Grazing and Songbird Nest Survival in Southwestern Saskatchewan

Lusk, Jennifer Suzanne; Koper, Nicola

doi:10.2111/rem-d-11-00203.1

Cited by 30 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…While studies have found that grassland songbirds tend to select tall, dense vegetation for nests, this does not always lead to higher nest success [45, 53, 61]. Our study had similar findings; while both species selected greater cover than available, this only led to greater nest success for Savannah sparrow.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Habitat edges created by roads can alter plant and animal communities [50, 51], which can lead to numerous ecological effects [51] including either higher [52] or lower [53] rates of nest depredations. The variable outcomes among species may be due to species-specific habitat selection [44, 45, 54–56], nest concealment, behavior [24, 57–59], or predation risk [60]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…General Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs; PROC GLIMMIX) were used to determine whether vegetation density or structure differed at nests compared to available habitat (independent variable was nest/available habitat), as vegetation structure may influence nest site selection and nest success of grassland songbirds [25, 44, 45]. Analyses were conducted separately for chestnut-collared longspur and Savannah sparrow nests.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of shallow natural gas well structures and associated roads on grassland songbird reproductive success in Alberta, Canada

Yoo

Koper

2017

PLoS ONE

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Grassland songbird populations across North America have experienced dramatic population declines due to habitat loss and degradation. In Canada, energy development continues to fragment and disturb prairie habitat, but effects of oil and gas development on reproductive success of songbirds in North American mixed-grass prairies remains largely unknown. From 2010–2012, in southeastern Alberta, Canada, we monitored 257 nests of two ground-nesting grassland songbird species, Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) and chestnut-collared longspur (Calcarius ornatus). Nest locations varied with proximity to and density of conventional shallow gas well structures and associated roads in forty-two 258-ha mixed-grass prairie sites. We estimated the probabilities of nest success and clutch size relative to gas well structures and roads. There was little effect of distance to or density of gas well structure on nest success; however, Savannah sparrow experienced lower nest success near roads. Clutch sizes were lower near gas well structures and cattle water sources. Minimizing habitat disturbance surrounding gas well structures, and reducing abundance of roads and trails, would help minimize impacts on reproductive success for some grassland songbirds.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of shallow natural gas well structures and associated roads on grassland songbird reproductive success in Alberta, Canada

Yoo

Koper

2017

PLoS ONE

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“…In some locations, grazing alone has little effect or may even be beneficial to bird abundance and species richness provided trees are not cleared (Evans et al . ; Martin & McIntyre ; Lusk & Koper ). Vertebrate responses to grazing are often complex, however, and need to be understood in greater detail to lead to meaningful management recommendations (Neilly et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of cattle grazing regimes on tropical savanna bird assemblages

Neilly

Schwarzkopf

2018

Austral Ecology

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Globally, agricultural land use is implicated in the decline of avifauna. In rangelands (areas used for livestock grazing), bird community responses to grazing can be complex, species-specific and scale dependent. A greater understanding of bird responses to grazing will lead to more meaningful management recommendations. We tested the hypothesis that foraging height predicts bird species' responses to grazing, such that species using lower vegetation strata are most likely to respond to the impacts of livestock grazing. We examined the response of a tropical savanna bird community to four grazing strategies at a long-term grazing trial in northern Australia. We predicted that ground-foraging guilds would be more responsive to grazing treatment than foliage-or aerialforaging guilds. We analysed the bird community assemblage using generalised linear mixed models and examined individual species' abundance in relation to microhabitat variables. We found that while ground-foraging guilds were more responsive to grazing treatment, individual species dynamics within a foraging guild could be contradictory. For example, the red-backed fairy-wren decreased in abundance with increased grazing and was positively associated with grass and shrub (Carissa ovata) cover, whereas Australian magpies increased in abundance in the most heavily grazed paddocks. In general, the responses of bird species to grazing were more pronounced in guilds that forage closer to the ground, but whether the responses were positive or negative was driven by bird species ecology. Measures examining the responses of individual species are more useful than assemblage measures (such as richness) to describe the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance such as grazing.

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“…In arid Australia and North America, some reptiles show no response to grazing, due to their preference for the open habitats and higher ground temperatures promoted by heavy grazing (Germano, Rathbun, & Saslaw, 2012;Read, 2002;Read & Cunningham, 2010). Likewise, bird communities can remain unaffected by grazing or even show an increase in diversity, provided trees are not cleared (Lusk & Koper, 2013;Martin & McIntyre, 2007). At a functional group or species level, heavy grazing may facilitate predation (Curry & Hacker, 1990;Kutt et al, 2013;Piana & Marsden, 2014) or affect predator avoidance strategies (Bylo, Koper, & Molloy, 2014;Pettigrew & Bull, 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Arboreality increases reptile community resistance to disturbance from livestock grazing

Neilly

Nordberg

VanDerWal

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Domestic livestock grazing directly alters ground‐level habitat but its effects on arboreal habitat are poorly known. Similarly, the response to grazing of ground‐dwelling fauna has been examined, but there are few studies of arboreal fauna. Globally, grazing has been implicated in the decline of vertebrate fauna species, but some species appear resistant to the effects of grazing, either benefiting from the structural changes at ground level or avoiding them, as may be the case with arboreal species. Here, we examine arboreal and terrestrial habitat responses and reptile community responses to grazing, to determine whether arboreal reptile species are more resistant than terrestrial reptile species. We conducted arboreal and terrestrial reptile surveys on four different grazing treatments, at a 19‐year experimental grazing trial in northern Australia. To compare the grazing response of arboreal and terrestrial reptile assemblages, we used community, functional group and individual species‐level analyses. Species responses were modelled in relation to landscape‐scale and microhabitat variables. Arboreal reptile species were resistant to the impact of grazing, whereas terrestrial reptiles were negatively affected by heavy grazing. Terrestrial reptiles were positively associated with complex ground structures, which were greatly reduced in heavily grazed areas. Arboreal lizards responded positively to microhabitat features such as tree hollows. Synthesis and applications. Arboreal and terrestrial reptiles have different responses to the impact of livestock grazing. This has implications for rangeland management, particularly if management objectives include goals relating to conserving certain species or functional groups. Arboreal reptiles showed resistance in a landscape that is grazed, but where trees have not been cleared. We highlight the importance of retaining trees in rangelands for both terrestrial and arboreal microhabitats.

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Grazing and Songbird Nest Survival in Southwestern Saskatchewan

Cited by 30 publications

References 64 publications

Effects of shallow natural gas well structures and associated roads on grassland songbird reproductive success in Alberta, Canada

Effects of shallow natural gas well structures and associated roads on grassland songbird reproductive success in Alberta, Canada

The impact of cattle grazing regimes on tropical savanna bird assemblages

Arboreality increases reptile community resistance to disturbance from livestock grazing

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