Individual and environmental effects on egg allocations of female Greater Sage-Grouse

Blomberg, Erik J.; Gibson, Daniel D.; Atamian, Michael T.; Sedinger, James S.

doi:10.1642/auk-14-32.1

Cited by 22 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Similarly, there is evidence that sage-grouse demography may vary across their broad range in western North America. Consistent with avian biogeographic patterns in clutch size (Lack 1948), Blomberg et al (2014) found that clutch size in sage-grouse decreased from north to south across the species' distribution. Our population is at the extreme southern extent of the species' distribution in western North America.…”

Section: Sy Hsmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…However, until further studies of population dynamics based on telemetry data are completed from other areas, we currently have little information to compare to at the population level. There is currently a need to better understand differences in population dynamics across gradients of latitude and anthropogenic influence for sage-grouse within their current distribution (Blomberg et al 2014).…”

Section: Sy Hsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Female survival for SY and ASY age classes negatively co-varied with their respective clutch sizes, though covariance values were very small. At a minimum, we recommend that future research consider the factors that could influence hatch failure, clutch size, and the relationship of clutch size to female survival in this, and other populations (Blomberg et al 2014).…”

Section: Sy Hsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Evaluating vital rate contributions to greater sage‐grouse population dynamics to inform conservation

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Species conservation efforts often use short-term studies that fail to identify the vital rates that contribute most to population growth. Although the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) is a candidate for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and is sometimes referred to as an umbrella species in the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome of western North America, the failure of proposed management strategies to focus on key vital rates that may contribute most to achieving population stability remains problematic for sustainable conservation. To address this dilemma, we performed both prospective and retrospective perturbation analyses of a life cycle model based on a 12-yr study that encompassed nearly all sage-grouse vital rates. To validate our population models, we compared estimates of annual finite population growth rates (λ) from our female-based life cycle models to those attained from male-based lek counts. Post-fledging (i.e., after second year, second year, and juvenile) female survival parameters contributed most to past variation in λ during our study and had the greatest potential to change λ in the future, indicating these vital rates as important determinants of sage-grouse population dynamics. In addition, annual estimates of λ from female-based life cycle models and malebased lek data were similar, providing the most rigorous evidence to date that lek counts of males can serve as a valid index of sage-grouse population change. Our comparison of fixed and mixed statistical models for evaluating temporal variation in nest survival and initiation suggest that conservation planners use caution when evaluating short-term nesting studies and using associated fixed-effect results to develop conservation objectives. In addition, our findings indicated that greater attention should be paid to those factors affecting sage-grouse post-fledging females. Our approach demonstrates the need for more long-term studies of species vital rates across the life cycle. Such studies should address the decoupling of sampling variation from underlying process (co)variation in vital rates, identification of how such variation drives population dynamics, and how decision makers can use this information to re-direct conservation efforts to address the most limiting points in the life cycle for a given population.

show abstract

Section: Sy Hsmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: Sy Hsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sy Hsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evaluating vital rate contributions to greater sage‐grouse population dynamics to inform conservation

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For this question, we only considered the first nest for females that nested multiple times in a single year, as re-nesting rates were associated with female body condition and weather conditions (Blomberg et al 2014a;Blomberg (EJB), Gibson (DG), and Sedinger (JSS) unpublished data), whereas primary nesting rates were relatively unaffected by body condition and weather. First, we considered interactions between DSI and habitat predictor variables (e.g., shrub cover, grass height) to assess the hypothesis that drought modified the importance of other habitat-based variables to chick survival.…”

Section: Assessment Of Patterns In Annual Habitat Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…ecosystems of western North America (Connelly et al 2011), which are characterized by cold winters and hot, dry summers (Miller et al 2011). Sage-grouse demography, however, may be even more greatly influenced by the indirect effects of drought conditions (Moynahan 2004, Blomberg et al 2012, 2014a, b, Guttery et al 2013. Sage-grouse demography, however, may be even more greatly influenced by the indirect effects of drought conditions (Moynahan 2004, Blomberg et al 2012, 2014a, b, Guttery et al 2013.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Weather, habitat composition, and female behavior interact to modify offspring survival in Greater Sage‐Grouse

Gibson

Blomberg

Atamian

et al. 2017

Ecological Applications

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Weather is a source of environmental variation that can affect population vital rates. However, the influence of weather on individual fitness is spatially heterogeneous and can be driven by other environmental factors, such as habitat composition. Therefore, individuals can experience reduced fitness (e.g., decreased reproductive success) during poor environmental conditions through poor decisions regarding habitat selection. This requires, however, that habitat selection is adaptive and that the organism can correctly interpret the environmental cues to modify habitat use. Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are an obligate of the sagebrush ecosystems of western North America, relying on sagebrush for food and cover. Greater Sage-Grouse chicks, however, require foods with high nutrient content (i.e., forbs and insects), the abundance of which is both temporally and spatially dynamic and related primarily to water availability. Our goal was to assess whether nest site selection and movements of broods by females reduced the negative effect of drought on offspring survival. As predicted, chick survival was negatively influenced by drought severity. We found that sage-grouse females generally preferred to nest and raise their young in locations where their chicks would experience higher survival. We also found that use of habitats positively associated with chick survival were also positively associated with drought severity, which suggests that females reduced drought impacts on their dependent young by selecting more favorable environments during drought years. Although our findings suggest that female nest site selection and brood movement rates can reduce the negative effects of drought on early offspring survival, the influence of severe drought conditions was not completely mitigated by female behavior, and that drought conditions should be considered a threat to Greater Sage-Grouse population persistence.

show abstract

Estimating survival and adoption rates of dependent juveniles

Street

Riecke

Williams

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Population growth and fitness are typically most sensitive to adult survival in long‐lived species, but variation in recruitment often explains most of the variation in fitness, as past selection has canalized adult survival. Estimating juvenile survival until age of independence has proven challenging, because marking individuals in this age class may directly affect survival. For Greater Sage‐grouse, uniquely marking juveniles in the first days of life likely results in adverse effects to survival, detection of juveniles is not perfect, and females adopt juveniles from other parents. These challenges are encountered by researchers studying avian and mammalian species with similar life histories, yet methods do not exist that explicitly estimate all these components of the recruitment process. We propose a novel data collection method and demographic model to simultaneously estimate rates of detection, survival, and adoption of juvenile individuals. Using multiple cameras to film the beginning of juvenile activity on specific days, we obtained counts of juveniles associated with marked females. Increases of juveniles to broods provided information that enabled us to estimate rates of adoption that can be applied at the population level. Losses from broods informed apparent survival. These losses could be attributed to death, or they could be chicks that were adopted by other females. We found evidence that apparent survival of juveniles was influenced by localized weather patterns when chicks were young. Similarly, we found that young chicks were more susceptible to the adverse effect of attending females being flushed by an observer. Both of these patterns diminished quickly as chicks aged. We provide the first‐ever estimates of interval‐specific adoption rates. Our results suggest that researchers should be cautious when designing studies to estimate juvenile survival. More importantly, they provide insight into adoption, a behavior that has been known to exist for decades.

show abstract

Individual and environmental effects on egg allocations of female Greater Sage-Grouse

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 22 publications

References 55 publications

Evaluating vital rate contributions to greater sage‐grouse population dynamics to inform conservation

Evaluating vital rate contributions to greater sage‐grouse population dynamics to inform conservation

Weather, habitat composition, and female behavior interact to modify offspring survival in Greater Sage‐Grouse

Estimating survival and adoption rates of dependent juveniles

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About