Experimentally provided conspecific cues boost bird territory density but not breeding performance

Grendelmeier, Alexander; Arlettaz, Raphaël; Olano-Marin, Juanita; Pasinelli, Gilberto

doi:10.1093/beheco/arw144

Cited by 18 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…We also did not actively assess nesting success of the Willow Flycatchers that colonized our meadows, and, indeed, few other studies have attempted to address breeding success in relation to conspecific broadcasts (Ahlering et al 2010, Andrews et al 2015, Grendelmeier et al 2017). Attraction to conspecifics likely helps to improve survival by minimizing the time birds need to search for new territory and increasing opportunities for individuals to find mates (Fletcher 2006), but artificially provided conspecific broadcasts has not explicitly been shown to improve survival of reproductive success (Ahlering et al 2010, Grendelmeier et al 2017.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Attraction to conspecifics likely helps to improve survival by minimizing the time birds need to search for new territory and increasing opportunities for individuals to find mates (Fletcher 2006), but artificially provided conspecific broadcasts has not explicitly been shown to improve survival of reproductive success (Ahlering et al 2010, Grendelmeier et al 2017. Because most prospecting Willow Flycatchers seeking to establish new territories are second-year individuals and typically less productive than their older counterparts (Sedgwick 2004, Paxton et al 2007), we would not necessarily expect to see high productivity in the short term from individuals attracted to a habitat by conspecific broadcasts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Schofield¹,

Loffland²,

Siegel³

et al. 2018

ACE

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ABSTRACT. Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) populations have been in decline across the western United States for decades. California populations are especially vulnerable with fewer than 500 pairs remaining in the state. Declines and local extirpations continue despite extensive habitat restoration and improved management designed to help conserve Willow Flycatchers. Such efforts may have failed to help reverse these trends in part because Willow Flycatchers rarely recolonize habitat after extirpation, regardless of present habitat suitability. Failure to recolonize habitat may be because prospecting Willow Flycatchers, like many other songbird species, assess habitat suitability based on the presence of conspecifics, making them unlikely to consider unoccupied habitat as potential breeding grounds. If true, broadcasting conspecific vocalizations in suitable but unoccupied habitat could help facilitate recolonization. During the 2016 and 2017 breeding seasons, we assessed the effectiveness of providing artificial social cues as a means of restoring Willow Flycatchers to suitable but unoccupied restored meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. We selected 14 experimental meadows where conspecific songs were broadcast during the settlement and breeding periods and 19 control meadows where no broadcasts took place. All the meadows were recently restored, contain high-quality habitat with hydrological characteristics and vegetation similar to meadows where Sierra Willow Flycatchers successfully breed, and were confirmed to be unoccupied in the year prior to their inclusion in the study. We observed Willow Flycatchers at five of 14 experimental meadows (35.75%) during the breeding season and at one of 19 control meadows (5.3%). We found that habitat characteristics also play a role in the efficacy of this technique, as Willow Flycatcher presence was highly significantly related to the combination of both the experimental treatment and meadow size. These results demonstrate that within large, restored meadows, conspecific broadcasts may be an effective strategy for restoring Willow Flycatchers. Utilisation de la diffusion de chants de conspécifiques pour le rétablissement du Moucherolle des saulesRÉSUMÉ. Les populations de Moucherolles des saules (Empidonax traillii) sont à la baisse dans tout l'ouest des États-Unis depuis des décennies. Les populations californiennes sont particulièrement vulnérables, comptant moins de 500 couples. Les baisses et les disparitions locales se produisent toujours malgré les efforts importants de restauration d'habitat et d'aménagement ciblant la conservation de ces moucherolles. Ces efforts pourraient avoir failli à renverser les tendances, en partie en raison du fait que le Moucherolle des saules recolonise rarement un habitat qu'il a abandonné, sans égard aux conditions actuelles propices. L'échec de la recolonisation d'habitat est peut-être attribuable au fait que les moucherolles qui prospectent, tout comme de nombreuses autres espèces d'oiseaux chanteurs, évaluen...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Schofield¹,

Loffland²,

Siegel³

et al. 2018

ACE

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“…According to state forestry agencies in Germany and Switzerland, the seed crop of beech and oak trees in 2014 was average, even though rodent abundance in 2015, based on similar track plate data from northern Switzerland (Grendelmeier et al, 2017) and own observations, was rather high. Hence, the effect of simulating increased rodent presence might have been weakened.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Does acoustically simulated predation risk affect settlement and reproduction of a migratory passerine?

et al. 2019

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Nest predation is one of the most important drivers of avian life history evolution and population dynamics. Increasing evidence suggests that birds are able to assess nest predation risk and avoid settling in high‐risk areas to increase their reproductive performance. However, the cues used for settlement decisions are poorly known in most species. Population sizes of the migratory wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix are characterized by strong annual fluctuations, which are negatively correlated with the number of forest rodents. Wood warblers might avoid rodent‐rich areas to reduce predation risk arising either from rodents, from rodent‐hunting predators attracted to such areas or from predators not linked to rodents. To evaluate these hypotheses, we conducted a large‐scale field experiment to test whether wood warblers avoided settling in plots with high predation risk simulated by broadcasting vocalizations of rodents or predators. Moreover, we tested whether reproductive performance varied in relation to simulated predation risk. Settlement patterns did not differ between plots with rodent, predator and noise control treatments. Likewise, measures of reproductive performance did not seem to differ across treatments. Thus, the broadcasted vocalizations of rodents and predators did not seem to be perceived as threat by wood warblers. Alternatively, the species might use other cues than those presented here, either other acoustic cues, visual and/or olfactory cues or a combination of cue types during settlement. Further experimental investigations to pin point cues and senses relevant for settlement decisions in wood warblers and birds in general are needed to better understand their life history and population dynamics.

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“…, Grendelmeier et al . ). Larger areas of suitable habitat give more chances for clustering to occur than smaller areas, making social constraints a likely explanation for area sensitivity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…, Grendelmeier et al . ). Wood Warblers have been found to be positively associated with structurally homogeneous forests of intermediate age, closed canopy, low canopy height diversity and absence of shrubs.…”

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confidence: 97%

Occupancy dynamics of the Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix assessed with habitat and remote sensing data

Huber

Kéry

Pasinelli

2017

Ibis

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The study of population dynamics and species–habitat interactions is important for many ecological and conservation issues. We analysed the occupancy dynamics of the Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, a forest interior passerine that has suffered long‐term declines in many European countries. Considering a broad range of habitat descriptors, including LiDAR‐based variables characterizing forest structure, we identified environmental factors influencing the probabilities of occupancy, colonization, extinction and detection, and mapped these probabilities at a landscape scale. We used presence–absence data collected between 1999 and 2013 in a robust‐design protocol with replicated surveys within each primary sampling season (i.e. breeding season). To analyse occupancy dynamics, we fitted dynamic occupancy models with covariates describing topography, forest extent and structure, soil, seed masting (as a proxy for rodent abundance) and weather conditions during settlement. Initial occupancy was positively related to slope, forest cover and the proportion of broadleaf forest, and negatively related to forest edge length, canopy height variation and soil nutrients. Colonization probability was positively associated with slope and negatively with canopy height variation and soil nutrients. Extinction probability was negatively related to slope, positively related to forest edge length and was lowest at intermediate vegetation heights. Detection probability decreased during the season and was positively related to forest cover. This study provides insights into the settlement dynamics of a declining forest species by identifying potential drivers of the processes underlying occupancy dynamics, instead of simply modelling species abundance or occurrence. Forest‐related covariates were of overwhelming importance for the settlement dynamics of the Wood Warbler. Conservation measures should focus on providing and maintaining the species' preferred forest structure, specifically in extended forests. In Switzerland, forests located on slopes and on nutrient‐poor soils should be prioritized for conservation. Finally, comparing findings derived from the relatively coarse scale of this study with those from the small scale of individual territories suggests that conservation recommendations deduced from large‐scale monitoring schemes alone may be incomplete, and vice versa.

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Experimentally provided conspecific cues boost bird territory density but not breeding performance

Cited by 18 publications

References 76 publications

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Does acoustically simulated predation risk affect settlement and reproduction of a migratory passerine?

Occupancy dynamics of the Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix assessed with habitat and remote sensing data

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