Mallard Duckling Growth and Survival in Relation to Aquatic Invertebrates

Cox, Robert R.; Hanson, Mark A.; Roy, Christianne C; Euliss, Ned H.; Johnson, Douglas H.; Butler, Malcolm G.

doi:10.2307/3802270

Cited by 115 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Starvation is probably a rather frequent direct cause of death in ducklings (cf., Solman 1945;Talent et al 1983;Cox et al 1998), but we believe that it alone does not explain all mortality. Duckling mortality in our study occurred earlier than in Marcström's (1966) study, where mortality of experimentally starved mallard ducklings was studied in the absence of predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a well-documented positive association between food abundance, duckling growth, and survival in dabbling ducks (Street 1977;Johnson et al 1992;Cox et al 1998), although predation and adverse weather may also affect breeding success (Solman 1945;Koskimies and Lahti 1964;Talent et al 1983;Cox et al 1998). Duckling survival is a key factor in the overall breeding success of ducks, which in turn is a driving force in their population dynamics (e.g., Johnson et al 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Why are there so many empty lakes? Food limits survival of mallard ducklings

Gunnarsson¹,

Elmberg²,

Sjöberg³

et al. 2004

Can. J. Zool.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Food is an important factor affecting survival in many bird species, but this relationship has rarely been explored experimentally with respect to reproductive output of precocial birds. In a field experiment we tested the hypothesis that food abundance limits reproductive output in breeding dabbling ducks. Onto 10 oligotrophic lakes in northern Sweden we introduced one wing-clipped female mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L., 1758) and a brood of 10 newly hatched ducklings, and survival was monitored for 24 days. Food was added ad libitum at five of the lakes, but not at the other five. Duckling survival was best modelled to include a treatment effect, with higher survival on lakes with food added, and a negative effect of harsh weather. As expected, duckling survival increased nonlinearly with age. Only one female remained on control lakes after 24 days, whereas four remained on lakes with food added. This is the first experimental demonstration that food may limit survival and reproductive output in breeding precocial birds. We argue that food limitation may be one reason why duckling mortality is high and why many lakes throughout the Holarctic have no breeding dabbling ducks.Résumé : La nourriture est un facteur important pour la survie de plusieurs espèces d'oiseaux, mais sa relation avec le rendement reproductif des oiseaux nidifuges n'a que rarement été explorée expérimentalement. Une expérience sur le terrain nous a permis de vérifier l'hypothèse selon laquelle l'abondance de la nourriture contrôle le rendement reproductif chez les canards barboteurs en période de reproduction. Nous avons introduit une femelle à ailes écourtées du canard colvert (Anas platyrhynchos L., 1758) ainsi qu'une couvée fraîchement éclose de 10 canetons dans 10 lacs oligotrophes du nord de la Suède et nous avons noté leur survie pendant 24 jours. Nous avons ajouté de la nourriture à volonté dans cinq des lacs, mais pas dans les cinq autres. Notre modélisation optimale de la survie des canetons inclut un effet du traitement expérimental avec une survie accrue dans les lacs approvisionnés et un effet négatif des conditions climatiques rigoureuses. Comme prévu, la survie des canetons augmente de façon non linéaire avec l'âge. Au bout de 24 jours, il ne restait qu'une seule femelle sur les lacs témoins, alors qu'il y en avait quatre sur les lacs approvisionnés. C'est une première démonstration expérimentale que la nourriture peut contrôler la survie et le rendement reproductif chez les oiseaux nidifuges en période de reproduction. Nous croyons que la carence de nourriture peut être l'une des causes de la forte mortalité des canetons et de l'absence de reproduction de canards barboteurs dans de nombreux lacs de la région holarctique.[Traduit par la Rédaction] Gunnarsson et al. 1703

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why are there so many empty lakes? Food limits survival of mallard ducklings

Gunnarsson¹,

Elmberg²,

Sjöberg³

et al. 2004

Can. J. Zool.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies on other wetland birds have also found positive relationships between chick survival and invertebrate prey abundance (Brinkhoff 1997, Cox et al 1998 or between the density of breeding pairs and invertebrate abundance pairs (Nummi et al 1994). Water Rail abundance was related to the abundance of certain invertebrate taxa, such as Odonata, Trichoptera and Plecoptera, and it is possible that these could either be acting as indicators of general water quality or may be important constituents of Water Rail diet.…”

Section: Food Supplymentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat preferences of breeding Water RailRallus aquaticus

Jenkins¹,

Ormerod²

2002

Bird Study

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Unfavourable weather during the first week after hatching can also intensify mortality by increasing stress, energetic demands, and predation risk, as many predators actively hunt during periods of adverse weather (Mendenhall and Milne 1985). In addition, weather may indirectly affect insect abundance and availability, as insect activity is often lessened during cool and wet weather (Green 1984, Panek 1992, Cox et al 1998. Increased survival of chicks in 2 species of partridge was directly associated with increased temperatures during June and July, which resulted in more favourable conditions for young chicks as well as increased density and activity of arthropods (Green 1984).…”

Section: Chick Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grouse chicks rely on insects as their primary food source for the first 2 to 5 weeks after hatching, after which they begin to shift to a more plant-dominated diet similar to adult birds (Green 1984, Panek 1992. Because of this reliance on insects for growth and development, insect abundance and availability is an important factor affecting survival of precocial offspring (Cox et al 1998). …”

Section: Chick Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive success and habitat selection of sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) in the Peace River region, northeast British Columbia.

Goddard¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mallard Duckling Growth and Survival in Relation to Aquatic Invertebrates

Cited by 115 publications

References 33 publications

Why are there so many empty lakes? Food limits survival of mallard ducklings

Why are there so many empty lakes? Food limits survival of mallard ducklings

Habitat preferences of breeding Water RailRallus aquaticus

Reproductive success and habitat selection of sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) in the Peace River region, northeast British Columbia.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About