Long-Term Response of Northern Pintails to Changes in Wetlands and Agriculture in the Canadian Prairie Pothole Region

Podruzny, Kevin M.; Devries, James H.; Armstrong, Llwellyn M.; Rotella, Jay J.

doi:10.2307/3802932

Cited by 43 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Interestingly, scaup and northern pintail had the highest mean correlation coefficients of the ten species considered. Numbers of both scaup and northern pintail are currently in decline (Austin et al 2000;Podruzny et al 2002). Paradis et al (2000) suggest that spatial synchrony is more intense during population declines, and this contention is supported here.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Spatial synchrony of prairie ducks: roles of wetland abundance, distance, and agricultural cover

Drever

2005

Oecologia

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Populations exhibit spatial synchrony when their numbers rise and fall in concert at several sites over their distribution. I examined the relationship between synchrony, abundance of wetlands (ponds), distance, and agricultural cover using count data of ten duck species counted in 23 aerial survey strata on the mid-continental prairies of North America. Expansion of agriculture may have resulted in increased synchrony of duck populations through increased foraging efficiency of nomadic predators and/or if the homogenization of nesting habitat has removed habitat features that allow differential local responses to large-scale population drivers such as precipitation. As a measure of synchrony, I calculated all pair-wise cross-correlation coefficients based on population growth rates (rt) at each survey stratum, and then regressed these correlation coefficients against measures of cross-correlation of pond (wetland) counts, distance between strata, and mean percent area of strata seeded to row crops. Synchrony for most species was most strongly related to synchrony of wetland availability among sites, and decreased with distance between sites. Synchrony of ducks that nest over water showed little effect of agricultural cover, whereas the effect of agricultural cover on synchrony of upland nesting ducks differed by species. Mobile large-bodied species showed evidence of increased synchrony due to agricultural cover, whereas smaller-bodied, more philopatric species showed evidence of decreased synchrony due to agricultural cover.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Spatial synchrony of prairie ducks: roles of wetland abundance, distance, and agricultural cover

Drever

2005

Oecologia

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“…Because many more pintails nest in the prairies as compared to the parkland (Miller and Duncan 1999), Greenwood et al's (1995) 45% figure would be more representative of the pintail population. Richkus (2002) estimated that 51% of pintails in southern Saskatchewan nested in cropland, although his study was conducted in a much more localized area. Thus our overall estimate of 47% of the pintail nests in the Canadian prairies being initiated in spring-seeded cropland is consistent with other sources, despite differences in years and methodologies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural destruction of Northern Pintail nests on cropland in prairie Canada

Duncan¹,

Devries²

2018

ACE

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ABSTRACT. It has been postulated that the decline of the Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) population is related to the propensity of female pintails to nest in cropland. Using spatial modeling at multiple scales, we estimated that the long-term average breeding population of Northern Pintails in prairie Canada would have initiated a mean of 974,260 nests/year, of which 47% (457,900 +/-43,270) would have been in cropland. Nest success rates are very low (5%) in spring-seeded cropland with predation and agricultural activity responsible for approximately 78% and 22% of the nest loss, respectively. We estimated that a long-term mean of 94,750 (+/-19,680) nests representing 524,725 pintail eggs would have been destroyed by agricultural seeding and tillage operations on cropland annually. The number of nests/eggs lost in any given year would vary by an order of magnitude dependent primarily upon the size of the pintail population nesting on the prairies in that year. Our estimate of incidental take is quite robust because it is based on multiple, long-term studies using data from across the Canadian prairies. Our analysis provides additional support for the theory that the pintail's habit of nesting in cropland is the probable reason for the decline in the pintail population, irrespective of the cause of nest loss. Although predation is the primary cause of the loss of pintail nests in cropland, the proportion of nests lost to predation in cropland is similar to that in other upland habitats on the prairies. Thus the additional loss from agriculture could well be incremental and may be the proximate causative factor in the pintail population's decline and failure to recover in recent decades. Destruction de nids de Canard pilet causée par l'agriculture sur les terres cultivées des Prairies canadiennesRÉSUMÉ. Une des raisons avancées pour expliquer la diminution de la population de Canard pilet (Anas acuta) est en lien avec la propension des femelles à nicher sur les terres cultivées. Au moyen de modélisation spatiale à de multiples échelles, nous avons estimé que la population nicheuse moyenne de longue date de Canard pilet des Prairies canadiennes aurait initié une moyenne de 974 260 nids/année, dont 47 % (457 900 +/-43 270) se seraient trouvés sur les terres cultivées. Le taux de succès des nids est très faible (5 %) sur les terres à culture de printemps, où la prédation et les activités agricoles sont responsables de 78 % et de 22 % des pertes de nids, respectivement. Nous avons estimé qu'une moyenne de 94 750 (+/-19 680) nids équivalant à 524 725 oeufs de pilets auraient été détruits annuellement par les opérations de travail du sol et d'ensemencement sur les terres cultivées. Le nombre de nids/oeufs détruits au cours d'une année donnée variait d'abord en fonction de la taille de la population de pilets nichant dans les Prairies cette année-là. Notre estimation de la prise accessoire est assez fiable parce qu'elle est fondée sur de multiples recherches de longue date utilisant des données provenant des Prairies ca...

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“…Summerfallow, the practice of leaving land uncropped for a growing season, declined dramatically in Prairie Canada in the last quarter of the 20th century, when there was a shift to continuous annual cropping (Carlyle 1997). Pintails nest relatively early and do not avoid nesting in uplands with sparse cover, e.g., crop stubble from the previous year, to the same degree that other prairie nesting dabbling ducks do (Greenwood et al 1995, Podruzny et al 2002, Richkus et al 2005. Therefore, pintails and their nests may be more vulnerable to spring seeding activities than other species of prairie ducks, leading to reduced nest success and overall productivity (Hestbeck 1995, Miller and Duncan 1999, Podruzny et al 2002, Hebert and Wassenaar 2005.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pintails nest relatively early and do not avoid nesting in uplands with sparse cover, e.g., crop stubble from the previous year, to the same degree that other prairie nesting dabbling ducks do (Greenwood et al 1995, Podruzny et al 2002, Richkus et al 2005. Therefore, pintails and their nests may be more vulnerable to spring seeding activities than other species of prairie ducks, leading to reduced nest success and overall productivity (Hestbeck 1995, Miller and Duncan 1999, Podruzny et al 2002, Hebert and Wassenaar 2005. However, there are indications that widespread use of fall-seeded crops in Prairie Canada could improve nest success and the abundance of pintails (Devries et al 2008, Skone et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) survival, recovery, and harvest rates derived from 55 years of banding in Prairie Canada, 1960–2014

Bartzen¹,

Dufour²

2017

ACE

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Long-Term Response of Northern Pintails to Changes in Wetlands and Agriculture in the Canadian Prairie Pothole Region

Cited by 43 publications

References 6 publications

Spatial synchrony of prairie ducks: roles of wetland abundance, distance, and agricultural cover

Spatial synchrony of prairie ducks: roles of wetland abundance, distance, and agricultural cover

Agricultural destruction of Northern Pintail nests on cropland in prairie Canada

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) survival, recovery, and harvest rates derived from 55 years of banding in Prairie Canada, 1960–2014

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Long-Term Response of Northern Pintails to Changes in Wetlands and Agriculture in the Canadian Prairie Pothole Region

Cited by 43 publications

References 6 publications

Spatial synchrony of prairie ducks: roles of wetland abundance, distance, and agricultural cover

Spatial synchrony of prairie ducks: roles of wetland abundance, distance, and agricultural cover

Agricultural destruction of Northern Pintail nests on cropland in prairie Canada

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) survival, recovery, and harvest rates derived from 55 years of banding in Prairie Canada, 1960&#8211;2014

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Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) survival, recovery, and harvest rates derived from 55 years of banding in Prairie Canada, 1960–2014