Experimental Reintroduction of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers

Rudolph, D. Craig; Conner, Richard N.; Carrie, Dawn K.; Schaefer, Richard R.

doi:10.2307/4088173

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(3 reference statements)

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“…For example, 11 of the 17 sampling locations for the 2010–2014 period in the Western Region have been translocation recipients (W. McDearman personal communication). Translocations have long been used as a strategy to facilitate RCW population recovery (USFWS, ), and individuals have been artificially moved throughout their range (Allen, Franzreb, & Escano, ; Carrie, Conner, Rudolph, & Carrie, ; Costa & DeLotelle, ; Cox & McCormick, ; Connor, Rodolph, & Bonner, ; Franzreb, ; Haig et al, ; Rudolph, Conner, Carrie, & Schaefer, ). While more detailed analyses are still required, it remains feasible that the cumulative effects of translocations over the decades following their initiation may have reversed the loss of genetic diversity that was detected in this subset of the species' range.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in genetic diversity and differentiation in Red‐cockaded woodpeckers (Dryobates borealis) over the past century

Miller

Vilstrup

Mullins

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Red‐cockaded woodpeckers (RCW; Dryobates borealis ) declined after human activities reduced their fire‐maintained pine ecosystem to <3% of its historical range in the southeastern United States and degraded remaining habitat. An estimated 1.6 million RCW cooperative breeding groups declined to about 3,500 groups with no more than 10,000 birds by 1978. Management has increased RCW population abundances since they were at their lowest in the 1990s. However, no range‐wide study has been undertaken since then to investigate the impacts of this massive bottleneck or infer the effects of conservation management and recent demographic recoveries. We used mitochondrial DNA sequences (mtDNA) and nine nuclear microsatellite loci to determine if range‐wide demographic declines resulted in changes to genetic structure and diversity in RCW by comparing samples collected before 1970 (mtDNA data only), between 1992 and 1995 (mtDNA and microsatellites), and between 2010 and 2014 (mtDNA and microsatellites). We show that genetic diversity has been lost as detected by a reduction in the number of mitochondrial haplotypes. This reduction was apparent in comparisons of pre‐1970 mtDNA data with data from the 1992–1995 and 2010–2014 time points, with no change between the latter two time points in mtDNA and microsatellite analyses. The mtDNA data also revealed increases in range‐wide genetic differentiation, with a genetically panmictic population present throughout the southeastern United States in the pre‐1970s data and subsequent development of genetic structure that has remained unchanged since the 1990s. Genetic structure was also uncovered with the microsatellite data, which like the mtDNA data showed little change between the 1992–1995 and 2010–2014 data sets. Temporal haplotype networks revealed a consistent, star‐like phylogeny, suggesting that despite the overall loss of haplotypes, no phylogenetically distinct mtDNA lineages were lost when the population declined. Our results may suggest that management during the last two decades has prevented additional losses of genetic diversity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in genetic diversity and differentiation in Red‐cockaded woodpeckers (Dryobates borealis) over the past century

Miller

Vilstrup

Mullins

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Managers at SRS rescued the local RCW population from the brink of extirpation, increasing it from one breeding pair in 1985 (Jackson 1990) to over 30 groups in 2000. Management on SRS has included prescribed fire and other methods to control hardwood midstory, construction of recruitment clusters, translocation of individuals from other populations to occupy recruitment clusters (DeFazio et al 1987;Rudolph et al 1992), control of cavity kleptoparasites (Kappes 1997), and intensely monitoring and aggressively protecting all nests and individuals within the population (Allen et al 1993;Haig et al 1993;Franzreb 1997;Edwards et al 2000;Johnston 2005).…”

Section: Red-cockaded Woodpeckers At Srsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental study of the impact of location on the effectiveness of recruitment clusters for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers at the Savannah River Site.

Walters¹,

Johnston²,

Crowder³

et al. 2008

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThis report summarizes results of a five-year study of red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) conducted by biologists from Virginia Tech, the Duke Marine Laboratory and the USDA Forest Service at SRS. This project is based on a previous study in which we showed that growth of the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) population at SRS likely was limited by poor dispersal success due to an unfavorable spatial distribution of recruitment clusters. The primary objective of the project was to test experimentally the hypothesis that the location of recruitment clusters relative to existing groups was limiting their rate of occupancy. A secondary objective was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of various elements of the SRS management plan for RCWs.Rates of occupation of two types of recruitment clusters, differing in their spatial relationship to existing woodpecker groups, were compared. Experimental clusters were within 2 km of three or more existing groups, whereas control clusters had no existing groups within 2 km of them. Eight recruitment clusters of each type were established in the winter of [2001][2002], and initial response to them was assessed in the RCW breeding season in 2002. Four of eight experimental recruitment clusters (50%) were occupied in the 2002 breeding season, whereas only one of eight control recruitment clusters (12%) was occupied. Those recruitment clusters that were occupied were replaced by new ones, so that ten recruitment clusters of each type were available for occupancy each breeding season, beginning in 2003. The rate of occupation in 2003 was lower than in 2002, but still higher for experimental clusters (30%) than for control clusters (0%). Rates of occupation fell to near zero after 2003: only one cluster of each type was occupied in 2004 and 2005 combined. At the end of the experiment, seven of the 18 experimental clusters that were constructed were occupied (39%), compared to two of the 11 control clusters (18%). The difference between treatments in occupancy is not statistically significant but the trend in the data supports the idea that placing recruitment clusters near existing groups increases occupancy rate.We predicted that placing recruitment clusters near existing groups would not only increase their rate of occupation, but also result in high rates of population growth and increased rates of transition from non-breeder to breeder status among juvenile females and helper males (due to their achieving breeding status by occupying such clusters). Our prior work showed these transition rates to be unusually low at SRS compared to other RCW populations. The expectation of enhanced population growth was not realized. The population increased by 11% (from 37 to 41 groups) in the first year of the study, a rate of growth similar to that during the period analyzed in our previous study (12% annual growth 1995-1998, from 18 to 25 groups) and the intervening years (14% annual growth 1998-2001, from 25 to 37 groups). However no ad...

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“…Construction of artificial cavities (Copeyon 1990;Allen 1991;Copeyon et al 1991) can be used both to maintain territory quality by providing replacement cavities in existing clusters, and to create new territories, called recruitment clusters, by providing cavities in unoccupied habitat. Translocation of juveniles from their natal groups to recruitment clusters is employed to increase the rate of new group formation (and thus population increase) in recruitment clusters (DeFazio et al 1987;Rudolph et al 1992;Allen et al 1993;Edwards and Costa 2004). Growing season fire, herbicides and mechanical removal are used to reduce hardwood midstory that might encroach on cavities, and thereby induce territory abandonment (Frost et al 1986;Ware et al 1993;Provencher et al 2002).…”

Section: Assessment Of Red-cockaded Woodpecker Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies of FAUNA at Eglin Air Force Base

Walkers¹,

Haas²,

Blanc³

et al. 2006

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Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. (From -To) REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 01-07-2006 REPORT TYPE Annual DATES COVERED PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBERVirginia Polytechnic Institute Blacksburg, Virginia 24060-3325 SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S) U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702-5012 SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT NUMBER(S) DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENTApproved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ABSTRACTSee Executive Summary Page 2 SUBJECT TERMSNo subject terms provided. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe thank the Department of Defense, Natural Resources Division (Jackson Guard), Eglin Air Force Base, for funding this project. Personnel at Eglin were uniformly supportive of and helpful with our work. We thank Range Control for working with us on a daily basis to provide safe access to research sites. We are especially grateful to the members of Jackson Guard for their willingness and ability to coordinate management of the base with our research activities, and for their contributions to the research. The work described here was truly a joint venture between our university research team and Jackson Guard. Several members of Jackson Guard deserve special mention. Dennis Teague contributed to collection of field data. First Carl Petrick and then Bruce Hagedorn provided leadership and input to study design, and secured funding for the project each year. In the early years of the project Bruce managed much of the data and facilitated coordination between our research and other management activities on Eglin. Kathy Gault led our university research team in the early years of the project and continued to contribute to data collection and performance of management activities, as well as managing some of the data and coordinating our work with base natural resource management, after moving to Jackson Guard. Bruce and Kathy participated in annual reviews of population data and a variety of other activities, and generally contributed to the project on a daily basis.We are also indebted to o...

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Experimental Reintroduction of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers

Cited by 24 publications

References 7 publications

Changes in genetic diversity and differentiation in Red‐cockaded woodpeckers (Dryobates borealis) over the past century

Changes in genetic diversity and differentiation in Red‐cockaded woodpeckers (Dryobates borealis) over the past century

An experimental study of the impact of location on the effectiveness of recruitment clusters for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers at the Savannah River Site.

Studies of FAUNA at Eglin Air Force Base

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