Looking beyond rare species as umbrella species: Northern Bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ) and conservation of grassland and shrubland birds

Crosby, Andrew D.; Elmore, R. Dwayne; Leslie, David M.; Will, Rodney E.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.03.018

Cited by 39 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…This effect may be amplified if the nontarget prey is also a game species and cannot distinguish whether it is the intended target of predation. Bobwhite popularity as a game species, in conjunction with their declines, has made the species a conservation priority and prompted their designation as a flagship species for many upland and grassland bird communities (Brennan & Kuvlesky, 2005;Crosby, Elmore, Leslie, & Will, 2015). While there has been a substantial increase in the study of direct and indirect effects of hunting on prey (Gosselin, Zedrosser, Swenson, & Pelletier, 2014;Lone, Loe, Meisingset, Stamnes, & Mysterud, 2015;McGrath, Terhune, & Martin, 2018;Stillfried et al, 2015), the nonconsumptive effects of hunting on nontarget prey species are understudied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Broad-scale changes in land use including modern agricultural and forestry practices have resulted in habitat loss that is the primary cause of this decline (Brennan, 1991;Guthery, Peterson, & George, 2000;Williams, Guthery, Applegate, & Peterson, 2004). Bobwhite popularity as a game species, in conjunction with their declines, has made the species a conservation priority and prompted their designation as a flagship species for many upland and grassland bird communities (Brennan & Kuvlesky, 2005;Crosby, Elmore, Leslie, & Will, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nonconsumptive effects of hunting on a nontarget game bird

Mohlman

Gardner

Parnell

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Human hunting activity and disturbance can significantly impact prey species through both consumptive and nonconsumptive effects. The nonconsumptive effects of rabbit hunting on Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) are currently unknown. Increased perceived risk of predation by bobwhite during rabbit hunting events may elicit antipredator responses among bobwhite that impact fitness via changes in behavior that ultimately impact population growth. We estimated the nonconsumptive effects of rabbit hunting on bobwhite behavior using telemetry across varying rabbit hunting intensities. Movements were analyzed using Bayesian hierarchical modeling with a before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) design to determine the effect of rabbit hunting on bobwhite. We observed an overall reduction in bobwhite movement in the presence of rabbit hunting, with a 38% (Posterior Overlap = 0.01) increase in bobwhite step length in the absence of rabbit hunting. We also observed bobwhite maintaining closer proximity to hardwood and escape cover under high rabbit hunting intensity, with a 59% (Posterior Overlap = 0.03) increase in distance from hardwood and a 28% (Posterior Overlap = 0.14) increase in distance from escape cover when rabbit hunting was removed. Synthesis and applications. Heightened antipredator behavior through decreased movement may assist with bobwhite predator avoidance. However, decreased movement and increased use of poor habitats may also have negative effects as a result of reduced foraging time or increased susceptibility to other predators. Future research should attempt to quantify the effect of decreased movement on bobwhite fitness through the evaluation of foraging time and survival in order to continue to improve management efforts for the species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonconsumptive effects of hunting on a nontarget game bird

Mohlman

Gardner

Parnell

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…First, prioritization should be rooted in conservation outcomes, for example, meeting or maintaining NBCI density goals for bobwhite. Managing landscapes for bobwhite may be the most practical way to conserve grassland bird biodiversity in the Eastern US, as bobwhite can be an umbrella species for other grassland and shrubland birds (Crosby, Elmore, Leslie, & Will, ) and their importance to sportsmen and women often drive farmland conservation policy (e.g. Conservation Practice 33).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By presenting forecasted outcomes of alternative management scenarios, we have provided resource management agencies with information that could aid prioritization of re-enrolment of CREP (Crosby, Elmore, Leslie, & Will, 2015) and their importance to sportsmen and women often drive farmland conservation policy (e.g. Conservation Practice 33).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Private land conservation has landscape‐scale benefits for wildlife in agroecosystems

Yeiser

Morgan

Baxley

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Private lands contain much of the world's biodiversity. Conservation of private land, especially agricultural land, is urgent yet challenging because of the diverse priorities of landowners. Local effects of farmland conservation programmes have been evaluated thoroughly, but population‐level response to these programmes may depend on effects that extend beyond targeted land parcels. We investigated the landscape‐scale effects of a grassland conservation initiative, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), on a socially and economically important game bird, the Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus. Barriers to assessing population‐level response to conservation include determining the spatial scale at which a species responds to environmental change (the scale of effect) and untangling density‐dependent processes. We performed point counts over 6 years at 247 sites with similar local CREP density but varying landscape‐scale CREP density. We used an open‐population distance sampling model to evaluate population response to landscape‐level CREP density and to forecast population densities under differing re‐enrolment scenarios. Our model included kernel smoothing techniques to estimate scale of effect and an estimator of the strength of density dependence. Density dependence moderated the effectiveness of the CREP, but overall populations responded positively to increasing landscape‐scale CREP density. We estimated that at least 5% of the landscape needs to be in CREP to meet population density goals of 0.25 bobwhite/ha. Conservatively, we recommend 10% of the landscape to be in CREP. Our percent cover recommendations are based on a distance‐weighted average of CREP around focal sites. Landscape‐scale effects diminished with distance. For example, assuming all else is equal, a CREP field 3,000 m away had 88% less of an effect on local abundance than a field 1,000 m away. Fields farther than 5,000 m away had no effect on local abundance. Synthesis and applications. Our study underscores the importance of a landscape‐scale approach to farmland conservation. Benefits of these programmes to wildlife can extend beyond the local scale, but their importance to local populations diminishes with distance. Estimating this relationship and incorporating it into a decision framework could help practitioners target land enrolment to meet broadscale population objectives.

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“…Bobwhite, a facultative grassland species (Vickery et al ), has been especially affected by these changes in land use, with rangewide declines of 3.48%/year over the 1966–2015 period (an 83% overall decline; Sauer et al ). As a result, bobwhite have been the focus of conservation concern and range‐wide recovery efforts and may serve as an umbrella species for conservation of grassland‐dependent birds more generally (National Bobwhite Technical Committee , Crosby et al , Rosenberg et al ).…”

Section: Context For Eastern Grasslands Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eastern grasslands: Conservation challenges and opportunities on private lands

et al. 2019

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Grasslands were once common in the eastern United States and provided habitat for numerous grassland-dependent wildlife. However, native grasslands in this region have largely been eliminated as a result of conversion to other land uses (e.g., urban development, row-crops), altered disturbance regimes (e.g., lack of fire and grazing), or conversion to introduced grasses for livestock production. Consequently, many wildlife species adapted to these environments have experienced protracted population declines, notably, northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), and other grassland-dependent bird species. Restoration of native grasslands with appropriate native plant species composition, structure, and disturbance regimes will be key to restoring at-risk wildlife. Indeed, the region still includes >20 million ha of grasslands, but these are dominated by introduced grass species and focused on cattle (Bos taurus) production. Any successful restoration strategy must engage the agricultural community, provide profitable forage production, and benefit habitat for wildlife. Furthermore, grassland ecosystems in humid regions (i.e., >95 cm annual rainfall) require frequent disturbance to prevent succession to forested conditions. Historically, these native grasslands were maintained by fire, herbivory, and their interaction. Consequently, wildlife communities in humid, native grasslands are adapted to those same disturbances and the conditions they create. Improving species composition by replacing introduced, sod-forming grass species commonly used in production agriculture (e.g., tall fescue [Schedonorus arundinaceus] and bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon]) with native grasses can be beneficial but must be accompanied by appropriate disturbance to achieve and maintain improved habitat. Therefore, developing a business case for producers to incorporate native grasses into regional agro-grasslands that include disturbance through grazing may foster large-scale improvements in habitat quality. Although Farm Bill conservation practices can make important contributions to conservation of eastern grassland-dependent wildlife, such programs are dependent on uncertain and limited federal budgets and, to provide appropriate disturbance, require management intervention at a net cost to landowners and Farm Bill programs. Thus, there exists an opportunity to improve habitat at a scale that has the potential to sustain viable populations of grassland-dependent wildlife. Therefore, we discuss the potential of a new conservation paradigm, one based on grazing systems that utilize native grasses, for filling that conservation gap.

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Looking beyond rare species as umbrella species: Northern Bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ) and conservation of grassland and shrubland birds

Cited by 39 publications

References 37 publications

Nonconsumptive effects of hunting on a nontarget game bird

Nonconsumptive effects of hunting on a nontarget game bird

Private land conservation has landscape‐scale benefits for wildlife in agroecosystems

Eastern grasslands: Conservation challenges and opportunities on private lands

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