothèse des coûts de la reproduction; les femelles qui ont grandement investi dans la production d'oeufs ...

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“…These values are much lower than Afton's (1984) predecline estimates and my productivity estimates. Koons and Rotella attached radio transmitters to females and these devices have been shown to negatively affect some reproductive parameters (Paquette et al 1997;Guyn and Clark 1999;Barron et al 2010;Arnold and Howeter 2012;Bloom et al 2012; but see Pietz et al 1995); however, Koons and Rotella found no evidence of bias in nest survival estimates (unpublished analysis). Brook (2002) reported mean nest success for 1999-2000 at St. Denis, Saskatchewan, to be very low (3% for mainland nests; 95% CI = 0.004-0.120, n = 18), but increasing drought conditions may have negatively influenced these results (R. Clark, personal communication).…”

Section: Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive Rates in Lesser Scaup (<i>Aythya affinis</i>) in Southwestern Manitoba: Another Look at the Data

Hammell¹

2016

Can Field Nat

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Surveys indicate that Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) populations declined during the early 1980s and have since remained below conservation goals. Reasons suggested for the decline include chemical contamination, climate change, and reduced food resources. According to the latter theory, reproductive success of Lesser Scaup has declined because females now arrive on the breeding grounds with fewer nutrient reserves than in the past and this diminished body condition is the result of reduced food resources available at wintering and/or migration areas. To determine whether reproductive success has declined over time, I examined selected Lesser Scaup reproductive rates from 2008 to 2014 in southwestern Manitoba and compared them with those recorded before the continental population decline. Estimated productivity (age class IIa broods/pair), hatching date, Ia and IIa brood size, duckling survival rate (first sighting to age class IIa), and proportion of age class IIa broods with females in attendance were unchanged from values recorded in 1970–1972. Thus, if females are arriving on southern breeding areas with reduced body reserves, they may be recovering these losses before nesting, enabling them to attain reproductive rates similar to those in the past. In addition, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that reduced food resources at non-breeding areas could affect recruitment of southern prairie-parkland breeders to a lesser extent than northern breeders because of the longer time between arrival and egg-laying in the south.

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Effects of Transmitters on Reproduction and Survival of Wild Mallards

Cited by 86 publications

References 24 publications

Reduction in adverse effects of tracking devices on waterfowl requires better measuring and reporting

Reduction in adverse effects of tracking devices on waterfowl requires better measuring and reporting

Costs of Reproduction in Breeding Female Mallards: Predation Risk during Incubation Drives Annual Mortality

Reproductive Rates in Lesser Scaup (<i>Aythya affinis</i>) in Southwestern Manitoba: Another Look at the Data

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